[Jewelry making - Article 01016] - Re: [Orchid] Crystalized gold inlay

[Peter W . Rowe]

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Rona,

    If the casting is in platinum, you can, just like solder, flow pure
    gold into grooves.  Let it cool as slowly as possible, or put it in
    an oven at just a bit below the gold's melting point to set for a half
    hour or so, to allow coarse crystal growth.  trim off excess gold if
    needed (It shrinks a lot when it solidifies, so often there are
    shrinkage dips and holes, thus sometimes the need to overfill wider
    areas.  thin lines don't need it.  But anyway, once the gold is where
    you wish it, etch it in cold aqua regia.  It works best if the acid
    is rather "used", so not as active, or you can dilute it.  Cold and
    either dilute or used, it's effect on the platinum is so slow as to
    allow it to retain a bright finish while the gold's crystal structure
    is revealed.  Be sure not to mechanically distort the gold, such as
    hammering, burnishing, etc.  Files and abrasives are fine.  But
    mechanical working distorts the crystals. 

    I've not tried it, but assume you could also get etching, perhaps
    with karat golds, by playing with the acid formulas, but karat golds
    tend to solidify with much tighter smaller crystals, so it's often
    less attractive.  I've also now and then had a similar finish appear
    with karat golds when using either cyanide stripping baths, or other
    electrostripping baths, especially with 18K and rose golds, and
    especially when the baths are not performing quite as they should,
    such as too cold, or old and contaminated or the like.  sometimes
    hard to duplicate just when you wish, but this offers, better than
    with aqua regia, the option to get a considerably deeper more
    textured finish sometimes.  With some 14K casting alloys, I've seen
    the texture come up with a discernable low relief texture, not just
    the visible look.  Again, hard to actually get when you actually want
    to do so.  Usually, it's been an accident... 

Peter

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