Tuesday, August 28, 2012

An Introduction to Gold

I recently had a friend ask me a few questions about a ring I made not to long ago. They were specifically interested in how I achieved the purple coloration on the gold. As I began to address the question I realized that there was actually quite a bit I had to say on the subject and I thought it would make a great blog post... So here it is. . .  An introduction to gold.  

Aurea Purpura, Daniel Icaza, 2012, 18kt Yellow Gold, 5.8ct Ametrine,  1ct Amethysts 
Gold:
Gold can be very confusing, there are so many color possibilities and the concept of karat/carat (K or kt) can be a bit tricky to fully understand.
The best place to start is with karat (purity) and that will lead right into gold colors.
Gold purity is represented most commonly with a fractional system called "karat" which defines the proportion of gold present within an alloy (mixture of metals).
This fractional system uses 24 as its base or denominator. Therefore 24K gold is "pure gold" and it is represented as follows: 24/24 = 1 or "100%".
This is pretty straight forward and easy to understand if you know basic fractions.

99.99% Pure Gold
Karats and Alloys:
Lets look at what happens when we use something other than "100% gold".
18K gold is a nice place to start, it will give us easy numbers to work with.
18K gold is represented as 18/24 = .75 or 75% gold and 25% "X" material/s. This is where things get tricky because the karat system only defines the proportion of gold (in math terms "the numerator"), but does not define the requirements for the remainder of the proportion to complete the ratio ("X").
In other words as long as 75% of the final alloy is gold it does not matter what the remaining 25% of the material is. It could be silver, copper, nickle, tin, zinc, cadmium, cobalt or any combination of whatever metal/s the manufacturer decides to use. It will always be 18K gold (if the proportions are correct).
Simple gold color chart (taken from Wikipedia)
Color:
This is how many of the exotic gold colors are produced, by mixing different metals together to produce different colors and control/manipulate other characteristics of the material as well. Unfortunately this can also produce many allergies and other undesired effects. A great example of this is white gold, the traditional white gold alloy is produced by using only gold and nickel. Many people do not react well with nickel and it is also a difficult material to work with, so it is not an alloy I am particularly attracted to. However modern white gold alloys have found some alternatives to nickel.

Molten silver ready for casting
18K:
When I produce an 18K yellow gold, I use the following "recipe": 75% gold and 25% silver. This produces a very clean alloy. However the alloy of the material is only half of the story. If you are looking at fabricated jewelery, we also have to consider the composition of the alloy being used as solder.

Casting an ingot. Learn how it's done by following this link: CLICK HERE
Solder:
Usually it is desirable to use a solder that is the same color as your base material. Unfortunately the easiest way to produce these types of solders is to take a small amount of the base alloy and add to it a little tin, zinc or other "white metal" to lower the melting point of the material. This will produce a new solder alloy which will be very close in color to the rest of the material, however the solder will also contain some potentially less desirable metals.
Cu, Ag, Au
Metal Preferences:
I  like to work primarily with gold, silver and copper and prefer not to use "white metals" unless unavoidable. Particularly when working with gold I like to know what metals are in my alloys, and I like to keep the alloys as pure and clean as possible. I already shared my "recipe" for 18K yellow gold which produces a deep yellow. But how did I make the purple color on the ring? And what do I use for solder?In order to ensure I am not using any "white metals" in my gold pieces, I produce a special 12K gold alloy which has a low melting point that works as a great solder for any gold with a higher karat.
12K gold would be represented as 12/24 = .5 or 50% gold and 50% "X".
The formula I use to produce my 12K gold solder alloy is 50% gold, 25% silver and 25% copper.

