Accent Purple Gold^TM

As featured in the September 2005 issue of Art Jewelry magazine
 

Accent Purple Gold^TM is a most unusual precious metal for adding accents to all types of fine jewelry.  Accent Purple Gold^TM (APG) is finding expanding applications in silver jewelry as artists develop new ways to use it to accent their designs.  One such application appears as an instructional project by Hattie Sanderson titled “Empress Ring” in Art Jewelry magazine.  Accent Purple Gold^TM is a solid 18K intermetallic compound comprised of pure, 24K gold combined with other metals.  Its color is natural and permanent and not the result of any type of coloration, such as dyeing, oxidation, or application of a chemical coating.  The purple color results from strong reflection of incident light in the red and blue wavelengths, which the eye interprets as purple.  While Accent Purple Gold^TM is difficult to manipulate using traditional metallurgical techniques because of its brittle nature, it offers creative possibilities in flake form.  Accent Purple Gold^TM is supplied in the form of flakes and larger pieces that reflect rich purple light from individual facets.

APG is especially amenable to inlaying into recessed regions of jewelry designs, which is recommended because the sides of the recessed region provide protection against abrasion and loss of the flakes.  Artists have developed various methods for attaching APG to jewelry.  One method is to embed flakes in a clear jeweler’s epoxy resin.  Using resin has the advantage of preserving the sparkling luster of the individual particles because it is a room temperature process.  AGS can also be attached with a low-fire silver clay paste.  Firing at temperatures above 650C (1202F) must be avoided because the particles will darken and lose luster.  When attaching large particles Accent Purple Gold^TM with low-fire silver clay, one should surround each particle with the clay to form a miniature bezel to avoid detachment during subsequent polishing operations.  It is not recommended to attach small flakes with silver clay paste because of the difficulty of forming bezels around the particles, which would result in subsequent detachment of the flakes. 

Whether you use Accent Purple Gold^TM on fine silver, sterling silver, or yellow gold jewelry, this unique material will challenge your artistic imagination and provide you with a distinctive medium with which to set your jewelry apart from the norm.  Have fun exploring creative ways to use Accent Purple Gold^TM in your jewelry designs!