A couple of rings to finish out the week...

2011-12-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

This is a newly finished handmade wide band ring with a scroll and leaf motif in argentium sterling silver and 18k yellow gold, featuring a lovely dark blue/green 7mm tourmaline cushion cabochon. I wanted this ring to have a substantial presence but with a fluid feel, and to feature a stone that inspired introspection and a sense of mystery in honor of the Winter Solstice.

(This ring is available for purchase through my website. Clicking on any of the photos will take you there.)

Having never made a Claddagh ring before and maintaining a soft spot for carved Celtic knotwork, I was thrilled to receive this custom request. The ring is handmade in argentium sterling silver and is accented with a few small black diamonds.

Custom, Handmade Choker for Lovely Blue Flash Moonstones

2011-12-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Completely handcrafted in argentium sterling silver, this custom choker style necklace features a suite of beautiful blue flash moonstones with a diamond accented centerpiece.

Argentium Silver Handmade Locket with Spinel Accent

2011-12-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

This is a sweet little piece freshly finished. It sat on my bench half complete for a week but yesterday was its day! Handcrafted in argentium sterling silver, it features a pierced overlay top with a textured background and a bright pink spinel accent. This is a fairly deep, sturdy little piece measuring about 1" in diameter with a nice weighty feel to it.

2011-12-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

New handmade "Fit for an Elf" artisan necklace and earring set in argentium sterling with 18k yellow gold accents. This necklace features a lovely peachy/pink tourmaline cabochon and a handmade figure eight chain.

The Holiday Season is upon us!

2011-11-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Deliciously Frosty, a new handmade custom creation in argentium sterling silver featuring a stunning 14mm natural blue topaz in a "Snowflake Cut" from Finewater Gems.

Wintry Rose Buds

2011-11-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

This recently completed handmade climbing rose pendant is pierced and carved in argentium sterling silver. The silver work is accented with a few 14k pink gold shot and the drop features a lovely 1.98ct peachy/pink spinel pear set in a pink gold bezel. This is a generously sized pendant at 1.5" wide x 2.5" long with the bail and drop, not too large, but substantial enough to have a nice presence.

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Not Your Grandmother's Sterling, The Argentium Experience

2011-11-13T06:54:00.001-08:00

Argentium Silver Trillium Set with Swiss Blue Topaz

Long before the price of gold skyrocketed, I've had a personal preference for silver as a creative medium. The lovely cool luster,versatility and affordability of silver have always provided me with the perfect canvas for artistic expression and practical jewelry application. Working in traditional sterling has come with its challenges though, particularly preventing and eliminating firestain. Firestain, or “firescale” is the layer of copper oxide that builds up just below the surface during multiple soldering operations or with frequent annealing. It is tedious to remove and involves time consuming buffing, depletion gilding, strong acid “pickle” solutions or rhodium plating. Preferring bench fabrication and forging over casting, as well as aiming to keep my studio as small and as chemically free as possible, argentium silver has provided the ultimate solution to the firestain problem. Because of this I was instantly smitten with argentium after the first couple of test runs but soon discovered there were a plethora of advantages to this new alloy for both me and my customers.

Two years ago I received a request for a suite of intricate silver pieces, but the customer expressed concern over the potential tarnishing of hard to reach areas and the required upkeep to prevent it. This sent me searching for alternative alloys within a similar price range, which led to me to argentium silver, an alloy of fine silver, germanium and copper. Though even fine silver on its own will tarnish under the right conditions, it's the presence of copper that causes rapid and dark tarnishing of sterling silver. Argentium's lower copper content and the characteristics of germanium are what facilitate the tarnish resistant qualities of this alloy. Germanium oxides form a protective layer on the surface of the piece that inhibits the formation of copper oxides, keeping jewelry cleaner and brighter far longer than traditional sterling silver jewelry.

Argentium Silver Pendant with Rhodolite and Citrine.

