I work in Argentium silver. I have been asked to make a 8-9mm 18guage band ring in 14 KT white gold. Should I recommend 18 KT white? Will I need special tools to bend this thickness metal instead of my half round pliers? I think white gold may be much harder to bend than silver.
Am I wrong?
Hello Terry
Assuming we are talking about nickel white gold’s which are the most popular the 18kt White is harder than 14kt white. All suppliers’ white gold varies in whiteness and hardness which the two are directly related. In general the whiter the white the more nickel that is used and the harder it becomes.
DHF’s 14kt white is closer to 14kt yellow in terms of temper and workability with a grade 1 white color. If choosing 18kt white I would recommend an 18kt Palladium white which is much softer and easier to work with. Here the palladium is used instead of nickel. Slightly more in cost due the palladium content in the alloy but a nice bright grey white and soft.
Hope this helps.
Ken Babayan
DHF
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Dhfco.comhttp://Dhfco.com, David Fell refining has a
wonderful 14kt white gold alloy that I have
found works well for casting and fabrication.
It is Winter White alloy and does not need
to be rhodium plated.
I have cast rings and forged the shank
without any cracking.
18 gauge is only 1 mm or so thick. You won’t have very much trouble bending it even though it is a good bit stiffer than silver.
Gotta second that shout out for DHF winter white. Been using it for years. First to cast now to forge and fabricate.
I just use casting grain. For everything.
In my experience 14K white is less problematic than 18K white. I’ve thankfully had little trouble with the 18K white pieces I’ve made over the years but I have regularly seen issues with brittleness and cracking in manufactured 18K white pieces. I’ve always assumed that was because the percentage of nickle in the alloy has to be increased to achieve the desired whiteness? Anyway, my 2 cents is that I’d suggest sticking with 14K white. Mark