Metal Black Gold - what is it, what does it look like and how much does it cost?

Gold occupies an impressive position in the precious metals market. Moreover, over time, the metal began to acquire new color variations, and today they are incredibly popular among fashionistas.

Jewelers widely use pink, yellow and white gold, and now a new product is gaining momentum - black .

Not everyone knows what black gold is and what this metal looks like. But its beauty attracts with its extraordinary sophistication, plus it looks great in combination with other types of gold.

Does black gold exist?

Gold in its pure form can only be yellow. All its other color variations are obtained either after coating with coloring compounds (blackening, rhodium plating) or other metals are added to the alloy .

Composition and properties

Black gold contains 10% chromium and 15% cobalt ; it is produced at particularly high temperatures. Thanks to this, a very beautiful dark color is achieved.

The alloy is difficult to forge, as well as melting and other types of processing, but it is much stronger than the usual solar metal. Exquisite jewelry made of black gold retains its presentation for many years and looks like new .

Jewelers use the new product without enthusiasm, since the alloy, which includes chromium and cobalt, can cause itching, redness or irritation on the skin.
Important! If a person is allergic to gold (rare, but such a pathology does occur), then he can use black material that has undergone laser treatment.

Strength

Compared to metals known in the jewelry world, dark gold is particularly durable . It is more difficult to scratch, deform or abrade, which is explained by the presence of chromium and cobalt: these alloys have high strength values.

Shade range

By adding certain elements to the alloy, you can bring out the metal of any shade from gray and black. If you carefully look at the photos of the jewelry, you will see a beautiful blue or green tint on some of them. They are achieved by adding silver, manganese , etc. to the alloy.

Samples

On products made of black gold there is an imprint of 750 standard .

Craftsmen obtain the dark color on 585-carat products by rhodium plating. However, gradually the decoration may lose its presentation: the coating wears off and has to be reapplied.

Rings, brooches, bracelets, watches...

Black gold is used for more than just rings. For example, the Cartier Trading House has created a whole collection of its unique watches in bracelets with this metal. The thing is that deep graphite and rich black color are combined with the white shine of platinum or the rich yellow color of gold.

Thanks to its color and texture, its use is possible for the most daring and extraordinary jewelry solutions. But how affordable will black gold jewelry be for most consumers if its cost is very high?

History teaches us that things that were previously inaccessible to most buyers (for example, wristwatches) eventually become popular among the masses. True, for this a certain period of time must pass. Well, let's wait. Black gold, unlike oil, which is also called, was born quite recently. And soon jewelers will discover the possibilities of producing black gold, and will be able to reduce the cost of the product in the end. Those who want to buy such jewelry today will have to search hard and shell out a fairly decent amount of money.

Who wears black gold today? For example, Victoria Beckham. The gold jewelry on her hands and neck was created by the craftsmen of the Stephen Webster jewelry house.

How did metal come about?

Scientists at the Ural Institute of Metal Physics have come up with a technology with which you can obtain gold of black, blue, purple or another equally bright color . This technology was born completely by accident.

When fulfilling a government order in the space industry (creating especially strong alloys from gold used in the construction of satellites), scientists found that the metal turns black under certain conditions .

Having received the results of this accidental discovery, the management of the institute decided to continue conducting experiments on ordinary yellow gold. This is how a precious metal of deep color, in places with a bluish-black tint, appeared.

Methods of obtaining

A dark color is achieved using a variety of technologies:

When mixing gold, cobalt and chromium in a percentage ratio of 75/15/10. When combined, these components oxidize. The result is a metal that is valuable for its strength, as well as its rich black color.
You can get blackened gold - this is a rhodium-plated metal (that is, coated with rhodium). Rhodium film can protect the precious metal from mechanical stress. Jewelry using this technique can have a very deep, but not always completely black color.
When amorphous carbon is applied to the surface of an ordinary yellow precious material, the result is a deep black surface. This method is used in the manufacture of wristwatches.
By applying special nanostructures to the metal surface, they achieve a black color. Such structures are able to absorb all the light falling on the surface. And if an object does not reflect the sun's rays, it appears black to us.
When mixing gold with potassium sulfide and copper, as well as iron and titanium. The gorgeous shine of this alloy is achieved by processing the resulting precious metal at a temperature of 700 °C.

