This especially attractive gold is usually crafted into traditional designs that features yellow, rose and green gold molded into grape clusters and leaves.

The Black Hills Goldrush

The Black Hills were part of the Sioux reservation. When gold was discovered there, people like Fred Manuel, Ivan Landstrom, F.L. Thorpe, Tom Miller and Samuel Fields rushed there, regardless of any treaty with the native Sioux. The Black Hills Goldrush boom really started in 1874. In the beginning, the gold miners found loose gold in the soil and in the riverbeds that is known as placer gold, or gold that has eroded from somewhere else. Places like Custer and Carbonate rapidly filled with people. There were some who believed there was bound to be a mother lode went on a search for the location of the vein of gold running through the rock, and when they discovered it, they named the resulting mine the 'Homestake.' The Homestake mine produced an incredible amount of gold almost ten percent of the world's gold supply. It finally was closed in 2001.

The Unique Production of Black Hills Gold

The making of Black Hills gold is as unusual as its history. Taking bars of pure 24 karat gold, silver and copper, the only necessary factor for the final product to be called 'Black Hills Gold' is that the piece be fabricated in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The gold and silver can be mined anywhere - even Afghanistan, Samoa or Uzbekistan.

The gold is merged with copper to form the 12 karat rose gold, and silver is alloyed with the gold to form the 12 karat green gold. The resulting colors of gold are then rolled to varying thicknesses to be made into different orders of jewelry. Each special piece is stamped from the thin sheet using dies and patterns. The discrete pieces are then in line to made into bracelet and ring using pre-cast bases.

The bases are first burnished, either by hand or tumbling. When the bases are polished to a nice sheen, the individual parts are either hand-soldered onto the base or they are combined in a soldering oven with several other pieces together. After soldering, the pieces are bathed into a mild acid bath before going through inspection to determine if they meet the exacting standards for Black Hills gold. When a piece passes inspection, it is electroplated with 24 karat gold. A process called wriggling is then used to remove the electroplated gold from the rose and green colored components. This forms a textured or frosty look to the jewelry. Every leaf vein is then hand engraved so it catches the light.

After another round of shining, the finished pieces are ready for use. If it needs a stone it is sent to the stone setting department for mounting.

Traditional Styles

The traditional style of Black Hills gold jewelry was made by French prospector and goldsmith, Henri LeBeau in the late 1800s. He said he had dreamed of the pattern when he went unconscious from hunger and thirst. His patternmade of green and rose colored grape leaves, combined with gold vines and grapes. Since he first designed this, the grape leaf design has adorned pendants, rings, bracelets and watch bands in varying patterns. It is such a unique pattern that one only has to see it in passing to see that it is a Black Hills gold design.