Engineers in the country of Columbia have come up with a new trick for refining gold that is sure to intrigue jewelers worldwide. Using a special thermo-chemical process, the engineers can give gold a glimmering new tint of color.
The thermo-chemical process involves mixing pure gold with reactive metals, then subjecting the mix to a treatment process in special ovens. After about 10 hours, the color of the gold changes. However, the resulting hue is much more substantial than the shellac or coating you’ll see on other pieces. With this process, the gold retains all of its glitter and can be compared to sapphires, rubies, and other gems.
The science behind this process is not entirely new. Traditional black gold and blue gold undergo similarly complex refining to achieve their colors. The engineers behind the technique claim it increases the value of the gold by five-fold, but that would only apply to the jewelry industry. Refiners, like Manhattan Gold & Silver, would only be concerned with the amount of pure gold – so the value would be the same as set by the London Fix.
To our jeweler friends, if you have a sample of this Columbian colored gold, bring it in. We’d love to examine it for ourselves.
