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 Gold orchids are a specialty that are available only on a custom order basis. I am only able to produce a very limited number of life-cast orchid blooms for use in fine jewelry. All castings are created from live blooms, and depending on the size and characteristics of the flower, can be incorporated into pins, necklaces, stickpins, and even earrings in some cases. There is nothing mysterious or "secretive" about this process. These orchids are cast using age old techniques identical to the "lost wax process". This is a very labor intensive process, due to the hand work necessary for preparing the flowers for casting, and final cleanup, burnishing, and construction that is involved in assembling finished pieces. Many orchid blooms lend themselves to the accompaniment of diamonds and colored stones in finished pieces. We also carry a good inventory of both colored gems and diamonds, which can be incorporated into finished pieces of jewelry. We are more than happy to work with you on a commission of a piece which will satisfy your taste, by sending detailed renderings of the designs via mail or email (JPEG or GIFF format). Prices range from $275.00 for 14K stickpins, to several thousand dollars, depending on the number and type of flower castings, the complexity of the construction involved, and the types of gems included.
There are an EXTREMELY LIMITED number of castings on hand at any given time, and some orders or commissions may involve several months to complete a design and execute the finished piece. Only rarely will it be possible to obtain a finished piece in a matter of days.
In the past, several people have asked if they can have their OWN orchid blooms cast into blooms for display or jewelry. The simple answer is "YES" -- But -- there are several factors that make that difficult at times. I CANNOT GUARANTEE if you ship me your blooms that will obtain a useable casting from them. In order to use your blooms in a casting, it is necessary to receive blooms that are very fresh, sturdy, with no bruising, or missing parts. Obviously, shipping blooms so that they arrive in that condition is not always easy - or even possible at times. Casting is not an exact science or art. sometimes, castings just don't turn out, and if there are no more blooms to cast, one has to wait until the plant flowers again. We have a variety of plants that have proven to be good for casting, and we are always looking for new additions. Among those currently available as possible candidates are: Oncidiums, Phalaenopsis species, Laelias, Cattleya species, Epidendrums, and Ascocendas.
I have often been asked if it is possible to cast very large blooms such as Cattleyas or Cymbidiums - or very complex blooms such as Coryanthes. It is certainly "POSSIBLE" to cast very large or complex flowers such as those mentioned, with all the detail and accuracy of smaller, simpler blooms. It is, however, a much more difficult and unpredictable proposition to do that, and therefore, one which is likely to be far more expensive than most might expect.
I use only 14K and 18K gold for orchid castings, with very few exceptions. I am currently working on the possibility of multiple castings from high detail wax models that can be cast in sterling or 10K gold which will have the same quality characteristics of the 14K and 18K productions.
There is perhaps a lot of confusion about some of the gold orchids that have been sold over the years. I do not produce any electroformed or electroplated pieces, for the simple reason that they do not hold up well to normal use as jewelry. Nor do they, in my opinion offer a very appealing appearance, in comparison to actual solid gold castings. The plating process seems to obliterate the very details of the flowers that make them so enticing and beautiful.
Even solid castings can suffer damage and breakage if the floral parts of the orchid are delicate. Some orchid blooms are simply not appropriate to use for jewelry, as they are too fragile to sustain wear if cast intact, or their appearance is ruined if weak points are supported or strengthened in the casting or construction processes. Some simply provide too many small appendages that snag clothing, scratch your body, or make them high risk for loss by being caught in your hair, or on other things, and pulled off your clothing when you are unaware. Those blooms are well suited for display as art objects that can be displayed in a variety of ways, and incorporated into Jewelry "sculptures". Even whole miniature orchid plants can be cast for that purpose.
I will try to add images of our castings and finished pieces to this page as time passes. At the current time, there may be none, or only a few, due to the difficulty of photographing them adequately to display their quality and detail.
If you are interested in commissioning a gold orchid, by all means send me a note, or call, and discuss it. We will be happy to discuss any aspect of the process, pricing, and design possibilities. We want our customers to proudly wear our gold orchids and pass them on as heirlooms to future generations.
OTHER ORCHID ART AND COLLECTIBLES
We maintain a fairly large inventory of botanical prints, watercolors, oil paintings, egg tempera paintings, china, glass, and other collectibles that feature or depict orchids. Please write or call if you have an interest in these items. We will be posting a catalog listing of these items in the future. From time to time, we will feature some of these in the special on the opening page of this site.
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