How Much Is Black Hills Gold Worth?

Gold is gold. Whether it comes from the Black Hills, or you mined in South Africa, gold holds the same value.

However, humans can be subjectively persuaded that gold from one area is “worth” more than gold collected from elsewhere, and may pay more as a result.

The fact that marketing may succeed in persuading individuals to pay more does not impact the overall “worth” of gold from a specific location.

How Much Is Black Hills Gold Worth? (EXPLAINED)

You can learn the price of this moment by visiting Apmex.

Black Hills gold holds the same value as gold from any other source.

Now that we’ve solved that confusion, let’s look at why it might have developed.

What Is Black Hills Gold?

In 1876 and 1877, a gold rush occurred in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.

Although gold mining continued in the region into the late 20th century, most gold stores in the area have been depleted.

During that same period, a French jewelry designer and goldsmith, Henri LeBeau, created a line of jewelry called the Black Hills Gold collection.

Today, that name receives court protection.

The state supreme court of South Dakota handed down a ruling in 1980 that only gold jewelry genuinely created and crafted in the Black Hills area of South Dakota can bear that name.

LeBeau’s Black Hills Gold Creations

Many jewelry companies create this type of jewelry.

It shares common traits with LeBeau’s original creations, including:

Elements of yellow, white, and rose gold,
Leaf or flower designs,
Animal designs,
10K to 14K gold.

LeBeau’s early works included leaf motifs.

All other works grew out of these designs.

His pieces contained actual Black Hills gold, but today’s designs do not have to do so.

Their jeweler crafting house must be located in the Black Hills region but can use gold from any location.

History of Black Hills Jewelry

Black Hills jewelry refers to any piece that was created from 1876 to the present.

While a bar of gold from that region holds the same value as a bar of gold from any other location, pieces of jewelry can vary in value.

If you ever watched the Antiques Road Show on PBS, you know that the age of an item can add to its value.

If you own a ring crafted by LeBeau in 1877, that holds a higher value than a Black Hills gold ring crafted in 2020.

The quality of gold also contributes to its value.

If the mix of metals to create the rose and yellow gold sways it in the direction of the less precious metals, then the piece loses value.

If the ring contains a significant amount of 24K, it rises in value. The components of the jewelry matter.

Black Hills Gold jewelry containing gemstones increases the value of the ring or necklace or other jewelry items.

Diamonds increase in value the greatest amount, followed by rubies and sapphires.

Gold blended with copper produces the pink or red color referred to as rose gold.

Iron blended with gold produces green gold.

White gold combines gold and silver.

Other alloys include zinc and platinum.

When gold and silver are naturally mixed in their geologic development, we refer to this as electrum.

A piece of Black Hills Gold must have at least one pure band and one blended band to achieve the required design.

Jewelry as an Investment

When you purchase jewelry as an investment, consider the quality of all of the materials foremost.

The designer also contributes to its value by their name and the reputation of their design house.

A wise investment includes a piece with all of the raw materials’ pedigree documented.

You need to consider more than gold when purchasing jewelry.

Most Black Hills Jewelry contains gems.

The value of an investment piece relies on its materials, so with respect to gems, especially diamonds, those of a carat weight more than one carat typically hold value better than those of a smaller size.

Of course, all of the four Cs matter — carat, cut, color, and clarity.

Choose a classic cut, such as round or oval.

Trendy shapes won’t hold value.

If you have a choice between carat weight, and clarity, and color, go with a higher quality stone with respect to the two latter criteria.

This raises the value.

The higher the karat of gold, the better the long-term value of the jewelry.

Look for Black Hills Gold jewelry that uses 14 to 18 karat gold.

You won’t find Black Hills Gold jewelry that uses 24 karat gold because that would mean the gold is pure.

The inherent design of Black Hills Gold jewelry requires it to include yellow, rose, and either green or white gold.

Each of the latter three must blend a secondary metal with gold to create the color.

Blended Gold

Very few gold jewelry pieces use 24 karat or pure gold.

Gold provides a malleable substance that easily blends with less precious metals, but in its pure form dents easily.

For this reason, it typically gets blended with some metal to form a stronger piece.

If you want to wear the investment jewelry, rather than stick it under glass to look at, you should choose 14 or 18 karat gold.

Typically, 10 karat gold does not hold value as well.

This workmanship also contributes to its value.

A bespoke piece does not need to carry the name of a famous designer to hold value.

As long as the designer used great care in the crafting of the jewelry, the investment piece will hold value.

You can easily ensure a piece holds value by purchasing respected names such as Rolex, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., or Patek Philippe.

Finding a venerable purveyor of Black Hills Gold that has remained in business for more than a century can provide a better investment than a newer company.

If you simply want a pretty ring to wear that uses all three of the main shades of gold, you can shop nearly everywhere.

However, if you want the piece to retain and increase in value, find an old-school, respected craftsman.

Buying an original LeBeau guarantees you purchased the real thing and won’t lose value.

While it won’t add to your resale value, even when purchasing investment jewelry, you should pick a piece that provides meaning to you.

The statement it makes to you will raise its inherent everyday value.

Black Hills Gold and other gold share the same valuation.

If you purchased a bar of gold mined in the Black Hills, it would cost the same as a bar of gold from South America.

Only the jewelry made from gold from that area would vary in cost against other gold jewelry pieces.

Want to check the prices of different pieces made with Black Hills Gold? Amazon is actually an ideal place, as many sellers from around the world provide Amazon with inventory.

Here’s a link to an Amazon page with various Black Hills Gold jewelry pieces for you to check out.

As an Amazon affiliate, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.

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