How to make rose gold?

Hi guys ,

After 20 years in the gem trade I want to venture out into the jewelry manufacturing part of the business.
I am not going to do the production my self but I have a person doing the casting for me .

so the questions are
whats the best recipe for a pleasing shade of 14k Rose gold ?
Is there a demand for 18k rose gold ? ( I see most vendors listing only 14 k rose gold )

Since the introduction of pink gold from Tiffany & Co, this color became popular again.
Tiffany &Co started a great story with the brandname Rubedo.
This alloy si made of 55% copper, 31% gold, 7% silver and 7% zinc.
I don’t want to start the discussion again about the value of it.
Fact is that Tiffany did a pretty good marketing stunt to present this new brand color.

Other rose gold colors can be made by using the ternary phase diagram of gold.
18 ct gold -with good working properties- can be made by using gold, copper AND silver to improve the nice pink look and the working properties of the alloy. Most common18 ct rose gold - I think - is the formula which can be found on internet. 75% Au, 21%Cu and 4% Ag.

I con only speak for gold sold in my country.
The new pink color is for sale everyware thanks to the rubedo story of Tiffany % Co.
I see it everywear and in almost any juwelry store here.
Some people like it, some not.
The art is to make something out of it that strikes the eye and then it will attrack people.

Best regards

There are dozens of metals companies that sell rose gold and rose gold alloy. They have done the work no need to re-invent the wheel.
And be aware it is somewhat more difficult to work with than yellow or white gold. If i was new to this I am not sure I would start there.

You are correct sir, all of us suppliers have our alloys down and have been tested for the best results. Some may vary in color slightly and perform slightly different but all are designed to provide the reddest color with out jeopardizing workability.
Red gold (especially 18kt red/pink) can be a tremendous challenge to alloy and even cast due to the high copper content and the forming of copper oxides. Quenching, soldering & fabricating require some tweaking in process when compared to yellow gold.

Ken Babayan
David H Fell & Co. Inc.

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Thank you for your reply , it was most helpful

Being in Sri Lanka we have no access to most products , just yesterday I saw a product Advertised on Orchid and tried to order… Shipping would be very expensive they said and directed me to a stuller.

I never considered that you might live in a place that it would be difficult to source materials. I forget that not every place in the world is like here in the U.S. where anything I could want is a few key strokes and a credit card transaction away for $10 worth of shipping. My apologies and I learned something about myself. I know Stuller and Rio Grande ship internationally but I can’t imagine what shipping would cost. Stuller requires proving that you are in the jewelry business and have a store front or a trade shop business. Rio sells to anybody. Considering the amount of jewelry being manufactured in India I have to wonder if that would be your best possibility.

Hi
Typically our exact alloy compositions are proprietary
Since shipping would be cost prohibitive I would be happy to share some of our red alloys compositions with you off line & walk you thru the process. .

Contact me if you wish.

Thank You
Ken Babayan
David H. Fell & Co. Inc.
ken@dhfco.com

2 Likes

What an amazingly kind offer!!! Hats off to you Ken!

Janet in Jerusalem

Hi Ken,

Thank you very much , that would be wonderful .
I do appreciate it very much.

Ahmed shareek
www.crescentgems.com