making rose gold

[blingymo]

Is it possible to melt down yellow gold, add the copper (I think that's what makes the rose gold) and recast into a new ring? I am thinking about a rose gold setting for a new ering and wonder if it is possible to incorporate the gold from my original into the new one - kind of a way to keep my original ring. Anyone have insight into the process?

 

[IE_Princess]

From what I have read it's possible to have your own gold refined and recast, just a lot more costly than buying a new setting. Not sure about changing it to rose gold though. I think it is a lovely idea.

What I've chosen to do (at least for now) is to set aside my original e-ring, band, and guard (bought a few months after we married) in case one of my sons chooses to marry before he is especially prosperous and wants to use my ring. I want only 18 when I got engaged and we were broke (he worked at a restaurant, I worked p/t at a mall store) so that .24 diamond felt like a rock at the time (and later working at a jewelry store when I was 20 I got a sense of how fortunate I was that we chose that simple diamond solitaire and not some chip in a crappy setting). I don't think I'd give him the original band (used in the ceremony), just the e-ring and guard (both 14K yellow). I replaced DH's 10K gold band (I said we were broke!) with a Tiffany platinum band but I still keep and wear it occasionally for sentimental reasons. When I'm not wearing his band or my band I keep them together in my jewelry box.

 

[blingymo]

Huh. I would think it would be less expensive (for a piece that's custom anyway and with the price of gold) because you are providing the gold.

 

[kenny]

If your gold is 24 kt (100% gold) then perhaps it would be easier.

If it is anything less than 24 karat, like 18 karat or 14 karat, it already has other metals in the alloy.
These other metals may not belong in rose gold or belong in smaller amounts.
To 'fix' that and get the rose gold recipe right they'd have to add more pure gold to get those other metals to be a smaller part of the mix.
Then you'd have left over gold after the ring is made.

I guess technically your gold alloy could be purified and the other metals extracted but that would be expensive and perhaps not even possible for such a small quantity.
Besides gold, skilled labor can be expensive.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Generally jewelers send all scrap gold to be refined and do not reuse gold themselves. So it is unlikely you could use your old gold.

 

[kenny]

I'll bet you could find a jeweler who will take your gold and tell you they used it to make your new ring.

 

[blingymo]

Haha. Kenny, I'm sure I could!! Oh well, it was a thought. I had no idea about the makeup of the gold or how it could be done. I just thought it would be sentimental to have the "same ring." Thanks for all your expertise everyone

 

[denverappraiser]

Sure, it's possible. Nearly everything is possible. But it's definitely not a cost savings. Even at the current gold prices, the cost of a mounting is mostly in the labor.

Add to that that refining is normally done in large lots and the costs get shared over a bunch of clients. We're talking about many kilos at a time. To do a lot for a single ring worth of metal would cost more in fees than the value of the gold.