Using Old Gold For an Engagement Ring

A client sent me some very sentimental gold (passed down from loved ones). I melted it down and cast a new custom engagement ring and wedding band.

Video Description: Many people wonder if it's possible to use their own gold for a custom jewelry project. Many jewelry stores tell people that they will not use old gold for new rings. I have found that it is very much possible to use old gold for new rings as long as fresh alloy is mixed in with the casting. This ensures that the casting comes out clean and free of defects. A lot of people have gold that was passed down to them from family members. They are unsure of what to do with it. While it might be tempting to sell your gold to a gold buyer, you can rarely get much for it. That's why I always enjoy recycling gold in a new gold project. After I designed the wedding set in CAD, the wax models were 3D printed. I then took those wax models and sprued them up. The wax rings were then invested and and burned out in what is called the lost wax casting process. After the flask is heated up, the gold is melted down in the crucible and cast using a centrifuge. The rings are then cleaned up, the 2 carat moissanite is set in a 4 prong setting, and the rings are brought to a high polish. The project was very fun to do! Just know that it almost always possible to use old gold for new rings. It just needs to be done the right way.

[moderngoldsmith]

So, did you earn your stack of pancakes?

[MsTwissy]

You should wear a respirator man. Years of exposure to stuff like that adds up. It doesn’t seem like a big deal but trust me. It. Adds. Up.

[ab-jpvd]

i work as a dental tech and this has been really interesting to see and compare to my own process of making dental crowns out of metal

[bayleighbabin]

This video felt very NatGeo to me. “The gold has now found it’s new home.”

Quality content.

[marissahartshorn]

Seems relevant here:
When my dad proposed to my mother they were living in Alaska without a penny to their names, he proposed with a gumball machine ring his sister sent as a joke. 30 years later he brought every fleck of gold he'd panned to a jeweler and had them clean and purify it and had exact replicas of that gumball machine ring made for my mother and I. It's one of the most precious things I own because of the story and how much work he put into even getting the gold to do it himself. Now someday my children will have that story and those rings. (Also worth noting, it was not an exact replica as they DID decide to leave out the adjustable band. But other than that, exact.)

[ML-doii]

I’ve never wanted to cry watching a ring being made before. The music and when he said “the gold is finding its new home.” That hit

[mhall]

This was amazing! I was given my dads wedding band after he passed away and I really wanted to use it for my future wedding ring but I was told by several jewelers that it wasn’t possible, but I am SO glad to see now that it is!

[michellemaistry]

Jewelry design was supposed to be my career move .. BUT life had other plans for me. It's still my passion though and watching you design those rings, made me smile because of your love of doing it

[SamanthaJoGoes]

Came for Ariana, stayed for soothing narrations.

[COMIXMAN]

I miss doing this so much. I apprenticed with a nice Jewish gent who owned a local jewelry st or for well over 50 years. He taught me how to do everything you've shown here. It was fun. During those years every gift to females in my family were made by me. My great niece her first earrings were made by me, my grandma's favorite ring other than her wedding ring made by me. It was a silver east west teardrop setting with a black Tahitian pearl in the large end. I did use gold but preferred silver. I still have alot of stones I bought when I was working with him but sadly he passed away and his kids closed shop.every other place in town was like zales. Big companies who didn't do apprenticeship so i gave it up as a profession and now it's just a hobby if I feel like putting something together with what I have but materials are so pricey nowadays.

[someinteresting]

This channel is like Baumgartner for goldsmithing.

[ellenlucks]

Thank you for reminding me how much I love this work! It's been 40 years since I left the amazing art & science of the jewelry & dental labs behind to raise a family. I didn't realize how fortunate I was to have access to ALL that equipment. Impressive!

[mystrength]

Please wear a Mask, when using the Toxic Powder mix! Jenny R.N. You are soo talented!

[dinalou]

I was told that gold from a bracelet I had for my 21st birthday couldn’t be reused to redesign my engagement ring. Having since found this to not actually be the case, and also being charged for new gold with only a fraction of the cost being covered by the scrap value of my bracelet (it was very worn but there was still a significant amount of metal) I feel very upset and frustrated by this. I’m still not satisfied with my ring redesign but at least I know now that the materials from which is made can be reused again. I just need to research more thoroughly who I go to to get the work done. Thank you for your informative and interesting content, I’m now a subscriber.

[vickyburton]

As a dental technician, I use the same method to cast full cast gold crowns. I use an induction machine to cast non precious alloys. I think it is a dying art. I was able to cast my own wedding bands. I love your work!💗

[katygidney]

He’s really starting to rack up the food he owes me

[jsco]

Excellent step by step demonstration. I started casting 49 years ago at 14 years old. I acquired an Emesco Centrifugal Casting Machine shortly after. I too used family gold for sentimental reasons. 18K wire rim glasses, Great uncle Joey's teeth, other family jewelry. Thanks for the great video.

[astro]

tell me why I held my breath also when you dumped the powder into the bowl

[celestiamelodies]

These are the simplest yet the most beautiful rings I’ve ever seen.

[AmaMcKinley]

Well done video! I’ve done so much of this work, and you really honored the craft with this video