I have a question. Does anyone really know what chemical, or the method the Germans used to darken (black), the recesses in jewelry? I have a skull ring that I have owned for about ten years. It is .835 silver. This ring must be close to 70 years old. The eye sockets and some other areas are black. This darkening never seems to wear off, and of course, enhances the appearance of the ring. How was this done?

I don't know how they did it, but to make a shiny polished one black again, just mix a weak solution of bleach and water. I do this with my repro rings only, but the effect should be the same.

Dip the ring for about 15 seconds,dry the ring and then wipe the high spots off with a soft cloth and the remaining unwiped recesses stay black until it wears off.

Mark

Jewelers for ages have used a few chemical solutions to 'put the black ' on rings.
The process would make the complete ring black and buffing / burnishing would just leave the black in the recesses.

I've also seen a few rings come directly from the ground that at one time had black paint applied to them. Reason not clear to me, camo? antireflective? It is very durable ,even after a minor cleaning it showed no signs of coming off... , G.

This process is known as anodizing, it is extremely caustic and should be done professionally. Anodized metal has been through an electrochemical process which changes the molecular structure of the surface layer, giving it a thin, protective film. In the anodization process, the metal is placed in an acid bath (at the "anode" or positive end of the electrical circuit) and an electrical current is passed through the tank. This process causes a controlled oxidation of the metal's surface to occur (oxygen atoms bond to surface atoms of the metal). Other methods might work short term, but not for longevity. Be very careful with bleach and fine metals, it is not recommended, it will pit fine gold and silver, as it is highly corrosive.

Hi Ed,

Thanks much for your professional and educated response.

However, I am still in question and confused.

If as you have offered below and specifically concerning a SS Honor Ring having the blackened recessed areas, how are only the recessed areas blackened and not the entire surface as you have described?

(Ed Sunday)
"This process causes a controlled oxidation of the metal's surface to occur (oxygen atoms bond to surface atoms of the metal)"

I believe that one author of the subject alludes to the process where the ring manufacturer effects a process where a liquid acid solution is hand applied directly to these recessed areas for a controled time and then the acid nutralized and the excess is then removed. As such, the results of this process leaves a blackened or 'chared' apearence in these recessed areas.

Appreciate any further illumination of this continued puzzling topic.

Regards,

John

I recently blackened a ring that I have that was all silver, even in the recesses. I used this special acid you can get at crafts stores that is made for blackening and aging all types of metal. I brushed it on, waited for it to turn black, then rinsed it. Of course as John pointed out, the raised areas were also blackened. It took simply some rubbing for a while with a silver polishing cloth, and voila! The recesses remain black while the raised surfaces are nice and shiny.
I can't remember the name of the acid since I had borrowed it from my mom, and I don't know if it is the same that they used back in the 40's. It did work though and I am guessing that it is a similar process. Check your local arts and craft stores for metal againg acids.

edsunday , maybe a mix up in terminology. As anodizing usually is for aluminum and or magnesium and did not come into its own until postwar.. I am not aware of any custom or commercially made for retail wartime jewelry that was anodized. If you have some examples I'd love to see them...

***Not sure how technical you guys wanted to get ! From my findings to the 'black' on silver wartime rings is:

Jewelry firms used a few different types of chemical finishing here are just 2:

One is potassium sulphide, the most common. Old time jewelers called it 'liver of sulphur'. . It was diluted in water to make a solution. Depending how dark you wanted the item was how many applications of the solution was applied..

Second is hydrochloric acid and tellurium dioxide. Same, diluted with water and applied to the piece ... There were standards that applied to the making of the formulas [how many parts, chemical temp, etc.] but each jeweler had their own custom 'brew,' a little higher or lower temp here, different size parts there etc.

*Both usually did cover the entire piece. The finisher at a jewelers task was to buff, polish, burnish [take your pick] the piece until the 'black' was only in the deep recesses. A finisher not skilled in this could easily ruin the process and have to be started all over again OR over polish and what they call 'burn ' the silver. Too much or not properly done and silver will be removed and that is not what was wanted...

