From the Black Hills
I’ve recently fallen in love with Black Hills gold jewelry. What is Black Hills gold, you ask? Let me dazzle you with the backstory: In the 1870s, sometime after a prospector named Horatio Nelson Ross found a bit of gold in the waters of French Creek in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a French goldsmith named Henri LeBeauold (or LeBeau, depending on who’s telling the tale) traveled to the Dakotas to cash in on what is often called the last great gold rush in U.S. history.
LeBeauold’s skills as a prospector were not up to snuff, however, and he found himself parched and starving in the Black Hills. Fearing his death was imminent, he went to sleep. And, as he dozed, he dreamt of beautiful rushing stream with lush grape vines growing on its banks. When he woke, he climbed over a rise similar to the one he’d dreamt about and came face to face with the very stream and vines he’d seen in his dream.
In his gratitude, LeBeauold chose to dedicate his life to crafting jewelry in yellow, green, and rose gold that featured grape leaves, vines, and clusters…no doubt after he’d slaked his thirst and calmed the rumbling in his belly with hefty handfuls of ripe grapes. So, Black Hills gold refers to the design as well as its origin. Here is an abridged description of the Black Hills gold jewelry-making process from Black Hills Gold Outlet:
The process of making Black Hills Gold jewelry begins with pure 24 Karat gold. It is alloyed with exact percentages of other metals to achieve a more durable karat quality of 10K, 12K or 14K. The traditional pink and green color gold used for leaves and other details is made when copper or silver is combined with the pure gold. The resulting gold bars are then readied for rolling.
The alloyed gold bars are rolled by presses to different thicknesses for different types of jewelery. Component parts are carefully stamped, one at a time, out of the rolled gold sheets using patterns and dies. The solid gold leaves and other patterns are now ready to be added to a cast jewelry base.
Great for engagement rings or wedding bands. Provided the male component of the partnership is willing to do pink.
Eeeek! These rings are the best!
In my case it would have been the lady who was unwilling to do pink…the man simply refused to have jewelry at all! LOL!
Rather nebulous history, though, wrt the Lakota tribes who have rightful claim to the land that includes the Black Hills.
That doesn’t surprise me one iota. fannypie. There are a number of indigenous peoples who have rightful claims to vast stretches of land throughout the U.S.
Interestingly enough, when it comes to the origin of today’s Black hills gold, it’s the manufacture of jewelry rather than the mine the gold came from that counts. From JaxWorld:
While many of our customers might believe that the name “Black Hills Gold” denotes a certain type of mined gold, it actually refers to the design of the jewelry. By federal mandate, this style of jewelry must be manufactured in the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to carry the name “Black Hills Gold Jewelry.”