In a recent blog Richard Moser, Gemmologist FGAA and Managing Director of DDS Diamond Design Studios at Burnside, provided the ultimate reference for the brides-to-be of Adelaide as he outlines the key differences between handmade and cast rings. It’s need-to-know information that we just had to share!
There are few Adelaide jewellers that manufacture high quality handmade rings. There’s a huge difference in quality, but there may not be much difference in the price.
HANDMADE RINGS
The best quality rings are is made from new, solid, 18ct gold or Platinum. The white gold we use at DDS, is Nickel free and of the highest quality. We work the gold using rolling mills and hammers to get the gold to the required thickness and shape. The pieces of the ring are then filed into perfect shape and then every component of the ring is perfectly polished before using heat to solder the different parts together. The rolling and hammering causes the gold to become more dense, stronger and therefore more durable.
The last stage of creating handmade jewellery is the final high quality polish. The polish is over a hard surface, so it lasts far longer and is easily repolished over and over, making it look new every time a customer comes back for cleaning. It also resists bending or losing shape.
There are no short cuts when making quality jewellery and it’s something that can be handed down to your children and next generations with pride.
If you desire the highest quality ring, a handmade, high quality Palladium-rich, nickel-free gold ring is the best way to go. Palladium rich 18ct white gold is purer, whiter and non-allergenic.
CAST RINGS
The main chain jewellery stores in Adelaide sell mass-produced cast products, mostly from India and China.
Casting gold is where molten gold is just poured into a mould. Once the gold cools down, the mould is broken open and you have gold which is in the shape of a ring. It’s then sanded back and polished.
The issues with cast rings is that the metal is softer and is lighter in weight, as the gold has gone from a liquid state and cooled quickly. It often has bubbles – tiny holes in the surface or just under the surface, known as porosity. This softer gold does not hold a good polish for long and scratches far more easily than a quality handmade product. With time, cast rings start to lose their crisp shape and the underside of the ring starts to wear and become thin. A major concern with cast rings is the very fine claws holding the small diamonds.
Because the gold is soft, wafer thin claws are bent back easily, so diamonds may be at risk of falling out. Often there is no way of repairing cast gold claws, so often these shops prefer to replace the faulty ring with a new one, which generally have the same underlying problems.
The white gold used in casting often has a significant yellow tinge to it, so when the Rhodium plating wears off, the gold looks yellow underneath. Nickel is often included in casting white gold, which is sometimes attributed to causing skin irritations.
Designing a ring using CAD (Computer Aided Design program), printing a wax ring from that design, and casting it; again is not handmade and can have the same problems as the usual cast rings.
This article was originally published by DDS Diamonds via their website. For more information about Richard and how their jewellery is made, visit their store at High St, Burnside, phone 8332 0707 of follow them on Facebook.
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