Keum Boo (금부 — "gold attached") is an ancient Korean metalsmithing technique with over a thousand years of history. No solder, no adhesive — only heat and pressure, fusing pure gold leaf to fine silver at a molecular level.
The principle is diffusion bonding: at the right temperature (around 260–370°C), gold molecules migrate into silver's crystalline structure until the two metals become one. Inside the studio, it's less science, more conversation — we watch the silver's colour, feel the pressure, and stop at exactly the right moment.
Keum Boo Is Not Gold Plating
Gold-plated jewellery deposits a thin layer onto base metal. With wear, it fades.
Keum Boo is different:
9999 pure gold leaf — real gold, not a plating solution
A true metallic bond — it cannot peel or flake
The warm, natural lustre of actual gold
Every piece entirely one of a kind
How Is It Made?
Forge → Anneal → Pickle → Bring fine silver to surface → Repeat 3–5 times until pure white → Heat → Place gold leaf → Press and fuse → Trim → Polish
Each cycle of annealing and pickling tests your patience. The bonding itself tests your instinct — no instrument tells you when the temperature is just right. Only time, touch, and the eye.
This is why every Keum Boo piece carries the temperature of the hands that made it.
Over The Light : Our Keum Boo Ring
At in the mountains, Keum Boo is shaped around one image from Taiwan's mountains — the ridge. The line where two faces meet. Where sunlight catches, and a thin thread of gold appears along the edge.
A soft cloth for everyday cleaning. Avoid abrasives, strong acids, and ultrasonic baths. Natural wear on the edges over time is normal — it's the mark of something handmade being lived in.
FAQ
Will the gold fade? It won't peel. Avoid hard impacts. Over time, oxidation gives the gold a deeper, more settled tone — less bright, more present.
Is this made by a Taiwanese designer? Yes. in the mountains is an independent Taiwanese jewellery brand, at Huashan 1914 in Taipei and Yǒuài Street in Tainan.
