In more ways than one, Black Hills gold jewelry has the ability to turn gold into green. Black Hills gold has been a very popular choice when buying gold jewelry pieces. Black Hills gold jewelry can be seen as rings, pendants, bracelets, and even belt buckles, almost any type of jewelry design you can imagine. The characteristic pink and green gold is what gives Black Hills gold its distinctive look.

There has long been misimpression that Black Hills gold jewelry is manufactured from gold mined from the Black Hills in South Dakota. While it is true that some of this popular jewelry originates from gold mined in South Dakota, the fact is that the base gold bullion comes from many different areas around the world.

The Homestake Goldmine

Much of the gold mined in the Black Hills of South Dakota did indeed come from the famous Homestake mine. At the height of its history, Homestake was one of the largest working gold mines in the world. After more than one hundred and twenty five years, the mine was closed for good 2002. The mine consisted of a huge underground hard rock mining operation and a large open pit strip mine that sat right in the middle in the town of Lead, South Dakota.

The main shaft of the underground mine reached a depth of close to eight thousand feet and branched out in all directions for thousands of feet. The open pit was said to be thirteen hundred feet wide and over five hundred feet deep. In its heyday, the mine had over thirteen hundred workers and was the lifeblood of the northern Black Hills economy.

The mine and town was of Lead was very near the famous boom and bust town of Deadwood which today has been restored as a gambling mecca with much of the towns historic architecture still intact. Visitors to Lead can take a tour of what remains of the surface operation of the mine and get an idea of just how big an operation the mine used to be.

The Pink and Green Gold

The colors seen in Black Hills gold jewelry is primarily gold combined with shades of pink and green. The color variations are achieved by combining gold with certain metal metals in an alloying process. Though the jewelry starts out as 24 carat gold bullion the alloying process does reduce the carat weight and purity of the gold but the artistry and unique designs more than makes up the lower carat weight. The carat weight of Black Hills gold jewelry can range between 10 and 14 carats depending on the other metals that are added during the alloying process.

The processes after alloying can include molding and solder assembly and the pieces are usually finished by artisans who add the fine etching done to achieve the unique look that this type of jewelry is known for.

A trip to Rapid City, South Dakota allows visitors to tour the many producers of Black Hill gold jewelry. Most all of the manufacturers give factory tours where visitors can see first hand just how these beautiful pieces are made. The combination of pink gold and green gold can be striking.

Manufacturers generally have factory stores where visitors can purchase finished pieces, often at prices that are less than what might be paid at a retail store in another part of the country. Many producers offer genuine Black Hills gold at very competitive prices.