Midnight Eclipse Collection By Coleman

We have been adding pieces from the Midnight Eclipse Collection created by Black Hills Gold by Coleman.

We hope you will watch our stores for more listings from this collection to be added soon.

Landstrom's Black Hills Gold & Miss Rodeo America

The perpetual crown worn each year by Miss Rodeo America is the property of Landstrom's Black Hills Gold Creations. A new crown was created in 2000 and was worn for the first time by Miss Rodeo America 2001. This tiara is a duplicate of the two previous crowns, the first of which, is now on display in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The second tiara is now retired at Landstrom's headquarters in Rapid City, South Dakota. The crowns are made of Black Hills Gold, Alexandrites, Pearls and other precious stones and have been made available to the Miss Rodeo America Pageant each year since 1965.

In 2001, Landstrom's increased it's support to MRAI by providing financial assistance to pageant activities and presenting the reigning Miss Rodeo America a beautiful collection of Original Black Hills Gold Jewelry to compliment the tiara.

Maegan Ridley of Alta Loma, California, is Miss Rodeo America 2009

THE PAGENT - The annual Miss Rodeo America Pageant hosts beautiful and talented cowgirls from across the country. These hopefuls – having already spent a year as reigning queen for their representative states – converge for a weeklong competition in late November/early December to select one deserving young woman to reign as Miss Rodeo America for the coming year.

These energetic cowgirls are judged in the major categories of personality, appearance, horsemanship and rodeo knowledge & presentation, demonstrating her skills in public speaking, personal interviewing, horsemanship, knowledge of rodeo and general equine science, current event awareness, photogenic qualities, visual poise, and overall professionalism.

Click here to go to the Miss Rodeo America website.

About Landstrom's® Original Black Hills Gold Creations

1874 South Dakota Gold Rush
Horatio N. Ross, a scout for General George Armstrong Custer, discovered gold along French Creek in the central Black Hills.

1876
Inspiration for the Black Hills Gold grape and leaf designs in three colors of gold is credited to a prospector/goldsmith named Henri LeBeau. These designs probably began in the mining towns of California during its Gold Rush days in 1849 and worked their way through the mining camps in Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Colorado. Henri LeBeau brought these designs from Montana to South Dakota in 1876, when he opened up a shop in Central City.

Central City and Deadwood grew out of the Wild West era of prospectors, saloons and legendary figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

1878
Henri LeBeau trains S.T. Butler, who starts a jewelry manufacturing store and produced Black Hills Gold jewelry with his son, George M. Butler in Deadwood.

1900's
Clarence Thorpe, nephew of George - grandson to S.T. Butler, takes over business.

1919
Clarence Thrope sells his business to his brother, Frank Thorpe. Frank forms a partnership with Ed. "E.O." Lampinen under the name F.L. Thorpe Company. Frank and Ed dissolve their partnership and divide the original molds and dies between them. Frank continues F.L. Thorpe Co. Ed buys George Butler's tools and equipment and founds the Black Hills Jewelry Manufacturing Company.

1944
Ivan Landstrom buys Black Hills Jewelry Manufacturing Company from Lampinen and moves to Rapid City. Lampinen stays on staff to train employees in the traditional methods of creating Black Hills Gold Jewelry.

1981
Black Hills Gold jewelry features grape leaves, clusters and vines in tri-colored gold. By Federal mandate, this style of jewelry must be manufactured in the Black Hills of South Dakota in order to be described as "Black Hills Gold Jewelry".

1995
Landstrom's bought the F.L. Thorpe Company of Deadwood making Landstrom's the sole owner of all the original Black Hills Gold designs.

2006
Landstrom's passes on to Constance Landstrom Drew's daughter and son. Landstrom's continues to be dedicated to handcraftsmanship and to maintaining the highest standards in the Black Hills Gold industry.

Our Products Are USA Made, An Important Factor!

All of our Black Hills Gold jewelry and our Shady Brady hats are made in the USA.

This is very important to all US citizens considering the current economy.

We have been watching US taxpayer money being paid out on the "Cash for Clunkers" program and are totally shocked.

With the recent problems in the US auto industry, you would think our government would have made it mandatory for those cashing in on this program to buy their cars from American manufacturers. While it is true that many components in newer cars are made overseas, the cars are built in the US which creates jobs for Americans.

Watching these people cash in and drive away with Hondas, Toyotas and other foreign models just doesn't seem right. Those same buyers should have been purchasing from Ford, GM and the other US manufacturers, especially since it is US taxpayer money funding this program.

Americans need to help themselves by buying products made in the USA. In doing so, they will not only help themselves but they will also help all of us suffering through the recent "downturn" in the economy. We need to buy American products to create jobs that will continue to feed our economy and our families as well.

While the prices may be lower for imports, think about the sweat shops you may be supporting. Also, the quality of the items will never compare to the wonderful products we can purchase right here at home.

Here is a site that has a built in search engine to help us find American made products: http://www.madeinusa.org/nav.cgi?info/whybuy. It also contains great arguments for buying American products.

Please do your part to build a better America and buy USA Made products!

About Black Hills Gold Jewelry Products

Rings:
Almost all of them are 10K yellow gold with the BHG design on them. That is 10 and 12K solid gold. (Some wedding rings are 14K and 18K gold.) Those that are BHG on sterling silver have sterling silver shanks.


