Jewelry industry And jewelry is one of the industries in which Thailand has the ability to compete on the world stage. In 2023, Thailand has an export value of up to 14,636.88 million US dollars. The highest is 3 or 5.14% of the overall value of Thai export products (Source: Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (Public Organization)) In addition to gems and jewelry, Equally important is the “body” of the jewelry. Currently, platinum, which is a white metal, is used to make popular cases. And the price of jewelry is about 2-3 times more expensive than gold, making “white gold alloys” which are metals mixed between gold and other elements such as silver, copper, zinc, and nickel, among others, more popular. Because it gives a white metal texture similar to platinum but at a cheaper price.
The main problem is nickel mixed in platinum alloys. Can cause allergic reactions in some wearers. You can get a red rash. The European Union has laws limiting the amount of nickel in imported jewelry. by the amount of nickel released from jewelry or equipment that must come into contact with the skin must not exceed 0.5 micrograms per square centimeter of exposed skin per week. This regulation creates demand for nickel-free platinum alloys. Becoming more and more housing But white gold alloys that do not contain nickel usually have a light yellowish white metal color. It is not white like platinum, making it unattractive, so it must be “rhodium plated” to make the body white as desired. But this type of housing will wear, peel, peel off the rhodium surface after being used for a while. The yellowish-white color of the inner metal will appear, making the jewelry look less valuable.
This is a research question that is a demand of entrepreneurs. Then lead to the creation “Innovation for increasing the value of gold” by the Faculty of Energy, Environment and Materials King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi Together they developed a new white gold alloy with nickel-free ingredients, beautiful, shiny, resistant to scraping, not tarnished, and increasing the value of gold.
Assoc.Prof.Dr. SIRIPORN ROJANANAN said that this research is the development of a gold alloy to change color. from yellow to white To meet the needs of manufacturers and customers who prefer high end pure gold jewelry products, which have a higher value and selling price than yellow gold jewelry. The challenge faced by the entrepreneurs was to make a premium white gold alloy that does not contain nickel, does not peel off the color, and is durable and strong. Therefore, it is necessary to create new production processes. Both in terms of ingredients and production processes Learn what ingredients to use to improve color, hardness, durability, and anti-tarnish properties. How to use the production process? in order to get the desired property which must be carefully thought out Because the research process requires quite a lot of research funds. which is well supported by entrepreneurs
From past research work make new discoveries Both new ingredients and a new production process. In creating white alloys, we can completely solve the needs of consumers and manufacturers. The resulting product is gold with white metal in the Premium White grade, beautiful, shiny, shiny, no nickel added. It is considered a new alternative to high-priced jewelry products. that does not cause irritation to the wearer’s skin It is harder than the original so it is resistant to deformation, abrasion resistant, scratch resistant, and tarnish resistant, reducing the import of ready-made master alloys from abroad. The result is a new type of platinum alloy that is nickel-free. This is the main problem in exporting white gold alloy jewelry to foreign countries. and can also reduce production costs It also makes the selling price higher. This increases the value of gold without the need for rhodium plating. Helps reduce production steps and reduces costs from rhodium plating further.
“Equally important is the increase in the value of gold. What is achieved is the creation of new knowledge in the country. which strengthens the existing technology Increase potential and ability to research and develop to the international level That will help increase your ability to compete. Can export jewelry for sale abroad and bring currency into Thailand. Support self-reliance within the country and helped develop many genuine jewelry industries which is an important export industry of Thailand Brings the highest level of income to the country”
Innovations in increasing the value of gold have actually been tested. It really works. There is readiness of technology to the industry at the level of TRL: 8-9. It is a work that is ready to be delivered. It has been proven successfully. Knowledge has been disseminated to entrepreneurs. In addition to that With the impact on the Thai jewelry industry Innovative work to increase the value of gold Received a very good award Physical Sciences and Mathematics from the “Inventor’s Day 2024” event organized by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation on February 2, 2024.
