Black Hills Gold Jewelry At Dakota Exchange

Black Hills Gold Legend

According to legend, the Black Hills Gold design was created by French goldsmith, Henri Lebeau. Many years ago, the young Frenchman designed and made jewelry in Paris. After he perfected his method, he came to America. During the 1870's Gold Rush, he decided to go to California and make his fortune.

When he reached the rugged Black Hills of South Dakota, he became lost. He wandered for days without food and water. Lebeau fell asleep and had a dream of a mountain stream with grapevines growing on the banks.

Upon awakening, he walked over a rise and found the stream and grapevines just as he had dreamed and out of gratitude, he dedicated his life and talents to creating jewelry in the shapes of grape clusters and leaves fashioned in rose, green and yellow gold.

The Legend also has it that good luck comes to all who wear Black Hills Gold Jewelry!

The traditional design of Black Hills Gold is 12K pink and green gold leaves, 10K yellow gold grapevines and grape clusters.

Today, while keeping with tradition to some extent, there are new designs that keep Black Hills Gold exciting.

You will find roses, daisies, dolphins, dragonflies, butterlies, turtles and other interesting nature inspired designs.

In keeping with the heritage of South Dakota, you will also find desings that are inspired by the Dakota and Lakota people. This can range from feathers to dream catchers. All of which are highly detailed.

There are also many beautiful inspirational designs to chose from. Some incorporate roses and other features, creating beautifully dramatic effects.

Over the years, sterling silver was introduced. It makes Black Hills Gold more affordable, it appeals to those who prefer the silver color over gold and it adds a whole new look to the designs. Now, more people than ever before, adorn themselves with this lovely jewelry.

Black Hills Gold really is more than grapes, vines and leaves!

You can find Dakota Exchange on eCrater.

You will find our store on eCrater.

Stop in and check out our store, click here.

Ladies Black Hills Gold Rings: Gold, Silver, Gemstone & Diamond


Mens Black Hills Gold Rings: Gold, Silver, Gemstone & Diamond


Black Hills Gold Anniversary, Diamond Engagement Rings, Bridal & Wedding Sets And Wedding Bands


Necklaces, Pendants And Lockets: Gold, Silver, Gemstone & Diamond


Earrings: Peirced & Clip, Gold, Silver, Gemstone & Diamond


Watches & Bracelets: Gold, Silver, Gemstone & Diamond


Pins & Brooches: Gold, Silver, Gemstone


Body Jewelry: Toe Rings, Anklets, Naval Rings, Gold and Silver


Keyrings


Barrettes

The creation process of Black Hills Gold jewelry begins with pure 24K gold.

It is alloyed with other metals for durability.

Gold and silver alloys with a small amount of copper tend to be 12K green gold.

Gold and copper tend to be 12K rose in color (some call it pink).

The traditional pink and green color gold used for leaves is created and the bars are prepared for rolling.

The alloyed gold bars are rolled by presses to different degrees of thickness for the various pieces of jewlery they are intended to create.

Essential parts are pain stakingly stamped, individually, out of the rolled gold sheets using various patterns and dies.

The gold leaves and other portions of the pattern are added to cast jewelry, which is created by "lost wax casting."

Lost wax casting starts with a metal model of a jewelry piece. A vulcanized rubber mold is made from the metal model. Hot wax is injected into the mold, creating a wax model of the piece.

The wax model is taken from the mold and mounted on a wax stem called a sprue, which creates an airway for casting. Casting plaster is poured around the wax pattern in a steel cylinder.

Once hardened, the cylinder is oven baked for several hours, causing the wax to completely melt away. The cavity left behind provides an exact duplicate of the piece and is filled with molten gold.

The cylinder is then placed in cold water, shattering the plaster, leaving behind only the gold jewelry.

These pieces are then ground and polished before adding the stamped portions.

The stamped portions are individually soldered by hand to the cast with karat gold solder.

The jewelry is then cleaned in a mild acid bath and then it is inspected for quality.

Then, electro-plate is added to the pieces with 24 Karat yellow gold.

