950 Palladium
Fabricating Custom Earrings
By Mark and Lainie Mann, Mann Design Group, Inc. This article examines manufacturing procedures used to hand fabricate 950 palladium earrings.
The 950 Pd materials used in this project include:
- Easy, medium and hard 950 TruPd palladium solder
3x1 rectangular wire
14 gauge round wire
18 gauge round wire
24 gauge sheet
Manufacturing methods and techniques covered in this project include:
- General 950 palladium information covered in this article includes:
- Cost analysis of using 950 palladium vs. 14-karat white gold and 950 platinum
- Tools and materials used for palladium
- 950 TruPd solder temperatures and composition
- 950 palladium refining suggestions
Annealing
Bending and forming
Filing, sanding and fitting
Soldering
Wire pieces were cut to the circumference of the mabe pearls for the bezels. After cleaning thoroughly, they were placed on a platinum soldering block for annealing. A vented torch tip was selected and
the flame adjusted for annealing.
The wires were evenly heated with
the flame directed over the top,
and the torch moving slowly back and forth along the length of the wires. The pieces were brought to
a bright orange color, briefly held at
temperature, and then allowed to air cool.
Note: Over-annealing can cause excessive grain growth ultimately affecting forming and
finishing operations.
The wires were a dull whitish-gray color as supplied by Hoover & Strong. Annealing did not change their appearance and no pickling is required. Using forming pliers, the rectangular bezel wires were formed and shaped around the circumference of the mabe pearls.
Tip: When working with palladium, avoid contamination from other metals. Clean all
tools and use files and abrasive materials that are specific to palladium.
The pieces were then pre-finished
using three grits of abrasive bands. Grits used included 400, 1200 and 3000. The pieces were then washed in the ultrasonic and dried. The rectangular bezel wires were placed face down on a platinum soldering block. The 14 gauge round wires were positioned into the angled rim. Four small pieces of TruPd medium solder were placed
equally around the joint. The pieces
were heated from the top in a
circular motion and the solder flowed
completely around the connection.
The bezels were prepared for
soldering by forming and flush fitting the two flat ends. The individual bezel
wires were placed on the soldering
block with the joint facing upward.
A small piece of hard solder was
placed directly over the joint. A pin-point flame was used to pre-heat and solder the joint. No flux, firecoating
solution or other materials were used in the soldering process. Each of the bezel and lower bezel support wires were soldered in the same manner.
Eye Protection – Important Note:
When annealing or soldering palladium, view your work through rated welding lenses. In this example, a #7 rated welding lens is hand-held between the item being soldered and the technician’s eyes (indicated by the red arrow). Some suppliers offer welding glasses with
protective lenses and visors with magnification
and rated lenses.
All bezel wire components were rounded and trued. The 14 gauge
round wire will then be fit to the
base of each rectangular wire, forming a seat for the mabe pearl. In preparation, a 45 degree angle is being ground on the inner edge of the rectangular bezel wire by using a 200
grit 3M flex diamond band.
Another product well suited for
pre-finishing this alloy is Foredom’s
ceramic impregnated abrasive wheels. They are available in 6 different grits that are color coded ranging from 120 to 1500.
Using a multiple step abrasive process with palladium helps to
produce the finest finish.
The wires for each side of the bezel assemblies were annealed then hand formed. A ring mandrel provided a suitable forming tool.
To ensure consistent forming, a guide was drawn on graph paper.
Each piece must be identical in size and shape.
The bezels were fit in the frames and
placed face down on the platinum soldering block. Small pieces of easy palladium solder were placed along the solder seam on each side of the bezel. The pieces were heated along the top and side, then soldered.
The wires are formed, pre-finished
and ready for soldering. The bare wires are placed on the platinum soldering block and small pieces of
easy flowing solder are placed along the top portion at the joint. The area to be joined is saturated with heat from a pinpoint flame and soldered.
To make the small domed shapes for the tops of the earrings, small discs were cut from 24 gauge sheet. Next, they were formed in a dapping block using dapping punches. To get the desired shape, three progressively sized punches were used to form the disc in 5 progressively sized cups in
the block. The final shaping form is
indicated by the red arrow.
The bezel wire for the pink sapphires was created by rolling 14 gauge
round wire flat. The resulting
thickness was 0.75 millimeters. After rolling, the wire was annealed and cut to length. The bezel wires were
formed using round/flat forming
pliers, then soldered.
The dome assembly was filed and
shaped one side to accommodate the bezel. The bezel was soldered on with easy palladium solder. A cross bar to support the earring post was then soldered in place (the quality mark was stamped on prior to soldering). To complete the top component an earring post is soldered securely to the cross bar.
18 gauge round wire was formed to create a support at the base of each dome and soldered using hard solder. A slit cut in the platinum soldering block supports the wire for soldering. This block has various carved indentations to support or hold a variety of parts for soldering— allowing for hands free soldering sequences.
Tip: If tweezers or solder pokers are used, they must be made of tungsten carbide to avoid contamination.
After the wire ring is soldered and
trued, a 45 degree taper is flat sanded
around its circumference (indicated
by the red arrow). This flat angle
allows for greater metal to metal contact with the inside of the dome. They are soldered together using easy palladium solder.
Tip: It is important to have metal to metal
contact for soldering joints. Palladium solder does not fill gaps or irregularly fitting joints.
Holes were marked and drilled in the top portion of each earring unit to
allow for free movement on the jump ring. The pieces were pre-finished,
polished and set.
The earring components were
assembled and the jump rings were
pulse-arc-welded to secure the assembly. The polishing was quick
and efficiently accomplished because the work was pre-finished as it was
assembled. No rhodium plating is required because 950 palladium alloys are white and bright.
| Alloy | Weight of Earrings in Alloy Listed | Cost* |
|---|---|---|
| 950 Palladium/ Ruthenium | 7.56 pennyweight | $69.93 ($185.00 per ounce) |
| 14 karat white gold | 8.00 pennyweight | $108.80 ($465.00 per ounce) |
| 950 Platinum/ Ruthenium | 13.04 pennyweight | $596.58 ($915.00 per ounce) |
*Cost listed is for metal used in the earrings in each alloy at the current market price. Since supplier markups vary, metal suppliers markup was not included.
Cost Analysis – Palladium, 14-karat White Gold & Platinum
The 950 palladium wires for the featured earrings after assembly and finishing weighed 7.56 pennyweight. The market
price for palladium was $185.00 per ounce or $9.25 per pennyweight without a metal suppliers mark-up. This chart compares converted and actual weights of these earrings if made in the featured alloys.
A marked benefit of palladium alloys is that their specific gravity is nearly half that of platinum. This factor opens a world
of possibilities for designers to create a greater range of larger creations. The earrings featured in this article would have been weight prohibitive in platinum.
Palladium Solders Palladium Refining Suggestions
950 palladium solder is supplied in When refining palladium: three melting temperatures; easy, • Keep palladium filings medium and hard.separate from other precious
metals filings. The flow temperatures of the solder • Keep palladium hard scrap are as follows: separate from other precious
- Easy – 2005F hard scrap. It will maximize
- Medium – 2210F your return and speed the
- Hard – 2365F settlement.
Design and Illustration – Lainie Mann, Mann Design Group, Inc. Photographs – Mark B. Mann, Mann Design Group, Inc
