Cobalt

Jewelry Discussion
1

Does anyone know where I can purchase cobalt to alloy with gold? I
have tried Stuller, but they seem to be too difficult to easily work
with. Ie. Must open account, must give 3 vendors who supply me with
gold.

Thanks in advance,
Marcus Terrey

2

We might be able to accommodate your cobalt gold needs. Contact
PMWest 800-999-7528 and ask for Daniel. Depending on the formula…
And we will have to take a look at a patent to be sure there is no
problem there.

Daniel Ballard

3

Goodfellow is a supplier of laboratory grade metals, not cheap but
very pure. http://www.goodfellow.com Remember cobalt is a hazardous
material and should be treated with respect when melting and
grinding. On the Goodfellow site it is listed as both Harmful
(Chemicals which may cause death or acute or chronic damage to
health when inhaled, ingested or absorbed via the skin.) and an
Irritant (Non-corrosive chemicals which, through immediate,
prolonged or repeated contact with the skin or mucous membrane may
cause inflammation.) neither attribute would I want to be
associated with a jewelry product.

Jim

4

Have you tried a ceramic company? I use many raw materials including
cobalt for glazes. Try any company that specalizes in ceramics
supplies to the trade. Hope this helps!! Helen

5

Marcus, I don’t know how much cobalt you are looking for. If you
are going to try alloying with gold you are probably talking about
small amounts. I buy 100 g quantities from Frey Scientific
(www.freyscientific.com) for redox reaction experiments. Other
suppliers are on the internet (check out Yahoo or Google). They
might be more reasonable on cost if you are looking for larger
amounts. World production of cobalt is about 17,000 tons per year.
It is listed as available in the form of foil, pieces, powder, rod
and wire. Care must be exercised in working with it. The toxic
intake is 500 mg. The lethal intake as the chloride (which I work
with) for the rat is 80 mg per kg. It tends to produce vomiting in
humans and is a suspected carcinogen. The metal is a lustrous,
silvery-blue color and is hard.

I hope this is of some use to you.

Captain Blood
“Marlinespike Seamanship in Precious Metals”
@Alden_Glenda_Blood