(I believe that only one manufacturer adds the electro-plate. Those that do not, still use the wriggling process to create the frosty finish.)

Wriggling, one of the final process, removes the plating from the pink and green leaves, creating a textured or frosty effect.

Each intricate detail of the leaves are engraved by hand for a fabulous finish.

Polishing in several different steps is then done to bring out brilliant shine of the piece.

At this point, if the item has a gemstone, it will be set.

After careful inspection, the piece is ready for the public.

The familiar design is almost the same today as it was a century ago.

Today, each piece of Black Hills Gold Jewelry is manufactured through a series of up to 40 different steps and are necessary to capture the same dramatic detail.

Each tiny leaf or swirl is made with infinite care. The perfection of detail requires that artists spend from one to eight hours creating a single piece.

The exquisitely beautiful tri-color gold jewelry is hand made in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Rings:
Almost all of them are 10K yellow gold with the BHG design on them. That is 10 and 12K solid gold. (Some wedding rings are 14K and 18K gold.) Those that are BHG on sterling silver have sterling silver shanks.

Pendants:
The BHG design usually lies on 10K gold unless the pendant is quite large and not very expensive. Gold is so high, that this is a dead giveaway. The chains are usually 14K gold filled unless otherwise specified. Once again, BHG on sterling silver comes on sterling silver chains and have a sterling silver base.

Lockets:
The BHG design usually lies on gold plated or gold filled base metal. If it is not indicated in a listing, please check what category it is listed in.

Earrings:
The posts, backs and wires are 14K yellow gold. The design is most always 10K yellow gold with the 12K BHG gold design on it. BHG on sterling earrings have stainless steel posts and backs or wires. The base of the earrings are sterling silver. The accents, grapevines and clusters are always 10K yellow gold.

Money Clips:
Usually are gold plated or gold filled base metal with the BHG design on them of 10K gold grapes and vines and 12K gold leaves. Some are created with a baked on black powder over the original base.

Watches:
They vary and usually have additional info about the bezels, bands and etc. within the description.

Our Black Hills Gold On Silver Products All of our silver is sterling silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver (.925) metal. This standard is used to assure consistent quality among sterling products.

Silver that is not "sterling" or ".925" has less pure silver content and will often be darker in color and less shiny. Sterling is 92.5% pure instead of 100% pure in order to achieve the requisite hardness and stability to resist wear and tear, and hold its shape.

When it is BHG on Sterling, it is pretty obvious which parts are gold. It is usually the leaves and they are 12K gold.

Carat Weight Of Gemstones:

Every now and then someone wants to know the carat weight of our Black Hills Gold gemstones. We give the carat weight of diamond jewelry but we do not on gemstones. We only give measurements of gemstones that are not diamonds.

Conflict Free Diamonds:

All diamonds in Landstrom's Black Hills Gold Jewelry Wheeler are conflict free. This means that their diamonds do not originate from conflict countries. These diamonds are of certified origin which are guaranteed not to be obtained through the use of violence, human rights abuses, child labor, or environmental destruction. These diamonds are individually tracked through their full chain of custody to ensure that ethical practices are used in mining, cutting, and polishing. In addition, conflict-free diamonds are mined in an environmentally responsible fashion.

These same companies only use diamonds that are NOT enhanced. They are naturally beautiful diamonds.

John Brady has been making hats for over thirty years. His business, Shady Brady Hats is now located in Northern California. However, John's personal hat history has taken him around the world learning, developing and creating the methods used today to create the distinctive Shady Brady Hat line.

Shady Brady guarantees their raffia straw hats against breakage for one full year after purchase. These raffia straw hats are completely crushable and packable. They easily return to their original shape.

Click the below picture to check out the Shady Brady hat assortment available at Dakota Exchange.

We carry Shady Brady hats in men's and women's styles, including the "hot" Bon Jovi and Julia unisex cowboy hats.

The hats we feature are handmade of raffia straw, toyo straw and wool felt.

Shady Brady hats are hand made in the USA!