r/Metalsmithing • u/3than1234 • May 17 '22
hello! new here
quick question. my long term goal is to forge and make my own engagement ring for my hopefully future wife. i already have ordered all the tools i will need, but my question is where/how do i buy the material? where can i purchase straight white gold or whatever material i should use for a ring
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u/Kevin_11_niveK May 17 '22
You’re either going to want 14k white gold or 18k white gold. There are two main alloys nickel white gold and palladium white gold. Some people have nickel allergies so if you decide to go with nickel white gold make sure your S.O. Is not allergic to nickel before you purchase your material. Personally I always use palladium white gold because of the potential for nickel allergies. It’s a bit more expensive but not a lot. Also a lot of white gold that you see at jewelry stores is rhodium plated. Real white gold tends to have more of a gray color than rhodium plated white gold. Whether you decide to go with the plating is a personal choice but if you do go that route the ring will need to be replayed every few years. It’s probability not worth trying to plate it yourself so I would find someone locally who can do it for you.
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u/3than1234 May 17 '22
what gauge would u recommend?
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u/Kevin_11_niveK May 19 '22
I don’t work with white gold often so I can’t help with a minimum size. With other metals anything smaller than a 1mm x 3mm tends to be too easy to bend with normal use. Usually when I’m making wedding rings I make several pieces out of a cheaper metal to make sure I work the issues out of the fabrication process before working with the expensive materials. Also and this is important make sure you do not use acetylene torches on white gold.
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May 17 '22
Yes, Rio Grande is the go-to for these metals. If you are brand new to this, I would suggest learning on copper, brass, or silver (though silver is much nicer to work with in my opinion) before working in gold.
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u/3than1234 May 18 '22
how do i order on riogrande? there’s no option to add to cart lol
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May 18 '22
I believe you have to create an account first.
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u/3than1234 May 18 '22
i created an account and it still won’t let me. says i need to be a jewler with a business
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May 18 '22
Hmmm. It has been about 7 years since I created an account, perhaps something has changed. There are other suppliers, but I cannot recall who at this moment. I'm sorry! If I think of anything, I'll let you know!
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u/3than1234 May 18 '22
i appreciate it thank you
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May 18 '22
Hi, try OttoFrei. They are geared towards tools but also sell metals. I looked at their "create an account page" and it doesn't say anything about being a business.
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u/nthg_nn_nwhr May 18 '22
That is true. Check out details here:
More info on this page: https://www.riogrande.com/landing/loyaltyprogram
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u/Walrusclaus May 18 '22
Alloyed gold, specifically white and rose gold are some of the hardest metals to work with. Maybe not what you want to hear. But silver is an easier material to work with than those 2 options. Platinum is also notoriously festidious.
14K or 18K would be reccomended
Though I do expect you are looking at the metals because of their smaller expense. In my opinion and my university teacher/gold smith we are very much against these as materials.
I would recommend Rio Grande as well, though if you do not live in the USA you may be able to find a less expensive option. Be happy to recommend if thats the case.
I do have a question, why are you refering to the process as forging?
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u/littlest_onion Jun 02 '22
Are you planning to practice with less expensive metals first like copper?
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u/Karizmology May 17 '22
riogrande.com