"Black" gold?

[kjf]

Hello,
I am making a custom engagement ring for my girlfriend. So I bought a .60ct blue diamond and have an existing setting that I had someone make a while back but it is in sterling silver. Since then I have decided that I want it to be gold but unique. I have seen some engagement rings made out of black gold so I would like the setting to be recreated in the same material. Is there anyone I could go to that would be able to recreate the setting I currently have in "black" gold? I apologize in advance, I know this iits not in the same league as most of the high end rings discussed on this forum but we are a young couple and do not have a ton of money. I would be able to spend about $1,500 to have this done. I really appreciate any help or guidance.
Thank you,
Jay

 

[Michael_E]

There aren't any alloys of gold which are black all the way through. Their are some which can be oxidized to a black color as a surface treatment as well as some plating systems that are a decent black color. If you presently have a ring that is what you want, I would just consider having it plated with black rhodium and count on having to re-do the plating every once in a while. Rio Grande, (a jewelers supply house), has a number of black plating options which may work for you. One is a novel plating solution using nano-ceramic materials which are supposed to last quite a while, (according to their ads). I'd call around locally and see if anyone uses any of these plating systems that you can look at.

 

[acaw2015]

I think you already got advice from Michael_E here, but when I read your question I felt I needed to ask, is this something you are absolutely sure your GF wants?
Black gold is unique, for sure, and I'm sure would please some ladies, but to me it is far too unique for an engagement ring unless the girl specifically asked for this. Please consider this.
Good luck!
/aca

edited to add, it is possible to make an ER unique without making it black.

 

[farrahlyn]

Are you sure she would be ok with black? Having a blue diamond is already very unique in itself. Would love to see a pic, by the way! I'm not sure that black gold and a blue stone is a look for just anyone. Do you have any ideas of what she likes specifically? Does she have a pinterest page? And there are all sorts of varied budgets here, $1500 is nothing to sneeze at, you can get a beautiful setting with that! Some of these PS members are miracle workers!

 

[JDDN]

Hi there!

A couple of things I would consider:

1. How much will it cost to have the Black Rhodium replated? Depending on your intended's use, wear, etc, it may need to be re-plated more often than you anticipate, so please consider the cost in the life of the ring.

2. I'm worried about the sterling silver ring holding the diamond you bought. It's just so very soft that it is not used in things like engagement rings, or settings with high value diamonds or gems. Does the ring have prongs or is it a bezel? A bezel will be more sturdy than prongs, but I would be very careful with it as an everyday ring holding the diamond. And if it has prongs, that is a sad day waiting to happen. I just don't want you to be disappointed if she looks down and the blue diamond is gone .

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Unless she has specifically asked for this, please don't do it. All that matters is what SHE loves since she is the one who will wear it. Both white and yellow gold are beautiful with blue stones.

 

[kjf]

Yes I am certain she wants black gold, it was her idea. We did discuss it some more today and she said that a more gunmetal color would be better than black. Although I did figure that black gold is just oxidized or plated and that is what steered us away from white gold in the beginning needing to have the rhodium replated every so often. In this case, unfortunately, we would have the same situation.

I should add a little more backstory as well. The setting was custom made specifically because my girlfriend wanted something no one else would have, and when we received it she absolutely loved it. Well this "jeweler" apparently loved it as well and decided to start mass producing the exact same ring and selling it. When we found out my girlfriend was crushed, it really hurt me to see her like that. So now we are looking to have another setting made but with the same concept as the first. Also we did not consider the silver being too soft to hold the diamond securely especially since it has prongs and not a bezel. Now I am at a loss as to what material to have it made out of though.

She definitely is a unique person and wanted a unique ring. I will post a picture and you will understand.



That image is off of the "jewelers" site. It is the exact same setting but without a stone. The idea is "love until death". We now want a different more refined setting. She just wants it to have the two skulls and prongs to hold the stone.

I really do appreciate all the great responses and help. This whole thing is very new to us.

Thank you,
Jay

 

[Michael_E]

I would just move the skulls a little closer together and set the stone between them, kind of a half bezel look. As for the metal, you might look at 14K palladium white gold. It has a definite gray cast and then some of the black platings are actually more of a dark gray. Do a search and there are lots of comparative images showing the palladium white gold alloys...maybe dark enough?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, just wanted to be sure she was in on the design! She definitely wins for having the most unique e-ring design. I seriously hope you'll come back and post the finished ring!

Michael E is a pro and can give you much better advice than me, but I wouldn't try to put a .60 stone in a bezel between the two skulls because I wouldn't want to cover any of the diamond. I think prongs would be better and make the skulls smaller. You can definitely get the design refined a little more. Many jewelers will do CADs for you and you can tweak the design to get it right. Do you have someone to make it? A lot of people here use David Klass as he has reasonable prices for custom design.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here are some pictures of white metals. It looks like Titanium is the darkest, but I am not sure how well that would work for this project. Plus, it is very light weight and scratches. I have only seen it used for men's bands, and even then, it's not great because of the scratching.

 

[acaw2015]

Ah I see now that you have discussed the color! Great! Have you considered incorporating black diamonds in the design? Maybe a good way of adding black. I'm only thinking here, but maybe black melee on the band instead of making the metal itself black? Maybe this is a bad idea, I think your design seems very clean and that may be preferable. Only a thought...
I cant really give any advice re metal color, but I would love to see what you decide. And also pics of the ring when it is finished! But if it is really important for you that noone copy it maybe you should'nt post it.
Good luck!
/aca

 

[flyingpig]

I am dying to see such a unique engagement ring.

 

[kjf]

Thank you for the metal comparison images, they really help. We also discussed incorporating some black diamonds and might go that route. Time to contact David Klass and get this project started. Thank you all again for the help and guidance, could not have gotten this far without it. You guys rock(y)!!

 

[farrahlyn]

VERY unique for sure! I love the idea of black diamonds, maybe as the eyes on the skull? or surprise diamonds on the basket? A black diamond band would be super duper appealing too with that ring. And although i'd love to see the finished product, i agree that you should withhold posting pictures being that it's SO unique and you would like to keep it that way.

 

[tyty333]

I know there are a few etsy artisans that do this style of ring. You might take a look over there and see if any do "black" gold.


https://www.etsy.com/listing/209121954/diamond-vapor-skull-ring-with-half-carat?ref=shop_home_feat_2
https://www.etsy.com/listing/175559159/bloody-valentines-day-gift-skull-ring?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=skull%20ring&ref=sr_gallery_6
Black...but it's sterling silver and not gold
https://www.etsy.com/listing/164927903/gothic-skull-ring-stacking-sterling?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=skull%20ring&ref=sr_gallery_20

Looks like these people work in "black" gold
https://www.etsy.com/listing/159333147/black-diamonds-engagement-ring-14k-black?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=black%20gold&ref=sr_gallery_35