Cynthia Eid SNAG News Technical Article by Cynthia Eid: Argentium Sterling Silver |
The Society of North American Goldsmiths
TECH NEWS
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THE FUTURE ? Argentium® Sterling Silver has been thoroughly tested. I am sure, however, that small improvements will be made. I was very impressed with the combination of technology and craftsmanship at Stern-Leach when I toured the facility. I observed an incredible amount of money, technology, and time spent on quality control of the metals made there—dimensions, finish, and purity are frequently checked. By the time you read this, research on the ability to bend and form Argentium with lasers will have been presented at the 2005 Santa Fe Symposium by Dr. Sarah Silve, a Research Fellow at Brunel University in England. As a confirmed “hammer-head,” this sounds pretty amazing to me! I intend to do some more experiments with fusing Argentium® Sterling Silver—It seems to me that there are interesting possibilities for fusing sheet— as one does with pewter—for seamless-looking constructions. Could this begin a “renaissance” for silver? I think that the tarnish-resistance will be very attractive to consumers. To me, most recent innovations in jewelry and metalsmithing have involved rather expensive investments, and/or fairly large learning curves (e.g. Laser welding, CAD-CAM, all-in-one casting machines...). I think it is fabulous that this invention has such far-reaching implications of labor and cost-savings, with such little up-front cost to the jeweler. Some Possible Implications that Argentium® Sterling Silver could have for silver jewelry and hollowware makers: • Reduced costs due to:
• The ability to harden Argentium® Sterling makes some designs possible that were not practical in regular sterling silver. Current SOURCES for Argentium® Sterling Silver Argentium Silver Co. is a spinout from Middlesex University. It is based in London, UK. Argentium Silver Co. has partnered with Stern-Leach (a U.S. division of Cookson, which is based in U.K.) to make the alloy available. Argentium® Sterling Silver sheet, wire, solder, tubing, and casting grain are currently being made by Stern-Leach. Stern-Leach’s minimum order size is 100 ounces for sterling silver, 100 dwt. for gold. Smaller quantities may be purchased through Stuller, Rio Grande, Hoover and Strong, and G&S Metals. |
Technical assistance is available via E-mail at
info@argentium silver.com
(which will probably get you an answer from Peter Johns. If he wants another opinion, he may forward it to me or
another artist who works with Argentium® Sterling). You can also ask questions of the Engineering Department at
Stern-Leach by phone 508.222.7400 or e-mail at
argentiuminfo@sternleach.com. I would love to hear about any innovations or discoveries made about Argentium® Sterling Silver and/or its use! (I suspect that I’ll be writing an update in a year or so.) I can be contacted at ceid@cynthiaeid.com. Legal Notice of Disclaimer: Working with metal and tools is potentially hazardous; users must take responsibility. It is each person’s responsibility to use common sense, and appropriate safety precautions. The user is also responsible for his own personal safety and the safety of any others on or about his premises. Professional training is recommended. The author, SNAG, its staff, directors, officers, and SNAG News specifically disclaim any responsibility or liability for any damages or injury resulting from any activity undertaken through use of any information presented in this article. The use of any printed information is solely at the user’s risk. Any and all information is provided without warranty implied or otherwise nor is it warranted for suitability or fitness for any purpose other than to educate and enlighten the user. Bibliography (sources used for the writing of this article) • www.argentiumsilver.com • www.catra.org • www.silversmithing.com • http://www.ajm-magazine.com/features/1204/index.php?page =argentium • http://micro-joining.com/sfsabstracts.html • www.landellflutes.com • www.touchmetal.com/blog/argentium-blog.html • http://onet.tehonetti.fi/kultakeskus_eng/onet/index/CATRA Report Number 956994 • http://www.silverusersassociation.org • The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. • http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Ge • http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/g/ge/germanium.html • http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/m/mo/mobility.html • http://misterguch.brinkster.net/bigdictionary.html • http://www.engineersedge.com/material_science/malleability.htm • http://www.bartleby.com/65/ma/malleabi.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanium • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_gap • http://www.chembook.co.uk/chap5.htm • http://www.knovel.com Conversations with: • Peter Johns, inventor of Argentium® Sterling Silver • Richard Carrano, metallurgist at Stern-Leach • Sam Davis, chemical and mechanical engineer at Stern-Leach • Sean Gilson, Technical Editor of SNAG News ——————————————— 1. My thanks to Jamie Pelissier at pellissiergalleries@mac.com 2. www.twistedelegancejewelry.com 3. http://misterguch.brinkster.net/bigdictionary.html 4. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Languge: Fourth Edition. 2000 5. http://www.worldpokertour.com/index2.php 6. http://www.webelements.com/webelements/element/text/Ge/ key.html |
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This technical article was first published by the Society of North American Goldsmiths in its newsletter, under Tech News. All SNAG members automatically receive the newsletter five times a year. To sign up for membership, go to www.snagmetalsmith.org, or (630) 778-6385.
| Cynthia Eid |
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