Pendants:
The BHG design usually lies on 10K gold unless the pendant is quite large and not very expensive. Gold is so high, that this is a dead giveaway. The chains are usually 14K gold filled unless otherwise specified. Once again, BHG on sterling silver comes on sterling silver chains and have a sterling silver base.

Lockets:
The BHG design usually lies on gold plated or gold filled base metal. If it is not indicated in a listing, please check what category it is listed in.

Earrings:
The posts, backs and wires are 14K yellow gold. The design is most always 10K yellow gold with the 12K BHG gold design on it. BHG on sterling earrings have stainless steel posts and backs or wires. The base of the earrings are sterling silver. The accents, grapevines and clusters are always 10K yellow gold.

Money Clips:
Usually are gold plated or gold filled base metal with the BHG design on them of 10K gold grapes and vines and 12K gold leaves. Some are created with a baked on black powder over the original base.

Watches:
They vary and usually have additional info about the bezels, bands and etc. within the description.

Our Black Hills Gold On Silver Products All of our silver is sterling silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver (.925) metal. This standard is used to assure consistent quality among sterling products.

Silver that is not "sterling" or ".925" has less pure silver content and will often be darker in color and less shiny. Sterling is 92.5% pure instead of 100% pure in order to achieve the requisite hardness and stability to resist wear and tear, and hold its shape.

When it is BHG on Sterling, it is pretty obvious which parts are gold. It is usually the leaves and they are 12K gold.

Black Hills Gold Legend

Black Hills Gold Legend

According to legend, the Black Hills Gold design was created by French goldsmith, Henri Lebeau. Many years ago, the young Frenchman designed and made jewelry in Paris. After he perfected his method, he came to America. During the 1870's Gold Rush, he decided to go to California and make his fortune.

When he reached the rugged Black Hills of South Dakota, he became lost. He wandered for days without food and water. Lebeau fell asleep and had a dream of a mountain stream with grapevines growing on the banks.

Upon awakening, he walked over a rise and found the stream and grapevines just as he had dreamed and out of gratitude, he dedicated his life and talents to creating jewelry in the shapes of grape clusters and leaves fashioned in rose, green and yellow gold.

The Legend also has it that good luck comes to all who wear Black Hills Gold Jewelry!

More Than Grapes, Vines And Leaves!

The traditional design of Black Hills Gold is 12K pink and green gold leaves, 10K yellow gold grapevines and grape clusters.

Today, while keeping with tradition to some extent, there are new designs that keep Black Hills Gold exciting.

You will find roses, daisies, dolphins, dragonflies, butterlies, turtles and other interesting nature inspired designs.

In keeping with the heritage of South Dakota, you will also find desings that are inspired by the Dakota and Lakota people. This can range from feathers to dream catchers. All of which are highly detailed.

There are also many beautiful inspirational designs to chose from. Some incorporate roses and other features, creating beautifully dramatic effects.

Over the years, sterling silver was introduced. It makes Black Hills Gold more affordable, it appeals to those who prefer the silver color over gold and it adds a whole new look to the designs. Now, more people than ever before, adorn themselves with this lovely jewelry.

Black Hills Gold really is more than grapes, vines and leaves!

Creating Black Hills Gold

The creation process of Black Hills Gold jewelry begins with pure 24K gold.

It is alloyed with other metals for durability.

Gold and silver alloys with a small amount of copper tend to be 12K green gold.

Gold and copper tend to be 12K rose in color (some call it pink).

The traditional pink and green color gold used for leaves is created and the bars are prepared for rolling.

The alloyed gold bars are rolled by presses to different degrees of thickness for the various pieces of jewlery they are intended to create.

Essential parts are pain stakingly stamped, individually, out of the rolled gold sheets using various patterns and dies.

The gold leaves and other portions of the pattern are added to cast jewelry, which is created by "lost wax casting."

Lost wax casting starts with a metal model of a jewelry piece. A vulcanized rubber mold is made from the metal model. Hot wax is injected into the mold, creating a wax model of the piece.

The wax model is taken from the mold and mounted on a wax stem called a sprue, which creates an airway for casting. Casting plaster is poured around the wax pattern in a steel cylinder.

Once hardened, the cylinder is oven baked for several hours, causing the wax to completely melt away. The cavity left behind provides an exact duplicate of the piece and is filled with molten gold.

The cylinder is then placed in cold water, shattering the plaster, leaving behind only the gold jewelry.

These pieces are then ground and polished before adding the stamped portions.

The stamped portions are individually soldered by hand to the cast with karat gold solder.

The jewelry is then cleaned in a mild acid bath and then it is inspected for quality.

Then, electro-plate is added to the pieces with 24 Karat yellow gold.

(I believe that only one manufacturer adds the electro-plate. Those that do not, still use the wriggling process to create the frosty finish.)

Wriggling, one of the final process, removes the plating from the pink and green leaves, creating a textured or frosty effect.

Each intricate detail of the leaves are engraved by hand for a fabulous finish.

Polishing in several different steps is then done to bring out brilliant shine of the piece.

At this point, if the item has a gemstone, it will be set.

After careful inspection, the piece is ready for the public.

The familiar design is almost the same today as it was a century ago.

Today, each piece of Black Hills Gold Jewelry is manufactured through a series of up to 40 different steps and are necessary to capture the same dramatic detail.

Each tiny leaf or swirl is made with infinite care. The perfection of detail requires that artists spend from one to eight hours creating a single piece.

The exquisitely beautiful tri-color gold jewelry is hand made in Rapid City, South Dakota.