What is Gold Filled?

We all know that gold is not inexpensive, and these days the spot price is going upwards of $500 an ounce. So there is an economical alternative that keeps a solid layer of 14 karat gold in contact with skin! 14 karat gold filled is the affordable solution. Gold filled is an actual layer of gold-pressure bonded to another metal. Gold filled is not to be confused with gold plating, as gold filled literally has 100% more gold than gold plating. Gold filled is much more valuable and tarnish resistant. 14K gold-filled jewelry will not peel or flake and can be treasured as heirloom pieces. By law, it has 1/20th by weight layer of 14 karat gold permanently bonded over a core of base metal. It has far more gold than the few microns coating of gold in gold plate, a hundred or more times the amount of gold.

Gold Filled has been referred to as the "Gold of the Future" because it offers all the same physical characteristics as solid gold such as beauty, durability, and strength, but at a fraction of the cost. Since the gold is on the outer surface area, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between solid gold and Gold Filled, except when it comes to the cost!

To care for your gold-filled jewelry take a small bowl that will hold about a quart of water and line it with aluminum foil. Add hot water and a tablespoon of Tide washing powder (not liquid or with bleach) and stir. Place your jewelry in the solution for about 1 minute and rinse with clean water and air dry. This works great on Sterling Silver too and it will not hurt any stones. If you have a build-up of dirt in hard to reach places, just put a little dish washing liquid in a bowl of water and soak over night.

This necklace was created using 14k gold filled. It is a mosaique necklace with Aqua Chalcedony, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, and Czech Glass. I used hair-thin gold filled wire to coil and wrap the precious stones. The results can be seen below.

Inspired by Butterflies!

Today my husband and I took our 5 year-old to "Wings of Paradise",a butterfly conservatory in our town. The place features 2000-3000 live free-flying butterflies and over 12 bird species on exhibit year round. The tropical butterflies are raised in Costa Rica and the Philippines. These colorful species are kept in tropical gardens, which create a lush and colourful backdrop to the free-flying butterflies. This tropical experience was a wonderful contrast from the frozen temperatures we have been experiencing in Ontario-Canada.

While at the conservatory, the most beautiful butterfly - in hues of purple and pink - caught my eye, and became today's inspiration for my most recent creation: "Sigry in Purple", which I haven't posted in Etsy yet.





Here is a shot of the necklace before it was oxidized. I really like the colour contrast between the darken sterling silver and the purple/lilac of the gems



Here is the link for more information on "Wings of Paradise"

Doing My Part

I am very happy to announce (and in my first post!) that Sol Bijou is a proud member of Etsy Toronto Street Team. We are a group of Etsy sellers located in Toronto, Ontario - Canada. We have just set up a shop to support various charities. All the proceeds are donated to charity. The charities will change from time to time. Our current charity is "RELIEF FOR HAITI". Please visit our shop to view beautiful and unique handmade items donated with love by members of the team www.etsy.com/shop/TorontoStreetTeam

One of the items I donated is a floral necklace with a hint of vintage. Anybody who visits Sol Bijou can tell I am in love with flowers - That is true! Nature inspires me at all times

This evening I decided to craft a similar necklace - This time using a different colour combination.

Here are some shots - I will be posting it in my Sol Bijou Etsy store tomorrow.

The focal point of this necklace is a handmade silk flower with tiny hand-sawn seed beads in the centre. On either side of the flower I created a cluster with twisted wire, Czech Pearls and Czech Glass. One side of the necklace is a double strand of lustrous Czech Pearls in Pink and Purple, while the other side has a single strand of larger purple pearls. I must admit that spring is in the air - well at least in my studio!