| Black Hills Gold jewelry is an original American art form | | | | gold can be poured into. This creates a casting in 10 |
| created in the 1870's in the Black Hills of South Dakota. | | | | karat gold. |
| The design utilizes leaves, grape clusters and vines, | | | | Beginning with 24 karat* gold bars, alloys of 12 karat |
| made from "pink gold" and "green gold", to surround | | | | gold are rolled into sheets of gold. Leaves and other |
| the main focal point of each piece. The pink color is | | | | component parts are punched out of these gold |
| made by combining gold with copper, and the delicate | | | | sheets and are then individually hand-soldered to the |
| green color is achieved by adding sterling silver with | | | | casted gold frame. Depending on the design, select |
| gold. | | | | pieces of Landstrom's are dipped in liquid 24 karat gold |
| By law, any piece of jewelry bearing the description | | | | to create a bright eye-catching finish. |
| "Black Hills Gold" must be manufactured in the Black | | | | "Wriggling" is a handcrafted finishing method that |
| Hills of South Dakota. | | | | creates the rich frosty depth in Landstrom's leaves. |
| While there are several manufacturers of authentic | | | | The veins of each leaf are then meticulously hand |
| Black Hills Gold jewelry, Landstrom's is the oldest and | | | | engraved to produce unique light-catching prismatic |
| most famous. Landstrom's roots date back to 1878 | | | | cuts. |
| when S.T. Butler, trained by French prospector and | | | | From the first step to the final inspection, each piece of |
| goldsmith Henri LeBeau, opened the first Black Hills | | | | Landstrom's Original Black Hills Gold reflects the skills |
| Gold jewelry manufacturing store with his son, George | | | | of up to 50 different highly trained artisans. |
| M. Butler in Deadwood, South Dakota. In 1919, the | | | | * What's the difference between a Karat and a |
| company was divided into two companies, the F.L. | | | | Carat? |
| Thorpe Company and the Black Hills Jewelry | | | | A Karat is a unit of measure for the fineness of gold, |
| Manufacturing Company. In 1944 Ivan Landstrom | | | | equal to 1/24 of the total amount of pure gold in an |
| bought the Black Hills Jewelry Manufacturing Company | | | | alloy. Thus, 24k is pure gold. A Carat is a unit weight |
| and in 1995 Black Hills Gold history went full circle when | | | | for precious stone, equal to 200 milligrams. |
| Landstrom's acquired the F.L. Thorpe Company | | | | No two pieces of Landstrom's Original Black Hills Gold |
| making Landstrom's the sole owner of all the original | | | | jewelry are alike as each is hand made. Each piece of |
| Black Hills Gold designs. | | | | Landstrom's jewelry reflects great pride in |
| The jewelry-making process (courtesy Landstrom's | | | | craftsmanship by talented artisans with skills taught by |
| ): Each new design begins with a | | | | their predecessors over 100 years ago. Landstrom's |
| two-dimensional drawing and becomes a | | | | has been admired and sought after for over a century. |
| three-dimensional design carved in wax. The wax is | | | | Gypsies traveling through South Dakota in the 1950's |
| surrounded by a plaster-like substance and when | | | | started a legend which says, "To one who wears the |
| heated, the wax melts and leaves a void that molten | | | | Black Hills Gold, good luck and fortune will unfold. |