Producers of high-fashion jewelry must always seek the new look. Innovation should not always be a strenuous search for previously unseen forms, but a new way to dress classic forms. In the past we have seen an emphasis on color with the use of vitreous enamels and precious or semiprecious stones. The more recent successful trend in the jewelry market is represented by the most typical non color: black. Black Gold jewelry lines have conquered the favor of the consumer, particularly for upper-class jewelry. In this presentation we discuss the different ways you can obtain the Black Gold effect through a galvanic process or PVD. The limitations of the various processes are also discussed, together with the tests used for quality control. Special attention is also given to a particular electroforming technique that has been developed by the Swiss company BCI and is presently used for the production of upper-class watches. We believe that this technique can present favorable opportunities for jewelry production, too.

Author: Dr. Valerio Faccenda