Material preparations. Re-casting sterling silver scraps, 18K yellow gold scraps, and  preparing a12K gold alloy to use as gold solder (grey tray top middle).  
Patinas and Oxidation:
As I like to incorporate excess solder and natural coloration's/oxidation's into my work, I take advantage of the color variations that the different alloys produce and I exploit those characteristics to my advantage.
Gold has very little reactivity and does not vary much from its bright yellow hue by itself.
Silver and copper on the other hand react quite intensely to oxidation and can produce many different hues depending on how they are combined and/or treated. Since there will always be a drastic color difference in between my base material and the solder I choose to produce. I accentuate and exaggerate these color differences through patination (oxidation or "chemical treatment" of the metals). The chemical oxidation I use most often is a liver of sulfur patina which essentially darkens copper and silver to a black or grey. There are many different patinas capable of producing many dramatic effects and colors depending on the metal it was applied to and the method of application.

Crown No.1 (back), Daniel Icaza. 201l, Fine Silver, Patina
An example of some of the possible color variations that can  be produced on silver. 
In these two rings (above, below) we can really appreciate how the copper within the alloy/solder produces a dark red, iridescent purple color which in the gold ring, match the colors of the stones perfectly. Part practice and part luck. Many times as an artist it is best to embrace the Bob Ross mentality of the "happy accident".

Aurea Purpura, Daniel Icaza, 2012, 18kt Yellow Gold, 5.8ct Ametrine,  1ct Amethysts 
To look at more rings, CLICK HERE.
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the perplexing world of gold.
I will be back with more to share soon. In the mean time I would be happy to try and answer any questions anyone might have about gold.
Until next time.
Peace and Love  


Friday, August 17, 2012

Developments

Just a brief post for now.

I have been trying to spend as much time in the studio as possible, but its just never enough.
I am excited to say that I recently launched a new Behance project focused on the rings I have been producing over the past year. Feel free to CLICK HERE to view the project.

Daniel Icaza on Behance
Another cool new development over the past few days is the creation of a new blog about my work.
I am incredibly flattered to have some one create a blog just to share my work with others. It is a very surreal feeling.

If you want to check out the new blog CLICK HERE.

Its time to get back to the studio for me.
I'll be back again soon with more to share.
Until next time.
Peace and Love

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Obscuro Viridi

An unscheduled new ring. I was inspired to make this piece after looking through my stone collection and spotting this dark green beauty.
Obscuro Viridi, Daniel Icaza, 2012, Sterling Silver, 22ct Green Sapphire (Corundum)  
I started working on my other commitments, but this ring just worked its way into the cracks... Just couldn't help it.
If you would like to talk to me about having a ring made feel free to contact me.

I will be back soon with more to share.
Until next time.
Peace and Love

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Back to Work!

Back to work in the studio! Getting ready to start working on some new projects!
Daniel Icaza Ingot Casting
 Just wanted to share some pictures of the materials preparation process.
Daniel Icaza Alloying Metals  
If you would like to learn more about my work process follow this link to read some articles and process notes. HOW METAL WORKS
I have been meaning to write some more articles but one thing at a time... I will get there eventually.
I will be back soon with more to share.
Until next time.
Peace and Love

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Aurea Purpura

Recently completed the last ring on my to do list. This ring was made for a collector who has commissioned several pieces from me.
Aurea Purpura, Daniel Icaza, 2012, 18kt Yellow Gold, 5.8ct Ametrine,  1ct Amethysts 
I really enjoyed making this ring it is super flashy. Guaranteed to make whoever wears it stand out.
Aurea Purpura, Daniel Icaza, 2012, 18kt Yellow Gold, 5.8ct Ametrine,  1ct Amethysts 
Now that I have finished all the rings on my to do list I can begin working on new additions to "Monetary Bondage" for my "Upcoming Solo Show"
Aurea Purpura, Daniel Icaza, 2012, 18kt Yellow Gold, 5.8ct Ametrine,  1ct Amethysts 
If you would like to see more rings I have made recently check out this link
If you are interested in having me make a ring for you or someone special in your life feel free to contact me to discuss your ideas.
Planning to be back soon with more to share.
Until next time.
Peace and Love