I have not enameled on white gold, but I have on 18k yellow, and also on sterling. In my experience every enamel color behaves differently, and it even can make a difference whether you are using castings vs. milled sheet.

The best thing to do is test of all your colors on the alloys you are considering, and see what works. I roll my own foil out of the gold alloy I want to test the enamels on, then use 1mm thick copper sheet, then a layer of flux, then lay down a layer of the different gold foils you have rolled out, narrow strips right next to each other.  Then do your tests. When I'm testing on gold I lay down really small areas of each color, maybe 5mm x 5mm. 

Usually, some colors work wonderfully, and some not at all. You just have to limit yourself to the ones that work well.

Thank you Amy,this is good idea. I will use thin white gold foil and make some tests.

Hope the difference between  rolled foil and casted ring will be not so visible.

Rudolf

Yes, that's always a possibility, since there are often more oxides at the surface of cast metal than rolled metal. Unfortunately there is no practical solution for this with an expensive metal like gold.  With sterling, I would do tests on castings to get a more accurate idea of which colors could be problematic.  Just go with what works on the foil, and your best bet is to keep the number of firings to a minimum, as some colors will last through one firing but start to have problems on the second or third firing. Or, if you find you have a troublesome color, it might be ok if you put it over a layer of flux (fondant) or a very pale color that is trouble-free. If a color that worked well on foil fails on the casting, you can always remove with acid or grind away with diamond burs.  Good luck!

Thank you Chris

Any chance that someone selling white gold foil? Or is better to make very thin sheet.What about flux and reds on white gold? Any tips?

Thank you again

Hi Rudolph,

Though I don't have an exact answer to your question but here is an address which might be worth to follow:

The German company Gerstendoerfer (www.blattgold.de) sells gold leaf (also white). And as I assume they have to produce foil first before they come to leaf it might be worth to contact them if they can supply you with foil. There is a contact address on their web page.

Best regards

Gisela

If you purchase white gold foil it may very likely not be the same alloy as the one you will use in the actual piece.  That is why it is recommended to roll out your own foil using the alloys you are considering for use in the jewelry you will make.

To roll out foil, take your white gold sheet and roll in a rolling mill, annealing between every few passes, until the rollers of the mill are touching (all the way closed). Even after this pass, the sheet is not as thin as foil. You could use it at this point, but to conserve metal even more you can anneal, then fold the thin sheet over so it is two sheets (one on top of the other), then put through the rolling mill again to roll even thinner. At this point it is safer to anneal in the kiln.

Be aware that there are many different formulas for alloying gold. Even if you are talking about palladium white golds there are huge differences-- some have more palladium, some have more copper, and small amounts of other metals may be included. That's why it's important to do your tests with the alloy you will be using in the piece.

If you don't have access to a rolling mill, you could buy some 30 ga. (0.25mm) white gold sheet and do your tests on it, photograph the result, then etch off the enamel and use the gold for another piece.

Hi Rudolf,
18 karat white gold leafs I have never seen. I knew, one can get white gold in 12 Karat, but it contains a lot of silver.
Here: http://www.dukatshop.de/Platin-Blattplatin:::855.html you can buy Platin or Paladium leafs.
Be careful. There is a difference between Gold leafs and Gold foil. Leaves are normally very thin and for enamelling unsuitable! Foils are available in different thickness.

Thank you

I know I got some leaves and also foils.I use sometimes the thin leaves under gemstones.

I will try roll the white gold and make my own foil.Fortunately the company which will cast the ring can make any alloy that I want.So I need to find which white gold is better for enamelling-one that contains palladium or platina.

If you want to enameling on white gold 18 Kt (casted pieces), write to: Roberto CASAROTTO Snc from Vicenza (Italy): http://www.millevogliepreziosi.com/. They have the best italian casted white gold (with Palladium). Good for transparent enamels.

Thank you Mariano.

I have enamelled on Pd white golds (but there are hundreds of different alloy compositions out there). In my experiance they are fine to work with. The rough outer layer of the casting should be removed though - just to make sure not to have a blemished surface. The colours (transparent obviously) are very true but are having a cold appearance. The reds (have used ninomya) are true too, they just lack the warm golden glow.   

What type of 18K white gold is better for enameling, with palladium or platina? And any advice about using reds,oranges?

Thank you

R.