Any other info, techniques or corrections on the process of colorings on silver or gold please post away! , G.

Gaspare is absolutely 100% right on the money; this is the way it was (is) done. the adonizing theory is contrary to actuality. I used to have a full pint bottle here that I got from a jewelery wholesaler in Cleveland; it's all gone but I've kept the empty bottle to remind me that I should throw down the shekels for a new bottle; the label says "Silver Oxidizer", ingredients: Tellurium Compounds. It also says "Danger! Poison! Contact with acids may release toxic gas!"

The chemical you buy over the counter is NOT the same as the industrial process. I know this from jewelry repair and plating procedures. Manufacturers can apply finishes that will not come off that easy if at all. Can not be done at home. I have used those oxidisers and they are only quick fixes and a waste of time!

Actually, in the real world of working with fine olde antiquity, & not the modern world of buying/selling of cheap cheezy present-day junque costume jewelery, the Silver Oxidizer sold over-the-counter, (actually it's not "over-the-counter" but available only by wholesalers to persons in the jewelery business), is NOT a waste of time, as these chemicals work superbly if used correctly. So if any of you guys feel the need to do a tarnishing job on silver, have your jeweler get you a pint of this, use it carefully, & as others have mentioned, stay away from using bleach.

What are you trying to say?

To stay away from bleach, & that it's fine to use the afore-mentioned Silver Oxidizer of tellurium compounds for oxidizing, to suit the needs of any collector wishing to achieve a desired result on the object he wished to darken, as sending it back, alas, to the manufacturer for darkening (oxidizing) using the original wartime procedure, might prove to be a difficult undertaking.

I do not sell cheap and cheesy cotume jewelry,nor is this process used on this jewelry only. In the fine world of antique jewelry and watches many items if not most were plated in large quantities and done using large amounts of controlled current to apply any thickness they desire. You nor I can do this with any of the over the counter ( available to the public or individual) current type plating machines. I have and worked all my life with precious metals and watches.

Well now I'm glad to hear all of that... you are just clearly outstanding. It's wonderful to hear that you do not sell the modern cheap costume junque that some folks think passes for jewelery (I don't sell it either). Speaking of over-the-counter methods of plating, there was a guy at one of the area gun shows a couple years ago with an on-the-spot "gold-plating" device, it couldn't/didn't do the real job, & the result looked more like a gold "wash". My daughters had a couple of pennies "gold-plated" + an old ring, & recent inspection has revealed that the "gold plate" has evaporated?!?

Ed, we're not talking about plating. Its a different process all together.
I am not familiar with how things are done currently but WW2 they used a chemical finish to black the ring. The evidence shows when done properly rings after 60 years still have some of the 'black' even on dug pieces...,G.

Yes Gaspare that is correct. This is what is called a hot process thats why it holds up so well. The stuff that comes out of the bottle that you buy from jewelers supply is only a temporary fix. These firms years ago were more advanced than you think. Back in the early days ,1890,s they had ways of putting multiple finishes on one item that were impecable and it was all production work. I lived near one of the largest watch factories ( Deuber Hampden ) and as I grew up and was taught watch making I used to talk with the old timers and one of them told me he worked in the finishing dept.and mentioned how the procedure worked for adding a finish on metal without disturbing the surrounding area.

I was looking to take my repro SS Honor ring to a jeweler to see if I could have them darken it, but instead I followed Mark's (Kingtiger) tip and it worked like a charm!! However, it took much longer than 15 seconds - it was about 20 minutes. It looks great - thanks Mark!!!

another oldie good for reading about the 'Black' that is sometimes found on rings and tips on how to darken yours..

I must say that I only did the weak bleach thing on a repro ring and it really did a great job. It never hurt the ring as far as I could see and it improved it's looks greatly. Maybe weak is the key?

Mark