A recent alteration project entailed a customer’s original yet quite thin yellow gold wedding band (top ring in left picture) that she wanted to make thicker and more substantial without having to completely replace the piece for sentimentality reasons. In order to fulfill her wishes, we ordered a thicker yellow gold band (bottom ring in left picture) that would fit inside of the original ring. For the bands to fit together and on her finger, they had to be stretched and shaped together(right picture) via a process called annealing, which entails scientific knowledge and precision to achieve the desired result.
Annealing is a heat treatment process in metalworking that is often used on the jeweler’s bench for a number of reasons. It involves heating the metal with a blowtorch or using a kiln for a larger job. It must be heated at the perfect temperature to ensure maximum softness to make it malleable and workable, with each metal having its own temperature range. Platinum requires the highest heat at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, white gold at 1350, yellow gold at 1250, with sterling silver requiring the least amount at 1250 degrees. When the metal achieves maximum softness, it allows for shaping and bending a piece of jewelry to alter it to its desired form. Once the metal has been heated for a predetermined period of time, it is crucial to let the metal slowly cool until it returns to its normal temperature.
In addition to increased malleability, annealing facilitates what is known as “workability” for the metal. With the metal heated to its maximum softness, it also allows for finer details to be added to the metal, such as engraving, embossing, or pressing designs without causing cracking or fracture. Annealing also helps to relieve stress that occurs to the metal through repetitive hammering, bending or forging. The molecules become stressed and unhappy with all of the “manhandling”, and perhaps the most interesting aspect of annealing is that achieving that perfect heat temperature actually causes the molecules to be happy again, preventing cracks or distortions that result from the stress. There are many uses for annealing in jewelry making and repair, and we are fortunate to be able to perform this process in our workshop to shape, heal, and transform our customers’ most precious and sentimental pieces.