Heart of Gold.

Remember my blog about my friend giving me her lump of gold to play with?
You can refresh your memory here....Good as Gold.

She decided she'd like it made into a ring, she provided me with a sweet little gold wedding band and I ordered a small amount of gold solder in anticipation.

I was a little scared I must say, not sure about how much heat was gunna be too much heat and unsure if the gold band would melt before I'd got the flat disc top hot enough to solder one to the other.

Big sigh of relief!!
It was rather easy!!
All my anxieties were for nothing.
I worked that gold like a pro!

Here are some pics of the process.

Heating up the bits.....

More heating, heating, heating....

Ohh, look it's worked.

Looks good, just needs a clean.

A little Pickle bath.....Eco pickle of course. Vinegar and salt.
Should remove most of the black fire scale.

Had to get my little makers mark on there.
Spot the peg.

After a few hours in my tumbler spinning around with a drop of soap and a million little pieces of stainless steel shot that get into all the nooks and crannies, it's come up so shiny.....

And here she is in all her glory......


I think most people who see this ring will not believe it's gold, its been taken completely out of context in that its not dainty, its not precious and it doesn't come with diamonds!
It's solid, it's big, it's bold, i'ts chunky, it's unique.

For me, as a constantly learning and experimenting  jewellery maker, I'm so excited to have worked with some gold and dispelled my fears about it.
I'm hoping to actually buy a small amount of recycled gold from my metal merchants and add few gold pieces to the RedPeg repertoire......
Stay tuned!!