BYO Gold Ring Making Workshop FAQs
Will I have enough gold to make a ring?
A fine ring weighs between two and three grams, a medium ring between three and eight grams and a thick ring can weigh 8-15grams.
I have a mixture of 18ct and 9ct gold, does this matter?
If equal parts of 18ct and 9ct are melted together, it becomes 13.5ct but it's unlikely there will be equal parts, so the your finished piece will be stamped with 10ct gold.
If you have 18ct gold but not enough to make a ring, we can add an alloy such as silver and copper to increase the weight in grams. This will reduce the carat of the gold to 14ct, 10ct or 9ct.
Carats can be mixed, but this will result in an alloy, which is an odd carat. Aesthetically this is okay, but if you want it stamped we will have to mark it with the lower carat.
What if I don't have enough scrap gold to make what I want?
You can purchase gold to add to your scrap at the workshop. Gold prices change on a daily basis, contact Bec for an estimate of how much it will cost and how much extra you might need.
My scrap is yellow and white gold or yellow and rose gold, can this be melted together?
Different colours need to be cast separately. The gold you are wanting melt should be all the same colour of gold, since white gold and yellow gold use different metals as alloys. White gold uses white brass as an alloy, yellow gold uses copper and silver. If yellow gold is melted with white gold it produces a very pale yellow.
Can I turn my scrap yellow gold into white gold?
Only 22K yellow or pure gold can be made in to white gold.
I have old necklaces and bracelets would like to melt down, is this okay?
Old gold chains require two parts new gold for every part of old gold, as chains absorb a lot of oil and salt from the body.
How long does the workshop take?
The workshop runs for 1.5 days from 9-5 the first day and then 9-12 the second day.
How can I tell what type of gold I have?
Gold jewellery manufactured in the US is usually marked 10K,14K or 18K. Pure gold is 24K. 10 K = 41.2%. 14K = 58.3%. 18K = 75%. European and other foreign gold is usually marked with a 3 digit number, which is parts per thousand such as 375 for 9ct, 750 for 18ct. The standard for gold in England prior to 1932 was 15ct.
Gold filled is not solid gold. This material is usually marked 1/20 12K GF. We cannot melt down and reuse gold filled or gold plated material in the workshop.
I would like to make more than one ring, is this possible?
Depending on timing, it may be possible to make more than one ring in the workshop. Please call Bec to discuss the options for this.
I have old platinum jewellery, can I melt this down?
Unfortunately, we are unable to melt platinum due to the high melting temperature and level of skill required to work with platinum.
Some of my jewellery has stones, can these be reused?
We will need to carefully remove the stones from each piece prior to the workshop. Unfortunately, stone setting is quite complicated and we will not have time to have time to cover in the workshop.
Can I have stones set in my ring after the workshop?
We will be making a gold ring band in the workshop. Depending on the style of ring you have made, you may be able to have the stones gypsy or flush set following the workshop.
