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Inside Berg's Gold Strike

Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold Story

You have just purchased a carefully handcrafted item of extraordinary beauty and quality! Every jewelry6 creation is handcrafted by skilled artisans and is guaranteed against any defects in workmanship or quality.

Black Hills Gold jewelry first appeared over 100 years ago after the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876. The yellow gold grape and leaf designs in shades of pink and green gold make Black Hills Gold unique. The colors are achieved by alloying the gold with silver to produce green, and copper to produce pink. The tri-colored look is popular not only because of its beauty, but also because of its beauty, but also because it coordinates well with other jewelry.
Your Black Hills Gold was crafted in the most modern jewelry manufacturing company in the Midwest, Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold! The new building includes a gem lab, design studio, and many specialized departments where skilled artisans work to perfect each handcrafted jewelry design. "Heads Above the Rest" in Black Hills Gold innovations. Mt. Rushmore Black Hills Gold was the first to introduce Black Hills Gold and Silver.

Jhon A. Nye

This man is the one that is recognized by every one of the pioneers of this country , as well as Colorado and many other of the different mining camps of the Pacific slop. It is a name that is synonymous with energy, enterprise and fair dealing, and all men who know John Nye, know him for a man that nothing can discourage. Amongst the first to come to Deadwood, and since that time he has been identified with Deadwood, first, last and all the time. At the end of the great Deadwood fire his entire means were invested into the city and buildings of Deadwood, SD, that without a dollar of insurance, went up in smoke. At the time he was in the east on a visit, and supposed that his days of trial was over and he could retire from the active pursuits of business life, and spent the remainder of his days in affluence, quietness and peace.

The never to be forgotten 26th of September came and dispelled the illusion and when he next returned to Deadwood he was greeted by piles of charred debris. He went back to work to reclaim his fortune, restoring all the buildings in Deadwood. The lot on the corner of Gold and Main Street, that at the time of the fire was covered with a two story frame building, was the last one on which he started to rebuild, and on that lot he is erecting the finest building in the city of Deadwood.25x100 Feet, two stories, on a twelve foot basement, that is so high and so well lighted from the Gold Street side, that it would be the first basement ever built in Deadwood that could be used for business purposes. The building had arrived at the point to set the corner stone, everyone in Deadwood came to see John Nye lay his corner stone. Under the corner stone was laid every newspaper from that time, along with John Nye's autobiography with an early history of Deadwood.

Deadwood Berg Jewelry

Our building was the site of the first commercial building in Deadwood, constructed in 1876 by Isaac Brown and Craven Lee. The lot was later acquired by John Nye, an early Deadwood pioneer, who had several buildings on Main St. Deadwood, SD. Our Current Building was constructed in 1880. The corner stone was laid at 5:00 p.m. July 17th of that year, the first corner stone ceremony held in Deadwood. The storefront was occupied by a dry goods store. The second floor served as Deadwood first real opera house with a saloon conveniently located in the basement. The opening show was the comedy, "Our Boys." The building also housed an early bowling ally and Charles Karcher's shoe store. Gus Keller's meat market was here for many years. The pink store front was the result of a 1940's remodeling for Deadwood's Sederstrom's Restaurant. The second story served as a one of the first Deadwood photographer' studio after the opera house closed. A large window was cut into the second story wall to improve light in the studio in 1883. Although since filled in, the location of the window can still be seen along Gold Street.

Cleaning and care

To keep your jewelry clean, simply take a stiff brush, warm water with a mild solution of sudsy ammonia and gently scrub. Rinse in warm water and dry with soft cloth.

Some chemicals found in certain shampoos, cosmetics and the human body may react unfavorably with the metals of the jewelry. Proper cleaning should remedy discoloration.

Many good professional or home methods for cleaning jewelry are available. We recommend a simple low cost method to clean your jewelry. Use a small stiff brush and a mild solution of ammonia and warm water. Soak the brush in this solution and holding the jewelry as not to immerse it, work the cleaning solution over the entire piece. Take special care to clean the small openings and ridges. A clean dry, soft cloth should be used to dry the jewelry.

A little extra care will ensure the beauty of your investment for many years.

Cultured pearls and opals are extremely beautiful, but fragile. Many dishwashing soaps, acids, vinegars, and normal household chemicals may dull or damage their natural beauty.

Immersing your pearl in solutions may cause the bonding material holding the pearl or opal will dissolve. Thus, the pearl or opal may become detached and be lost. We do not recommend pearls or opals be worn when the jewelry may be subjected to any cleaning or solvent agents. Please take the time to remove your jewelry so these substances can not damage the pearl or opal.

Factory Tour

Every new design begins with detailed sketches, and the handcrafting of a master wax model by skilled artisans. Next, a silver model and production models are created. A sturdy rubber mold is then made which allows for the reproduction of the design many times over. Each rubber mold is pressure injected with hot molten wax. Cooled wax designs are fused to a tree which is placed in a stainless steel can. Liquid plaster of Paris is poured into the cans, surrounding the wax trees. After the plaster is set, the cans are stacked in a kiln for an overnight burnout cycle where the plaster hardens and the wax is completely melted. Hence, this type of burnout is termed, "the lost wax process."

Next, the cavities in the plaster, left by the melted wax, are carefully filled with a mixture of melted gold and alloy. When the gold cools and the cast gold designs are cut from each tree. These jewelry designs are then "tumbled" for an initial polishing. Component leaves are "wriggled" in a special technique to create a frosty finish and engraved with cuts to add a shimmering look. Leaves, grapes and other "findings" or jewelry element are then soldered to the cast designs in a soldering oven. Once all of the gold components are soldered to the cast designs in a soldering oven. Once all of the gold components are soldered in place, the jewelry is tumbled again for additional polishing.

Time is then spent polishing and buffing stages using a buffing wheel. Applying a gray rouge to the wheel to buff out ruff edges. Then a red rouge is used in the "final polishing" stage, which makes the gold smooth to the eye and touch. Each piece is then cleaned and coated with a solution to preserve its beauty for a lifetime.

Gold Rings Gold Pendants Gold Earrings Silver Rings Silver Pendants Silver Earrings Watches Bracelets Wedding Rings

The hand engraving process or "frosty" finish of your Black Hills Gold will pick up soil and grime. If allowed to stay soiled, it will become discolored and will tarnish.

Black Hills Gold History

Black Hills Gold jewelry first appeared over 100 years ago after the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876. The yellow gold grape and leaf designs in shades of pink and green gold make Black Hills Gold unique. The colors are achieved by alloying the gold with silver to produce green, and copper to produce pink. The tri-colored look is popular not only because of its beauty, but also because of its beauty, but also because it coordinates well with other jewelry.