Micron,
Do you think that $1,250.00 is a decent asking price for that Emerson listed on my page?

Kara,

Just wanted to mention that I love those crowns..

Joe B

Ahh... thank you!

Kara,

I just sold an Emerson 88B on Ebay for $1200.00. The one I sold didn't have any plating or engraving so I'm sure you'll find a buyer. The one I sold was a pretty nice flute actually.

Thanks Tim,
Did you put it as a buy it now or an auction? If it was an auction did you have a reserve? Thanks for your help.

I listed it as an auction starting at $1200.00. I didn't include a reserve or buy it now since Ebay charges for that. Even though it sold for the initial price, it still sold.

I recently bought my van that way off of Ebay!!! I can't believe it did it , it is so out of character for me, since it is not a traditional way to buy a vehicle.
If I knew how to upload pictures, I'd attach one. Had to buy a new van......no new flute for me.

Yes, Lera that is me.

Micron,
I have not encountered any problems with it myself. The gold I put on the lip plate, I can assure you is as thick as the silver plating underneath on the flute. I do offer to any of my buyers that if the gold starts to wear or come off, I will re plate it for free. I do make it be known. It adds value to beginner to intermediate brands, but decreases the value of a top of the line professional flute.

Why do I gold plate? I gold the lip plate because so many of my student have come up with allergies to silver and that is how I came about gold plating myself. For some reason a lot of the upper class professional flutist have a big problem with this. They act like it is a huge sin or something and that I am trying to actually rip off customers, which is certainly never my intention. Not everyone can afford a solid gold lip plate and I don't think they understand this. I think that it is beautiful cosmetically and nice for allergies. I have an allergy to silver myself.

So I don't feel bad at all for making my flutes beautiful. (Even if not everyone sees them as such.) It is not a marketing ploy, it is just art to me that I simply love to do.

I agree with Kara on the gold plating. I have a slight silver allergy and, without the gold plating on my mouthplate and keys, I could have a bad reaction, what with all the practice I do! (Which might not be the best for me in the first place! )
I don't see why gold plating would detract from the flute's actual value, whether beginner or advanced... It would only be natural, I suppose, for an advanced flute to have solid gold plates. Small dogs can't gulp a big bone, I suppose! But, the gold is harmless if it is used to prevent physical reactions to other metal, right? Sometimes it shouldn't be about the cost or the value. I can see where you are coming from, Micron, and how vanity can be taken to the extreme, causing the price to lower because it looks fake, but gold plating for medical reasons isn't bad!
(Tell me if I am going in the wrong direction on this...)

Thank you Celebrian ofr you input.

Also, thanks for catching that Andrew. I don't always put the word flute in my titles, so mabye that will help. I didn't think much about that. I changed it.

Micron,
You assume too much. You don't know what I do or what process I use, which frankly I don't see it to be much of your business. I have been plating for many years with beautiful results and no complaints and I am happy with it and so are my customers. You make it sound like I am doing a disservice to people when I am only trying to help. I know what it was like growing up having the allergy to silver and trying to play the flute. I don't ever recall me picking apart how you choose to do repairs even if I simply do not agree with it.

I do not wish to argue, as I had said my part. I do appreciate you concern, but I will run my business as I see fit.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???

Hi everyone, I've been looking at your posts for a while and, all this talk about gold plating has peaked my interest. So, I have observered the "two-minute" rule and, now I'd like to get in on the conversation.
I have a couple of questions and observations about gold plating. First, I have to agree that gold is soft. It is so soft in fact that it is the only metal that (in pure form) you can rub two wires of it together at the ends and weld it together at ambient temperature.
I know that gold barely reacts with anything except a few exotic acids. This makes it an ideal surface barrier to silver where hypoallergenic concerns are manifested. I know that there many people out there that cannot wear silver jewelery (especially women with sensitive skin). The same would be true for silver or, silver plated flutes. Some people will have mild but, irratating localized skin reactions. Gold plating or electronic bonding of gold (Au) to silver (Ag) is ideal since gold and silver are related metals chemically (they have simular electron shells). Gold is often alloyed with silver because it can be.
I have a couple of questions with what I have seen on these posts. First, How do instrument techs that work on flutes know that gold plating (an eletronic bond of Ag to Au) is pourous? Do flute techs have eletron microscopes to see these pours because that is what you need. In fact, it is no more pourous than any other metallic surface under the microscope. All materials are pourous when examined at this level. Second, I thought that the pitting of silver is an oxydation reaction (silver's affinity to oxygen) How does oxygen get trapped under gold plating by means of mild organinc acids from human contact to cause pitting? Would it not attributted to impurities in the silver alloy itself? Thank-you all for thoughts on this matter.

I don't think Micron is trying to pick on anyone. He is questioning the person here who commonly talks about gold plating instruments and asking what results she has seen. I believe he said in his first post it was not a personal attack, and I see at no point where he attacked any businesses practices. He posed a question from one tech to another in a manner of someone who is seeking to learn.

Now, I recall the very first flute I owned was a nickel plated Artley. When I think back on it, there were some odd wear marks on the embouchere plate. They kind of fit in to the dimpling type of effect Micron is mentioning. Is that possibly the same thing?

As far as gold being soft, anyone who has worn a gold ring for a long time can prove that the metal will shape to your finger if the band is somewhat thin. My engagement ring from my wedding set has a thinner band and has reshaped over time, whereas my actual wedding band has not lost the perfectly round shape. I also pulled off a necklace that I wear on a daily basis and has not left my neck in 6 years. (As a sidenote, I can only wear precious metals because my skin will eat any imposter who tries to adorn my body. I have very oily skin) It is a combo of white and yellow gold fused into a certain design. I looked all along the the "joints" of where the two golds are fused together and saw none of the pitting. Could this be because both are made of a type of gold? Who knows?

My personal opinion on goldplating is that it is for cosmetic purposes only, as the lip plate can be covered with other less permanent materials if allergies are an issue. I would not pay more for gold plating, but I would not begrudge someone for having it on their instrument either, unless I saw pictures of damage caused by having the plating.

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I know that gold barely reacts with anything except a few exotic acids.

What are you defining as a "reaction"? Put some foundation make up on your face and run a piece of gold jewelry on it. There will be a clear reaction of the gold to the make up. That is where flute players get the black chin from if they wear make up when they play. Silver and Gold will react to the chemicals in make up.

I totally understand what you are saying, Micron, and I am in no way trying to contradict what you had said. I do agree that the "patchyness" is frusterating and not at all attractive and that pitting is not such a good thing! Don't worry! I am not trying to fight! I fully respect you, Micron, but I do have to agree to disagree with you that gold plating is, in general, a better thing than plain silver. This is slightly biased because I rely on gold plating to keep me safe from reaction to silver!