I'm often asked if I work with gold. Yes, I do, but due to the high cost of gold, I don't keep any in my workshop so gold pieces are made to order.
At my Christmas 2024 events, I priced up some bangles for a customer made using 9 carat gold instead of my usual sterling.
When we identified the extra cost it would be for the gold, she opted to have the piece sent away for plating.
The pictures in this listing are of the pieces I sent away for a number of customers, so that you can see the quality of the plating, and this price is for the plating only* of the piece you are buying (or indeed may have previously bought) from me.
I've priced up some variables, but please use the contact form to send me an enquiry before placing an order
The anticlastic and the thick bangle are pieces I sent away as samples, and are currently available (see other listings) These have been plated with 5 microns of 9 carat yellow gold, which is my recommendation for anything that is going to have a significant amount of wear / friction such as a bangle
The other pieces were plated as follows:
Earrings, with 2.5 microns 9 carat
Triplet bangle with 2.5 microns of 18 carat
*You are NOT ordering any jewellery, purely the gold plating service.
At the end of this listing are some pieces that I've patinated to a golden colour using liver of sulphur. This is a far more economical option, which wears really well, but will be affected by chemicals, should you wear your piece when bleaching / swimming etc.
Please contact me to establish the current time scale for me to send away your piece, and the exact pricing as the cost of gold does fluctuate,
My plater has a minimum order of £80 +VAT, meaning that anything I send off will have a minimum fee of £100 plus postage each way.
Gold plating
Sterling Silver will eventually oxidise or tarnish. It's a natural process that can be slowed down by regular wear and by keeping unworn items away from the atmosphere. If you leave your jewellery out on display, this oxidisation will be faster. You can polish up your items, with a soft cloth, some silver polish, or a buffing cloth such as Town Talk, which is readily available from any high street jewellers in the UK
Fine silver is 99.9% silver, and because of this the tarnish rate is much, much slower. Again, a buff should do the job for polishing it back up. If I have patinated your silver already, be gentle when buffing!
Each piece should stand up to regular wear, but , as with all jewellery, please remove it before washing, using chemicals or applying perfume etc
Apply body lotion and perfume a few minutes before putting on your jewellery to help slow down tarnish
The sterling silver used in these items was sold to me by my bullion dealer ass certified recycled.
he gemstones I use have been sold to me by reputable dealers as untreated (unless stated specifically in the listing). They are a natural, organic creation from the earth and each one will be slightly different. You can see examples of this on my Facebook page.
I select the stones that I think go together best for each project, hence my comments that each item is individual.