Question: Blue gold

Thierry Duguet · Nov 24, 2015

has anyone use blue gold? If so what can you tell me about it? Where can I buy some? How difficult is it to work with?
Any information is welcome, thank you.

Brian Marshall · Nov 24, 2015

Good luck with that one... and the purple one.

Unless of course there have been some great advancements in metallurgy and alloying since last time I looked?

Quite possible, since I can't recall the last time I looked...

We fooled with the formulas for them maybe 30 years ago.

I owned a small precious metals refinery at the time, by the name of Salamander Refining in Lathrop, California.

Formula came from an old goldsmiths notes.

Stuff was absolutely impossible to work with. No joy. The purple shattered like glass. Pretty stuff, but useless.

Aluminum added to the gold makes the purple. Iron added makes the blue.

Didn't cost us anything to scrap it and refine it back to 24K but some time.

Those alloys can contaminate a batch of "normal" jewelry refining - as can lead and tin. We learned the hard way.

Never messed with it again. Be interesting to see if anyone ever came up with a workable alloy?

Brian

DanM · Nov 24, 2015

I believe it is very brittle as was Stephen Kretchmer's original formula for purple gold. The Japanese changed the formula for their purple gold a number of years ago and was made more workable. What type of work are you thinking about using blue gold for?

Thierry Duguet · Nov 24, 2015

DanM said:
I believe it is very brittle as was Stephen Kretchmer's original formula for purple gold. The Japanese changed the formula for their purple gold a number of years ago and was made more workable. What type of work are you thinking about using blue gold for?

I do a lot of multicolored inlays, just looking for an other color to play with.

Brian Marshall · Nov 24, 2015

Someone told me long ago that the Japanese purple was roughly cast into the form needed and then finished with lapidary methods - grinding and polishing it to final product/dimensions?

Both the blue and the purple that we made was highly allergic to hammer blows...

B.

Dave London · Nov 24, 2015

Thierry
You might try asking this ? On the (Following the iron brush) forum. They are in to the Japanese art methods. Good luck

Addertooth · Nov 25, 2015

If you want a deep blue/purple/black, consider Shakudo with patination. Very easy to engrave and a lower cost, considering the gold content is only 5 to 10 percent.

silverchip · Nov 25, 2015

I have researched this recently and basically came to the conclusion that none of the blue or purple alloys are practical for working or inlaying. The best workable formulas were the Japanese ones but the patina can be damaged so unless it is never to be touched and only looked at, it could be susceptible to damage and ruin the desired effect.

monk · Nov 25, 2015

sounds like a project that could be quite frustrating. if you achieve results from experimentation, many would like to see what it looks like. good luck in your quest.

James Ashley · Nov 25, 2015

At the moment the only jewellery I know of being produced in purple gold is coming out of Singapore. They are simply casting it and then clean up or setting it like a stone in claws or fine bezels. Looks amazing but impossible to repair or do anything with. Blue gold i am not sure of i'm afraid. If you could cut it out into the shape somehow and then raise the edges of your inlay cutout you could possibly set it like a cabachon stone and flush off afterwards. Your canvas material would have to be nice and soft though.

dhall · Nov 26, 2015

A jeweler buddy made a ring to show samples of different colors (blue included) and lasered the different blobs of colored alloys on to a YG band. Unworkable otherwise, but the blue did laser weld on to his base of 14K.

Thierry Duguet · Nov 26, 2015

Thank you all for your input, it seems that I will have to revisitt my desire to use blue gold, lol.

Brian Marshall · Nov 26, 2015

No, just inlay it like you would a piece of stone. Grind it to size... and keep the hammers away from it.

Brian

Question: Blue gold

Thierry Duguet

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Brian Marshall

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DanM

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Thierry Duguet

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Brian Marshall

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Dave London

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Addertooth

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silverchip

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monk

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James Ashley

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dhall

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Thierry Duguet

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Brian Marshall

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