Golden-Knots.com
Title
Turk's Head Rings
Description
Sometimes I make my own wire, all the way from the pure metal, through the processes of alloying it with the proper mixture for the desired colors, casting ingots, rolling out to square stock in a hand-cranked mill, to the actual "drawing" process, in which the material is forced through a series of smaller and smaller holes. Even when I buy gold other than 24 karat, as wire, I will almost always have to draw it down from a larger size, to be proportional to the size or shape of the piece that I'm making.
Why would I go to that much time and effort? Well, a few reasons come to mind. When I'm making a ring, I have to select a wire gage that suits the dimensions of the finished piece, and if I had to keep coils of wire around in every possible gage, I'd go broke in short order. Even though I primarily charge for the labor and design costs of the jewelry, the intrinsic value of the gold would become a significant investment, and I just don't want to keep that much of it around. Another reason is the fabrication costs for someone else to make raw metal into wire for me; it is a little cheaper for me to buy small quantities of pure or alloyed gold and draw it myself. More importantly, though, is the fact that I enjoy the idea of making something "from scratch", and there is an almost sensual pleasure in drawing precious wire through a too-small hole in a hardened steel plate.
I sometimes mix my own alloys, purchasing 24K (pure gold) and various mixtures of base metals that will create certain colors when mixed with the gold. For example, there is a lot of copper in pink gold, but also some silver and zinc. In fact there are quite a few different colors you can achieve with just a little change in the proportions of those three "base" metals. There are some very special colors, however, which are like secret recipes, jealously guarded by the owners. One of these is "Peach Gold", a patented color available only from Hoover & Strong. I can't get just the mixing alloy, to use as needed, but have to buy 18K gold mixed by them. (To their no doubt exacting standards, of course) When I buy karat gold in this way, it is a little bit more expensive, and I don't get to play with it. On the other hand, I don't risk setting the place on fire or inhaling toxic fumes to as large an extent, so that balances out.
Contact
- Loren Damewood
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- St. Petersburg FL
- United States 33743-8543
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