Black Hills Gold Solid 10K Tri Color 12K Leaf Grape Cluster Ring - Size 6

Black Hills Gold solid 10K ring with tri color grape leaf and grape cluster design. Two large leaves sit at opposite corners of the face, one in green gold and one in rose gold, each with a frosted matte surface and crisp engraved veining running out from a central spine to a scalloped edge. Between them a cluster of polished yellow gold grapes is built from individual round beads stacked in a pyramid, each one domed and mirror bright against the matte leaves. Curling vine tendrils scroll out from the cluster and wrap toward the shoulders, and the shank splits into open pierced sections on both sides so the whole top of the ring reads as vine rather than solid metal. The interior is stamped 10K alongside the crossed miner's pick and shovel.

Black Hills Gold is one of the only jewelry categories in the country protected by law. Nothing can be sold under that name unless it was actually manufactured in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a protection that traces back to the gold rush of the late 1800s, the last great American gold rush. The tri color effect is alloy work rather than plating: the rose leaves get their color from gold blended with copper and the green leaves from gold blended with silver, which is why the colors run all the way through the metal and will not wear off. The crossed pick and shovel mark is attributed to South Dakota Gold Company, founded in 1982 and now known as Dakota West Designs, one of the Black Hills manufacturers working in the traditional grape and leaf vocabulary.

Ring size 6. The pierced shoulders keep a substantial looking ring light on the finger, and it arrives packaged and ready to gift or add to your collection.

Verifications:
Solid 10K gold has been verified using an Auracle Gold Analyzer.

Details:
Style: Black Hills Gold
Maker: Attributed to South Dakota Gold Company
Metal: Solid 10K Gold with 12K Green and Rose Gold Leaves
Hallmarks: 10K, Crossed Pick and Shovel
Design: Grape Cluster and Grape Leaf
Ring Size: 6
Condition: Excellent estate condition

Fun Facts:
Black Hills Gold is legally protected by origin, and jewelry cannot be sold under that name in the United States unless it was manufactured in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, making it one of very few American jewelry styles tied to a specific place by law.
The colors in Black Hills Gold come from alloy rather than any surface treatment, with copper added to gold to produce the rose leaves and silver added to produce the green ones, which is why the leaves are traditionally struck in 12K while the body of the piece is 10K.