The Passion for Black Hills Gold

Black Hills gold enjoys a special place in the hearts of Stacey Ray, Joan Ellis and Paula Reed of Las Vegas. This one of a kind gold is usually crafted into traditional designs that features yellow, rose and green gold molded into grape clusters and leaves.

The Black Hills Goldrush

The Black Hills were part of the Sioux reservation. When gold was discovered there, people like Fred Manuel, Calamity Jane, Sol Star, Moses Manuel, Hank Harney and Samuel Fields rushed there, forgetting any treaty with the Sioux. The Black Hills Goldrush exploded in 1874. Early on, the miners found loose gold in the soil and in the streams that is known as placer gold, or gold that has eroded from somewhere else. Places like Custer and Carbonate rapidly became small cities. There were some that understood that there had to be a mother lode went on a search for the location of the gold ore running through the rock, and finally when they located it, they named the resulting mine the “Homestake.” The Homestake mine produced an indescribable amount of gold… up to ten percent of the world’s gold supply. It finally shut down in 2001.

The Unique Production of Black Hills Gold

The manufacture of Black Hills gold is as unique as its history. Using bars of pure 24 karat gold, silver and copper, the only necessary factor for the resulting work to be called “Black Hills Gold” is that the ring or bracelet be made in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The materials can be brought in from anywhere - even Afghanistan, Qatar or Wallis and Futuna.

The gold is amalgamated with copper to create the 12 karat rose gold, and silver is fused with the gold to create the 12 karat green gold. The resulting colors of gold are then rolled to varying thicknesses to be made into unique kinds of jewelry. Each singular piece is stamped from the thin sheet using dies and patterns. The select pieces are then all set to made into your ring and necklace using pre-cast bases.

The bases are first furbished, either by hand or tumbling. When the bases are polished to a nice shine, the individual parts are either hand-soldered onto the base or they are combined in a soldering kiln with several other pieces together. After soldering, the pieces are rinsed into a mild acid bath before going through an inspection to certify that they meet the exacting standards for Black Hills gold. When a piece passes inspection, it is electroplated with 24 karat gold. A process called wriggling is then employed to remove the electroplated gold from the rose or green colored components. This forms a textured or frosty look to the jewelry. Every leaf vein is then individually engraved so it shines.

After another round of polish, the finished pieces are ready for showing. If it needs a gemstone it is sent to the stone setter for mounting.

Traditional Styles

The traditional appearance of Black Hills gold jewelry was made by French prospector and goldsmith, Henri LeBeau in the late 1800s. He said he had dreamed of the style when he passed out from thirst and starvation. His pattern is made up of green and rose colored grape leaves, along with gold vines and grapes. Since he first designed this, the grape leaf design has adorned pendants, rings, bracelets and watch bands in varying patterns. It is such a unusual pattern that one only has to glance at it to see that it is a Black Hills gold design.