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.

Gold has captivated us for thousand of years especially when it comes to jewelry. The gift of gold has never fallen out of favor, considered an act of respect and love. Gold has started wars, helped build far flung empires and fueled great economies.

The sparkle of pure gold helped to drive some of greatest human migrations in history, most notably in the Western United States. From the Black Hills of South Dakota to Sutters Mill in Northern California, thousands of people abandoned careers, homes and families is search of the precious yellow metal. Some became rich while many more did not.

Today, gold jewelry is still as popular ever. There is so much gold jewelry available for sale that one might think that the supply of gold is inexhaustible. Gold ore is a finite resource and the world supply of pure gold is limited. Contrary to what many of us might think, pure gold is never used in a finished item of jewelry. There are several important reasons why you will not find pure gold jewelry that has little to with supply.

The purity of gold and other precious metals, like platinum and silver, is measured in carats. The term carat refers to the purity of the metal. This is not to be confused with how the term carat is applied to gemstones. Gemstones carats refer to the weight of the stone and are not a reflection of purity. Precious metals are graded by purity. The purest form of gold is twenty four carats.

Pure gold is very malleable and is much too soft to be used for jewelry. When gold is combined with other base metals, the carat purity is reduced. However, adding base metals like silver, palladium and copper, makes the gold more workable and the result is a harder, more durable piece of jewelry. Eighteen carat gold jewelry is considered very valuable since it is seventy five percent gold and twenty five percent base metals.

For those of us who can not afford the high cost of eighteen carat gold jewelry, there are some less expensive alternatives. For example, fourteen carat gold contains fifty eight percent gold and twelve carat contains fifty percent gold. Even though the amount of gold is less, fourteen and twelve carat gold jewelry can be a good buy.

Where the balance of gold to base metals really changes is in ten carat gold. Ten carat gold contains roughly fifty eight percent base metals. Despite the lower amount of gold, ten carat gold jewelry can still be a good buy. The value comes in knowing the type base metals that have been alloyed with the gold.

Ten carat gold that has been made with more silver or palladium, and less copper, is a much better value. Low carat gold that has a high copper content will tarnish and blacken. Copper tarnishes and discolors very easily as anyone who worn a copper bracelet or other type of copper jewelry will attest to.

Gold alloyed with palladium is far less likely to discolor. Palladium a white colored metal that is similar in content to platinum.

The only retail standard in place for selling low carat gold is that it must be labeled as such. The average consumer does not have a way to assay the gold and must therefore rely on the honesty of the seller.

So buying ten carat gold jewelry needs to be an exercise in information. When buying low carat gold it is important to know which base metals are present. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for this information. If the seller can not, or will provide this information, keep shopping.