Transforming ordinary gold into black is not the easiest procedure, which naturally affected the price of jewelry masterpieces made from this metal .

Secrets of the origin of black gold: 4 methods of “mining”

What kind of gold you can’t find on store shelves now! White, red, pink, green, black and even purple. I'm not even talking about the yellow we are used to!

At all times, gold was highly valued, but even the most beautiful things become boring over time. Even if it's gold... And there have always been inquisitive minds who wanted to improve what already exists. And since any gold is an alloy of metals, there was room to roam.

So, today we’ll talk about black gold, this incredibly exquisite metal with a deep, soft, enchanting color. Black gold goes well with any other types of metals and perfectly sets off the shine of precious stones. It is popular everywhere, it can be found in modern collections of famous jewelry houses, and it becomes the property of the richest men and women. It is used in fashion jewelry. At the same time, it is luxurious and at the same time modest and laconic. Black gold can be polished or matte, and looks great in any form.

There are several ways to make gold alloys black.

1. Method of melting metals. They take 75% gold, 15% cobalt, 10% chromium. Subsequently, it is oxidized at a temperature of 700-950 degrees. Gold turns black after adding cobalt to it. Cobalt is one of the hardest metals, and its combination with chromium is very durable. This combination is highly resistant to scratches and dents, but is difficult to process. Therefore, this method is not very popular.

2. Galvanic method. It uses rhodium or ruthenium, which covers the surface of the product. This process is called rhodium plating, since rhodium is most often used. The decoration can be colored from gray to black.

3. Method of sputtering amorphous carbon. This is a very complex method, so it is rarely used. The idea is that the surface of the gold is coated with amorphous carbon. Typically used to coat watch cases.

4. Laser method. In this case, special nanostructures are formed, forming a surface capable of absorbing almost all light, making it a deep black color.

These are all the ways I can tell you about. Each jeweler uses his own application technique. It's like a chef's main ingredient. General data for each method is known, but the details are kept secret by each manufacturer.

I hope the article has revealed to you the secret of obtaining noble ferrous metal.

Thank you for your attention!

Combination with stones

It looks best in tandem with pearls and gems. Moreover, precious stones must be of the highest quality, and their installation on the stock must be as accurate as possible, since against a dark background any damage, scratches and unevenness are literally visible to the naked eye .

Initially, black gold was used only in combination with dark diamonds and black pearls. Today you can find jewelry with all varieties of precious stones and pearls. For example, in China they combine gems of different shades in one product - the result, as a rule, is truly luxurious.

Recommendations for care, cleaning and storage

If you handle jewelry made of black or blackened gold carelessly, you need to understand that, despite its strength, the formation of abrasions and scratches is inevitable.

To maintain excellent appearance for a long time, it is recommended:

When playing sports or visiting the pool, remove jewelry to prevent accidental impacts on exercise equipment, as well as prolonged exposure to water, which is also saturated with chemicals.
Do not expose the product to aggressive cleaning agents.
Store jewelry only in a special case or box, avoid creases.
If you need to preserve the original shine of the metal, do not leave items in rooms with high humidity.
Do not clean the product with hard brushes. Use only soft material and a very light soap solution.

Tips for choosing black gold jewelry

It is important to check the documents confirming its authenticity. It is also necessary to know the method by which the color of the metal was obtained. Rhodium-plated jewelry will obviously be cheaper than jewelry with a black alloy.

A few tips can help you figure this out:

The alloy must be marked with 750 hallmark, and gold of 585 hallmark is subjected to rhodium plating.
The rhodium-plated coating of jewelry may have flaws, since the color is not entirely even, and hard-to-reach parts are poorly painted.

Black gold wedding rings

Engagement and wedding rings made of precious metal with rhodium or dark alloys are especially popular and are at the peak of wedding fashion.

Gold in this color looks very elegant and stylish and goes well with jewelry made from other precious metals.

Products and watches made of black precious material are increasingly found in the luxury sectors of jewelry stores, and may soon replace yellow gold and titanium in the manufacture of Swiss watches.