Palladium Ring

I’ve taken the feedback I’ve received about my previous post
([Orchid] Ring Re-Mount In Palladium?) and I’ve found a local
goldsmith that was willing to remake my 7 garnet ring in palladium.
Incidentally I’ve found it was originally made of 800 silver so that
could explain the allergic reactions.

Unfortunately for me, I never got to talk with the actual goldsmith
until yesterday. He got back to me saying that it’s just not
possible to work with palladium since it’s too soft and requires
temperatures even higher than platinum. He wants to substitute my
request for pure palladium for an alloy of 18k gold and palladium
(75% gold and 25%palladium).

This just doesn’t make sense to me. If it’s soft to make a durable
ring then why does it require high temperatures? I also have read
previous posts in Orchid speaking of pure palladium jewelry so I
assume it’s possible to work with it. They are charging me a pretty
penny to work with palladium since they said it was as difficult to
work with as platinum but now that are substituting such a high
percentage of gold, I’m feeling a bit ripped off.

Is my goldsmith just using his 20 years of experience to bully me
into something I really don’t want? I had a really hard time finding
someone who worked with palladium in the first place.

Thanks,
Mona Boucher

Hello Mona. Palladium is not difficult to handle. There are for the
moment 3 solders 1100, 980, 730 Degree C. Mostly used is 950/20
Palladium/silver soft 95 HV, 60% deformed 165 HV. A bit like 18 K
gold This alloy has a melting point of 1380-1450 C. Annealing
750-800 C As covering Platinaclean and flux Degussa B (soldering on a
ceramic plate) The best soldering tool are the water generators. By
using gas oxygen use neutral flame (no reducing flame) Cleaning with
Formic acid (HCOOH)

This material is in Germany often used in Jewelry. And for me it is
easier to work with than Platina. You can even mix this alloy with
silver to get a 500/500 PD/silver mixture. This is a very nice dark
grey alloy. Nice for Mokume.

Greetings

Martin Niemeijer N design Molenkreek 23 8032 JK Zwolle The Netherlands
info@ndesign.nl ; www.ndesign.nl Phone +31 (0)38 4539203
Mobile phone +31 (0)6 51831576

What he is selling you is an 18k palladium white gold, which is not
palladium. The metal will be a grayish tone, not as white as
palladium or platinum. The hardness of metal does not relate to what
temperatures are needed to work it. Palladium white gold should be
priced about 20% higher than working with normal gold.

Daniel R. Spirer, GG Spirer Somes Jewelers 1794 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140 617-491-6000 @spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com

Mona , Pure platinum Melts at 3224 F, palladium melts at 2831 F.
Both pure palladium and platinum are very soft and are alloyed with
other metals to make them harder. Jewelers palladium is 95%
palladium and 5 % ruthenium this is a hard enough material to make
durable rings out of. I am not sure that palladium white gold is any
harder than pure palladium. I work with both and they are both soft.
Jewelers palladium is not a common material but it is available from
several refiners. If you want a palladium ring find a different
smith.

Jim

Well Mona, no offense here, but you have just committed about
sixteen sins that the normal “custom” shopper almost always does.
You found it hard to find somebody that would work with the metal
you want. Then you do find him, you do not trust him, and question
whether or not he is on the level about what can and cannot be done.
When dealing with unique and obscure metals it is perhaps best to
let somebody who has dealt with said metals have a say in what is
what. Honest. Did you know that Magnesium burns at 3,000 degrees and
can be lit with a match? How about phosphorus having to be kept in
water because it ignites when it comes in contact with Oxygen? It is
a more large and more intricate world than it would appear at first
glance.-L