To Rockhead2u – if you want to make affordable yellow-metal
jewelry, why not try using gold-filled metal (especially if
little soldering is involved)? I’m sure that several folks
would recommend that. I personally prefer using brass (=red
brass, Merlin’s gold, Nugold, etc.), which has a great color and
costs very little. It obviously doesn’t have the intrinsic
value of gold, but it’s no more trouble to work with than silver
(in my opinion – I only occasionally work in silver) and it’s
great fun to experiment with. Brass’s tendency to tarnish can
be dealt with easily. Admittedly, I like brass because I like
larger pieces. If your wife likes tiny jewelry, perhaps gold is
best, but I just want to say that there are other options. Good
luck! Judy Bjorkman @JLBjorkman