Blackening gold plated jewelry

Looking for a product to blacken recessed areas of gold plated
jewelry

Hi. I recently started gold-plating some jewelry pieces. The problem
is that they lose their three-dimensional effect, as the recessed
areas are the same bright gold color as the higher spots.

Is anyone aware of any product that works to blacken the
lower/recessed are as on gold-plated pieces other than black paint?
Some of the spaces are too narrow to paint with black paint. I need
something that I can apply and then remove from the high spots. I’ve
used liver of sulphur successfully on bare metals, but I’m sure it
won’t work on gold-plated pieces.

Any ideas?

Think about leaving the recessed areas unplated. You paint an
electroplate resist on areas you want to keep dark. Your plater will
advise you which product to use. Then you can use liver of sulfur or
whatever to darken the unplated recesses. That’s one option.

Elliot

The same chemicals that will blacked silver will also work on gold-
plated areas if the piece is gently heated.

Janet Kofoed

John,

Looking for a product to blacken recessed areas of gold plated
jewelry Hi. I recently started gold-plating some jewelry pieces.
The problem is that they lose their three-dimensional effect, as
the recessed areas are the same bright gold color as the higher
spots. 

Cheat. Old pickle and a bit of iron will copper plate the whole
piece. LOS to blacken and then rouge to clean up the highlights. I
haven’t used the trick on plated stuff but it sure works well on
white gold.

jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand

The same chemicals that will blacked silver will also work on
gold- plated areas if the piece is gently heated.

Could you explain that “gentle heating” process and the rest of it
after that? Thank you.

Cheat. Old pickle and a bit of iron will copper plate the whole
piece. LOS to blacken and then rouge to clean up the highlights. I
haven't used the trick on plated stuff but it sure works well on
white gold. 

I think you would run a significant risk in removing the gold
plating as well doing this.

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

I use Jax silver Black, and I put it on the parts I want blackened
and hold the piece with tweezers while heating it with a butane
torch, quickly passing the torch across the surface a few times just
until the solution changes the color. It doesn’t need much heat. I
then clean up the edges and undesired dark parts with a very fine 3M
radial bristle disc or a fine pumice wheel on the flex shaft.

Janet Kofoed