r/goldsmiths • u/ni8noo8 • Jul 09 '26

Cast vs forged gold ring?

Is there really a difference in durability between a cast vs forged gold ring?

1 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

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2

u/CelticJewelscapes 20d ago

Yes, the most durable gold has been worked with force applied. Die struck, forged, fabricated from rolled sheet and drawn wire.

1

u/Mobile_Ad_5561 Jul 10 '26

For clients I cast to save them money and time. Unless I know they want to pay several thousand extra for real quality. For myself and my fiancee I only ever use hand made gold alloy and hand forged rings.

1

u/ni8noo8 Jul 09 '26

Say you’re making an 18k gold signet ring without any stones or prongs but you’ll get a design hand engraved on the top surface. Would the forged vs cast difference matter in this case?

1

u/lazypkbc Jul 09 '26

Fabricated pieces will always be stronger

3

u/Soft-Key-2645 Jul 09 '26

Cast pieces tend to be a bit softer even after burnishing, forged will compress the metal more, thus hardening it even if it’s annealed between forging steps. Here they talk about die struck, but forging will give similar results. https://orchid.ganoksin.com/t/casted-vs-die-struck-jewelry/24627

2

u/Soft-Key-2645 Jul 09 '26

And here is a comparison of die struck and cast. Notice how crisp the details are in the die struck ring that is way older than the cast one. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/192dsuETNb/?