Gold, gold filled, rolled gold.... what!?!

This year I've been working a lot more with gold, and trying to expand the range I can offer in my shop.

I'm working with 9k gold as standard but, I'll be honest with you - it's pricey. And so I do like to offer a more economical option, with that same golden loveliness.

So here they are... gold filled stacking rings are now available in a Becky Pearce Designs shop near you.

Labradorite gold filled ring

BUT what the heck is gold fill? Is it the same as rolled gold and gold plate? Is it going to wear off?

Gold filled metal is made by heat and pressure bonding gold onto a base metal (usually brass) core. Basically sandwiching the base metal. The important thing is that the proportion of the gold on the metal has to be at least 20% of the total weight, so it's quite a substantial amount compared to gold plating where the gold is a microscopic film rather than an actual layer.

The gold filled material I'm using at the moment is 20% gold, but I believe you can also get 40% gold material.

Rolled gold is not quite as good quality - the proportion of gold is less than 20%. So whilst it is still in a layer form rather than a film, and is therefore better than gold plated goods - it will wear more readily than gold filled.

Textured gold filled rings
(available in yellow and rose gold)

I have been trying to get an idea of the kind of wear you can expect with gold filled material, especially in comparison with gold plating which we all know about - and found this info on Wiki.

"Gold-filled items, even with daily wear, can last five to 30 years but will eventually wear through. The gold layer on gold-plated jewelry varies greatly depending on manufacturer, so there is no single, simple comparison. Gold-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate (sometimes stamped HGE or HGP—usually found oncubic zirconia "cocktail rings")."

The recommendation is to treat your gold filled jewellery just as you would gold. Gently clean with a soft cloth every now and again, and make sure you take it off before swimming and it should last for years and years.

I'm fairly new to this material, so will be experimenting and playing with the designs I can do. It can apparently be slightly tricky to solder, so designs which require more than one or two solder joints are probably out for now, but I'll keep you posted about how I'm find it to work with.

The year so far (aka cripes, February already!!)

Where's the year going? 

January whipped by, and it looks like February is shaping up the same way; days going by in a blur.

As you know, life gets pretty busy around here in the run up to Christmas. I start planning for it in September, and people often begin their Christmas shopping in October, ( I know, I know) so the orders start picking up; it then gets properly crazy half way through November. So during these months I tend to put any new designs and experiments with new techniques on hold.

That was definitely the case this time around so there were a few things I added to my "new year  - new ideas " list. Its exciting to start the year with a big list of new things to try.

Number one on that list was gold!

Gold is probably the thing I get most requests to stock: and your wish is my command. I can now supply most of my stacking rings in both 9k and rolled gold. and will be adding new gold designs throughout the year.

Rolled gold is sometimes called gold-filled. And is basically a far better quality alternative to gold plated metal. Perfect when you want the look of gold  ( which will last) but not the expense!

The response to these goodies so far has been amazing (especially from the lovely folk on my facebook page). They aren't listed in my shop yet though so if there's something you particularly fancy please get in touch.

The other thing i'm currently working on is giving you a wider range of facetted stones to choose from; especially in my birthstone ranges. A lot of my existing range are set with cabochons, which I love working with, but for some gems facetted stones can offer a sparklier and more intense colour. 

Don't worry though, the cabochons aren't going anywhere; those beauties (especially the rose cuts) will always be a firm fave.

Most of my new designs make their first appearance on my facebook page as work in progress shots, so if you're interested in seeing how my jewellery is made do pop along
and don't forget to say hi!

Also, for those not already in the know I have a newsletter which I send out monthly. Every single person who subscribes gets entered into a free prize draw each and every month. The prize being an item from my shop or a voucher to spend ( it varies from
month to month).

If you'd like to be part of the fun, just sign up to the newsletter. I don't sell your contact info, or pester you with spam every other day...the deal is that i get to show you my new stuff and share any shop news with you once a month (and remind you that I am here if you need any new jewels!) and you get the chance to win some freebies, get 10% off your purchases and get the occasional extra special offer! Not bad eh? 

That golden glow

A week or two ago I was asked to make a custom jewellery set of earrings and pendant necklace as a birthday present for a lady who had lost much of her own jewellery in floods, and the subsequent house moves while refurbishment took place.

I love (and I mean LOVE) making special one off pieces, and especially when you know a little about the background. However, in this case the customer particularly wanted a gold set, which I have to admit, did make me feel a little anxious.

As you probably know, I usually work in sterling silver, or copper. I do love the look of gold, and have been wondering about offering a gold option of certain items, but gold is just so costly! I mean, really expensive. I just can't afford to have it sitting in my stock cupboard at the moment.

Gold is similar to silver to work with, and so although I don't use gold as often as silver there was nothing particularly different in terms of work. But I was so nervous about wasting even a millimeter of the precious wire.

But oh my, isn't it pretty...

The gold is 9k and the stones are a delicate pale green amethyst. The gems are micro facetted, meaning it has many, many little surfaces to catch, reflect and bounce the light all around making them super sparkly.

I do love this combination of gold and green. What do you think?

You can see some other handmade green amethyst jewellery  in my becky pearce designs shop.

And whilst I can't offer 9k or 18k gold ready to go in the shops at the moment I do offer custom pieces on request. Just get in touch with me at becky@beckypearcedesigns.co.uk to discuss.

Ooooh and do keep an eye out for some gold alternatives popping up in the near future!

Yummy green amethyst....

I got some stunning green amethyst recently for a custom order, and was so pleased with them. I used them with a moss aquamarine stone to make one of my trademark silver leaf pendants. A gorgeous combination of green stones.

The amethyst was clear, and mouthwateringly beautiful, so I am thrilled to have a few extra stones to play with.

I've just teamed it with some gold wire to make these beauties... and I'm just making an oxidised sterling version. I'll load them up on the websites later. Would love to hear what you think of them.