Show me your CS set in black rhodium or blackened silver, please!

[HollyC]

The designs are wonderful. Thank you for sharing them. I especially love the tsavorite ring. @Dr_Diesel

 

[SouthernGent]

Here are a few “Glamour Shots” I have saved on my phone. I’ll try to do more later in the week.



Most of them are blacker than they look in the photos, but the “glamour shot” lighting makes them look more gray

Dr. D, your rings are cool!
How well does black rhodium hold up to daily wear?

 

[Dr_Diesel]

Dr. D, your rings are cool!
How well does black rhodium hold up to daily wear?

Why thank you, sir!

Now it holds up quite well.

What I mean by that is that standard black rhodium would scratch very easily. I’ve since found a place that does black ruthenium plating. It’s both more black and more durable than standard black rhodium.

I also like to use textured finishes, which helps. They seem to wear more organically. Sometimes, if I do get obvious scratches, I’ll just use a polishing cloth and gently buff the finish to give it a more worn/antiqued look that exposes a whole spectrum of black to dark gray, light gray and bare platinum.

I kinda like the look as it evolves that way.

The very first photo (gray & red spinel ring) was taken after I applied that light hand polish.

 

[SouthernGent]

Why thank you, sir!

Now it holds up quite well.

What I mean by that is that standard black rhodium would scratch very easily. I’ve since found a place that does black ruthenium plating. It’s both more black and more durable than standard black rhodium.

I also like to use textured finishes, which helps. They seem to wear more organically. Sometimes, if I do get obvious scratches, I’ll just use a polishing cloth and gently buff the finish to give it a more worn/antiqued look that exposes a whole spectrum of black to dark gray, light gray and bare platinum.

I kinda like the look as it evolves that way.

The very first photo (gray & red spinel ring) was taken after I applied that light hand polish.

What base metal do you use for them?

 

[Dr_Diesel]

What base metal do you use for them?

2 of them are 18k palladium white gold (1st and 3rd photo) and the rest are platinum.

I use palladium white gold because I'm allergic to nickel. It's also a whiter (less warm) finish than 18k WG alloyed with nickel.

 

[Dr_Diesel]

2 of them are 18k palladium white gold (1st and 3rd photo) and the rest are platinum.

I use palladium white gold because I'm allergic to nickel. It's also a whiter (less warm) finish than 18k WG alloyed with nickel.

Correction: 1st & 4th photos (Gray & red spinel ring, offset/asymmetrical red spinel ring) are in 18kPWG

 

[RRfromR]

2 of them are 18k palladium white gold (1st and 3rd photo) and the rest are platinum.

I use palladium white gold because I'm allergic to nickel. It's also a whiter (less warm) finish than 18k WG alloyed with nickel.

@Dr_Diesel tell me more about the palladium white gold. Is it easy to find and resize? I have a terrible nickel allergy, you should see my ears after wearing white gold I have to do platinum

 

[Dr_Diesel]

@Dr_Diesel tell me more about the palladium white gold. Is it easy to find and resize? I have a terrible nickel allergy, you should see my ears after wearing white gold I have to do platinum

Easy to find? I guess that depends on where you’re at. I find that it’s less common in the US. It’s very common in Asia. In Australia, white gold alloyed with nickel is actually illegal because of nickel allergies.

You CAN get it in the US, however. Even Stuller uses Palladium white gold if you request it. Just ask your Jeweler and they should be able to find a casting house that uses it.

It’s a bit more expensive than white gold alloyed with nickel, but it’s just as easy to resize as any other form of gold… Much easier than platinum.

Due to the price of gold relative to platinum these days, if I’m making a piece that I think I’m unlikely to resize in the future, I definitely go with platinum.

 

[canuk-gal]

They are all my designs but made by different goldsmiths.

Sako made the tsavorite ring and the one with the fat pear-shaped red spinel.

The diamond (Octavia) ring wade made by CvB.

The sapphire ring it is pictured with was made by Marilu Designs over 20 years ago.

The others were made by a couple of Armenian brothers in Bangkok who no longer work with the public. I guess they got too big and now they’re only doing outsourced Manufacturing for large jewelry houses.

All stunning. I could wear anyone of them!!

 

[Neptune]

Just because

 

[Neptune]

Various shades of black

 

[Timor]

Finally I can join the club!

 

[Autumn in New England]

Finally I can join the club!

The most delicious fruity pebble I've ever seen!

 

[luckygreen317]

This ring is a PS’er and I don’t remember who but kept photos to reference what blackened finish can do to enhance engraving. Same ring before and after…



I LOVE black rhodium finish (which is more charcoal grey). New lab diamond studs 10K white gold with black rhodium finish.



Pear bypass ring - 10K blackened finish and 14K rose gold.

 

[Avondale]

This ring is a PS’er and I don’t remember who but kept photos to reference what blackened finish can do to enhance engraving. Same ring before and after…

Actually after and before… it had the blackening originally and then it was removed. It currently belongs to @ilovegemstones and judging by how excited she was to get it, I believe the current situation is quite permanent.

 

[luckygreen317]

Actually after and before… it had the blackening originally and then it was removed. It currently belongs to @ilovegemstones and judging by how excited she was to get it, I believe the current situation is quite permanent.

I always loved that ring and it’s beautiful either way. That engraving is exceptional. It was such a dramatic change in the look with the blackened finish I kept it as reference. I also love how we tend to keep exceptional jewelry within our PS community.

 

[Mooshi]

This ring is a PS’er and I don’t remember who but kept photos to reference what blackened finish can do to enhance engraving. Same ring before and after…



I LOVE black rhodium finish (which is more charcoal grey). New lab diamond studs 10K white gold with black rhodium finish.



Pear bypass ring - 10K blackened finish and 14K rose gold.

That bypass ring lives in my dreams, soo well done!

 

[BoulderGal]

This ring is a PS’er and I don’t remember who but kept photos to reference what blackened finish can do to enhance engraving. Same ring before and after…



I LOVE black rhodium finish (which is more charcoal grey). New lab diamond studs 10K white gold with black rhodium finish.



Pear bypass ring - 10K blackened finish and 14K rose gold.

Those new studs are gorgeous @luckygreen317 !
From a practical perspective, how do you find the blackened rhodium finish holding up to daily wear on a ring? Rhodium tends to wear away quickly on my hands. I'm pondering doing something with blackened rhodium and a pink sapphire.

 

[luckygreen317]

Those new studs are gorgeous @luckygreen317 !
From a practical perspective, how do you find the blackened rhodium finish holding up to daily wear on a ring? Rhodium tends to wear away quickly on my hands. I'm pondering doing something with blackened rhodium and a pink sapphire.

Hi @BoulderGal,

I love how the black rhodium adds depth and dimension to engraved rings. It also adds contrast to colored stones and diamonds. I don’t regret one piece I have added it to. In terms of durability, I have 2 examples.

I have 2 high polish black rhodium plated stacking rings that get worn a lot. They rub against each other when wearing. Here is a photo of their current state, the finish has held up really well.



This ring is new but has been worn frequently. It has brushed matte finish and the plating is showing wear. Granted, it’s a larger flat surface area. It’s worn stacked next to a ring of the same surface area which also shows light scratching.



There is a little maintenance involved, and will vary depending on the design. I love the finish so much and have a local resource (David Klass) that will replate it for me when needed. I hope that helps you with your decision.

 

[ilovegemstones]

Actually after and before… it had the blackening originally and then it was removed. It currently belongs to @ilovegemstones and judging by how excited she was to get it, I believe the current situation is quite permanent.

Yes it is mine and I love it! The coating has worn off which I am happy about!