Blue gold: composition. Non-ferrous Gold Jewelery

Do you like gold jewelry? Do you know that gold is the only precious metal that has many shades and is of all colors of the rainbow? So it really is. Gold can be yellow, white, red, pink, green, gray, blue, blue, purple and even black! With certain treatments and technical manipulations, you can get gold of any color.

The color of the precious metal depends on the chemical compounds, which are the main constituents of the material. In this article, let's talk about blue gold and touch a little more of the other shades.

History of the origin of celestial metal

Still ancient jewelers conducted various experiments on the alloy of precious metals, adding to them and ordinary metals. As a result of centuries of experience, we have the widest range of gold alloys, and as a result - a lot of jewelry for every taste and color.

Scientists have been proven that blue gold was first discovered in Scythians. As a result of the excavations were found stunning beauty jewelry from this heavenly metal color. Since this artifact was of high value, no one undertook to investigate the composition of the Scythian masters. But there is information that the ancient alchemists received blue gold as a result of an alloy compound, one-third consisting of iron and two-thirds of natural gold. When testing this hypothesis, it was found that the compound was unstable and a couple of days later as a result of oxidation on gold, corrosion appeared. Talk about it as a precious metal is not necessary, the alloy is more related to gold-plated steel.

The cost of blue metal

Since the process of manufacturing this metal is still surrounded by secrets, not every master can boast of the possibility of obtaining it. It is only known that the process itself is labor-intensive, and therefore the price for this metal is higher than for ordinary gold (from 10,000 rubles per 1 gram). As a rule, this is an individual order, which comes from a client with high incomes. After all, making such an ornament for general sale is unprofitable.

Not only the precious metal alloy and the complexity of the work depends on the cost of jewelry. The price is determined by the following factors:

• Artistic idea of the product;
• The presence and volume of the gemstones included in the decoration composition;
• The level of professional skill, the name of a jeweler or a jewelry factory.

Composition of blue gold

To get the gold blue, add indium to it. As a result of this compound, a metal is formed which is sufficiently corrosive-unstable. And it is rarely used as a basic component of jewelry, more often used as a jewelry decor.

Another chemical element is able to color natural gold in blue - this is rhodium. A well-known jeweler from Argentina Antoniassi was able to develop the alloy's formulation in such a way that the blue gold sample is almost 958 (pure gold is 90% of the total volume). But the recipe for blue gold is kept under strictest secrecy. The only thing that was learned from the Argentine master - the addition of small doses of cobalt gives the precious metal a gentle blue glow.

Metal blue

But with this alloy everything is much simpler. His some masters are made of natural gold with the addition of chromium and iron. The resulting alloy is fragile enough that it will not work completely out of it. It is used only as one of the decor elements. To give blue and strength to the precious metal, its composition should be as follows:

• The main component is pure gold;
• 22% of steel;
• 25% of expensive rare earth metals (including 2.5% of platinum and 0.5% of iridium).

Such a composition will allow the precious metal to carry a sample with a designation of 750.

There is another way to get a saturated color of blue gold. It is necessary to combine yellow gold (46%) and indium (54%). Then the blue gold will turn out to be a greyish shade. And if gallium comes out as an additive, then the shade will be light, more blue than blue. The sample will be assigned to 585.

Such an alloy is an expensive and brittle metal, so only elite workshops can produce jewelry from it and use blue gold as a decoration because of its physical and technical characteristics.

Red Red Gold

This metal still has another name - the gold of gold. It got it thanks to the fact that this alloy was used to make coins, namely for chervontsi. In royal coins, the share of natural gold was very high and amounted to 90% (sample 900). At present, red gold has lost its significance, but in everyday life the name has survived. To achieve a red shade, copper is added to it. Currently, red gold corresponds to the sample 585, and its composition, in addition to copper (33.5%), also includes silver (8%). It is jewelry made of this metal that makes up half of the total volume of the Russian gold jewelry market.

Color gold

In order to obtain the desired shade of precious metal, scientists and experienced jewelers developed trial and error methods for various technologies and compounds of chemical elements in alloys with pure gold. Often, the surface of the metal is coated with the required chemical element, and the necessary shade is achieved by thermal or chemical reactions. But this is the simplest way, there are other methods:

• Oxidation;
• oxidation;
• Patination;
• Electroplating;
• Rhodium;
• Chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon;

Not so long ago, a new method of obtaining colored gold (any desired shade) was discovered by the English scientists. Depending on the chosen program, the required depth of penetration and the wavelength of the ion beam directed to the metal surface are established. Thus, the color of gold changes at the atomic level. This method is called ionic.

One of the latest fashion trends in the jewelry sector is the combination of different shades of metals. So you can get a tandem of white, yellow and red gold or buy an ornament, where it will be interesting to combine white and black gold.

Jewelcrafting has been perfected by mankind for many centuries: new discoveries have been made, which constantly gave impetus to the development of new trends in fashion. It is an inexhaustible source of creativity, which will always attract and fascinate people with the extraordinary beauty of precious metals.