In jewelry production the final surface treatment step has been mainly applied using the electrochemical deposition technique in order to obtain uniformity regarding surface color, structure and properties. However, electroplating techniques can be used also for the production of an entire piece of jewelry. In this field, especially the electroforming technique is recently gaining importance. In the field of color gold deposition new electrolytes have to be developed in order to increase the spectrum of colors and to replace toxic or allergenic materials. The presentation gives an overview of the different electrochemical processes such as color gold electroplating, electroforming and special techniques to modify the surface structure and wear resistance.

Author: Andreas R. Zielonka