Properties of the Green Gold Alloys with Indium Content

Abstract

The property changes of 18, 14, and 8K green gold alloys for jewelry are observed by adding 0.0, 3.0, and 5.0 wt% of indium (In), respectively. To check the composition of the alloys, an energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis is conducted. Color and microstructure analysis is executed through bare-eye, macro camera, UV-VIS-NIR-colormeter, and optical microscope. The melting point, wetting angle, and hardness are measured using TGA-DTA, a wetting angle tester, and a Vickers hardness tester. The EDS analysis result demonstrates that each of the green gold alloys was manufactured with purposed contents. The color analysis result shows that the color of the alloys is similar to the color of the conventional 4 wt%-Cd 18K green gold, and the green color improves as the In content increases. The micro structure analysis result demonstrates that grain refinement improves as the amount of In increases. Enhancements in the melting point, wettability, and Vickers hardness changes appear as the In content increases and Au content decreases. The hardness is up to 260, which implies good durability. Therefore, the results suggest that the proposed 18, 14, and 8K In-added green gold alloys enhance the properties of jewelry products with regard to the green color, castability, and durability.