I have a project to create a special chalice with gold inlays in the
shape of grape leaves and stems. I was considering the use of green
and brown gold for the leaves and stems. I have consistently
formulated white, rose, and green golds for various jewelery
projects. But I have never seen any formulations for a brown gold.
I would like to know if there is a source of for the
formulation of brown gold and for that matter other gold alloy
colors.
Any leads or sources of such would be greatly
appreciated.
There is an old book originally compiled in 1907 and revised over
the years. It was reprinted in the 70s as Henley’s Formulas for
Home and Workshop (ISBN 0-517-293072). The sections on alloys and
gold have a number of alloy formulations for various colors
including a couple for a “dark” gold which might fill your bill.
It’s a surprisingly useful reference.
While I have never seen an example, a rather odd element is SAID to
make brown gold, and that is lead. I am not at all sure about this
one. You may not want to use lead for the obvious reasons, but that
was the rumor. The same story mentioned this being a roman era
method. But then they used lead for drinking water pipes and paid the
price!
I have an old formula from way back when… Claims to make brown but
frankly I doubt it looking at the formula. I’ll put it here so anyone
curious enough to try can give it a shot. 75% Gold, 6.25% Silver and
18.75% palladium. So if you try this please let me know how it looks.
There is an old book originally compiled in 1907 and revised over
the years. It was reprinted in the 70s as _Henley's Formulas for
Home and Workshop_ (ISBN 0-517-293072)
This book is available at Amazon.com. If you are interested in
getting a copy just go to www.amazon.com, select “books” and type in
the ISBN 0517293072.
<edit added book
Henley's Formulas for Home & Workshop
by Gardner D. Hiscox
Hardcover: Dimensions (in inches): 2.25 x 9.50 x 6.75
Publisher: Random House Value Pub; (November 9, 1988)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0517293072/ganoksincom-20
</edit>
I have been “lurking” around this forum for some time now. This is
my first post. I have learned, and am learning, more from this forum
than I thought possible. You are great folks. Thank you.
I can’t find any reference to brown gold in “Henley’s”. Maybe I am
blind.
I do have one reference to brown gold . On page 37 0f "Working
in precious metals " ( 1933) by Ernest Smith. It has been
reprinted several times-- at one time several years ago it was
available at B&N on closeout. I found a closeout copy in the UK
but it was the last one.
a more or less quote:
This is not an alloy but a result of nitric acid depleting a high
silver content gold alloy leaving a spongy mass of gold that is the
brown gold of commerce. The mass is dried but not heated enough to
change the physical appearance.
The only thing I find on lead in gold is in Brepohl’ “Theory and
practice of goldsmithing” page 53 :
“Fractions of a percent of lead are sufficiently damaging to form
the brittle compound Au2Pb which is deposited at grain boundaries.
The alloy melts at a low 418C and is too brittle too be worked
either hot or cold.” A photo micrograph is shown on page 54.
The book “Precious metals Science and technology” A reasonably
current and very complete monograph translated from Japanese
shows gold 75, silver 5, palladium 20 as a white 18 karat gold.
This book also shows no brown gold or any lead containing gold
alloy.
I can't find any reference to brown gold in "Henley's". Maybe I
am blind.
Nope, you are right. I misread the text. What I thought was an
alloy recipe in the section on gold is a patina. Perhaps for the
project that started this conversation, one of the grey alloys will
work. Tree bark is really more grey than brown on a lot of
species…
That must be a real old book. I have not found out more about
it but he had another book published in London in 1882.
Hello jesse,
Abebooks.com and Bookfinder.com yield a number of listings for George
E. Gee ranging from the 1880s through the 1930s. The following in
taken from an Abebooks listing:
"Gee, George E. Gold Alloys, Their Manufacture and Application New
York, NY: Norman W. Henley Publishing Co. 1930. First Edition. Octavo
over 7 3/4" - 9 3/4" Tall. 336 pgs; index. Bound in blue cloth with
gilt titles. … "
A practical business guide to the preparation, composition, and
melting of Gold Alloys of every description and caratage, for the use
of Goldbeaters, Goldsmiths, Jewellers, Watchcase Makers, Enamellers,
Setters, Pen Makers, Stampers, Gilders, and all kindred workers in
the precious metals, showing how difficulties and failures are met
with simple remedies; compounding the different colour-tinted alloys;
reducing and improving the various carats of gold; metals which
impair the physical properties of gold and its alloys; fluxes and
their uses; recovering gold from solid waste products; imitation
platinum and palladium alloys; tables of gold values; tables of
weights; and sundry tables of interest to dealers in the precious
metals and diamonds."
That is a recipe for palladium white gold. So either the author
never tried it or it was mislabeled in the printing.
True. But compared to silver, platinum, or nickel white golds, that
sort of palladium alloy has a decided brownish tint to the white gold.
By itself, you don’t see it as brown. But put it next to a whiter
alloy, and the tint is clear. Try sizing a nickel white gold ring a
couple sizes up, accidentally using a piece of palladium white gold,
and you’ll see what I mean, as you decide that you’d better take that
mismatched piece back out or the shank and redo the job…
Many of george gee’s color descriptions are a bit misleading, since
we see the label and expect, as in this case, to see a real brown.
But he DOES say brownish, not brown. It IS a brownish tinted white
gold, compared to whiter alloys. Somewhat comparable to the shade of
green you usually see in golds labeled as “green golds”. They’re all
still yellow golds, but next to standard warmer yellow alloys, one
can imagine a greenish color. Good enough for the type of
multicolored floral decoration done by english jewelers around the
turn of the last century, the time in which Gee was writing, or like
the multicolored Black Hills gold stuff, which I kind of inspired by
that type of work.
Christopher Corti of World Gold Council has written an excellent
article discussing various “special” colors of gold and the
technical details of how they are achieved, which will appear in the
July 2004 issue of AJM Magazine. (http://www.ajm-magazine.com). He
also presented a paper on the topic (upon which the article is based)
at the Santa Fe Symposium last week. The Proceedings are typically
available shortly after the event: visit http://www.santafesymposium
for more