Yeah it took a while to melt the ends together. I think maybe six attempts. I should have punched a hole in the gold bar, then shaped the ring from there.

I know that pure gold is much softer than alloys, but the color is unique and it's not too hard to re-hammer the surface to get rid of scratches.

It depends on how smooth you want the finish to be. A classic smooth or finely textured finish can't be re-hammered that easily, and could not be restored without significant polishing. Jewelers even worry about scratches on their tools creating more work for them. The color of 24k is a little more yellow than 22k, but I would personally rather have more durability. Gold is much heavier than silver or copper as well, so you can make a LOT more jewelry by going to a lower purity like 18k. If you're making thin jewelry, 24k is just too soft. I found out how soft it is the hard way when I dropped a 24k coin about 4 feet and put a solid quarter inch dent in it. That probably knocked $200-300 off its value lol

Ah, that makes sense. I would definitely not do 24k gold for anything with a smooth or regular texture. I was curious how durable my gold ring was, so gave it bit of a torture test. I did some weight lifting with it, grabbed some knurled pull-up bars, etc. I took it to sandy beaches, snorkeling, etc. I deliberately banged it against stuff while I was wearing it. Although it got a few good scratches, the weight was exactly the same afterwards: 24.2 grams. A few minutes with a hammer made it good as new. It seems like the metal is soft, but unlikely to separate from itself.

My condolences about the gold coin. I've made similar mistakes. The most frustrating bit for me isn't the damage itself, but the fact that every time you look at the thing, you're reminded of the time you messed up.