For me, argentium has proven itself time and time again at the bench with the elimination of firescale, the ability to heat treat for durability, and the ease of joining by fusion instead of soldering. In the end though, it all comes down to how the client feels about their purchase. I decided to check in with several previous clients for updates on the condition of their argentium sterling pieces. The focus of these interviews are custom clients, since custom work even in silver can sometimes be a considerable investment in time and money. Argentium also contains a higher fine silver content than traditional sterling (.935 vs .925), which contributes to a slightly higher cost when working in this alloy. Additionally, I was interested in hearing if after owning their pieces for a while, clients still felt the benefits of the alloy outweighed the higher cost of this sterling silver.

The first client to have pieces made in argentium was, by far, the most surprising feedback I received due to the length of time that has passed.

KH, of North Carolina says, “I've worn this suite of jewelry about once a month for the last two years and though I've never polished them, they are still as bright and shiny as when I first received them. They aren't showing any signs of wear either, not even scratches on the underside of the ring where you'd expect to see wear.”

She goes on to say,”I've never really liked silver jewelry but I think the argentium pieces are brighter and prettier than regular sterling and I think the slightly higher cost of this silver is absolutely worth it. I would only buy more silver jewelry if it was made with argentium.”

Argentium Silver Palmate Scroll Motif with Rhodolite Garnet

Granted, when it comes to durability, some people are harder on their jewelry than others and when exposed to salt water, chemicals in perfumes, hot tubs, etc. argentium, like any other silver, can react by tarnishing. Argentium is not completely care free but when worn with a bit of awareness and a little respect for the limitations of the material, it seems that it will indeed live up to its reputation for tarnish resistance and durability.

Argentium's natural beauty and durability make many chemically based finishing processes unnecessary. For this reason, argentium has also gained a reputation for being an “environmentally friendly” material to work with. In addition to feedback on the aesthetics of argentium, I also asked clients if this was a contributing factor in their purchase.

A glowing review from C in New Mexico, “I love it (argentium), and would actively seek it out if I were planning more silver jewelry. It is durable, holds its finish, and the color is a perfect neutral foil for whatever color gemstone is set in it. I have not had to polish either the ring, or any of the earrings, which is amazing considering how often I wear them. The ring shows no scuffs or scratches even on the palm side of the shank, which has to be a first for me when it comes to silver rings. The environmental aspects of argentium are certainly a plus in my book, and that, in addition to the appearance and durability I have experienced, more than justifies the minor price considerations. In other words, I'm a very happy consumer!”

The response I received from clients to my queries on the quality, care, value and Eco-friendliness of argentium was pretty much the same across the board.

LK from California says, “I wear the ring often and when I went to polish with the specialized cloth, nothing came off! The few sterling pieces I have require a lot of polishing, whether worn or sitting in my jewelry box...and they never fail to leave residue on my skin if worn for any length of time. The other observation I have is that the ring seems rather scratch resistant. I am not always easy on my rings and sterling rings readily show that. I definitely think that it is worth the added cost for a more durable alloy that requires much less maintenance. The environmentally friendly aspect is an added bonus. It may not be the reason I own a ring made of argentium silver but it certainly makes it much more attractive.”

Argentium Silver "Dots and Drops" Handcrafted Earrings

I asked another client who commissioned custom art jewelry as gifts for the same feedback on aesthetics, durability and care requirements of argentium and he says, “We've been very pleased in this regard. She hasn't had to do much of anything with her necklace in terms of care/maintenance, despite wearing it quite often. Both recipients have been very pleased with the aesthetics. Until you mentioned it during our discussions, I actually didn't know about the Eco-friendly aspect. It did make me feel good about my purchase though, especially given that you can do something positive for the environment WITHOUT compromising on quality.”

There are many more comments that I would like to include, but to sum it up, the feedback from clients in regard to their experiences with argentium silver was overwhelmingly positive. The sometimes less than desirable characteristics of traditional sterling that would have discouraged many customers from purchasing silver jewelry or investing in custom silver creations, have significantly diminished with this new sterling alloy.

Through argentium sterling, my love of working in silver has increased exponentially and many of my clients are discovering a new appreciation for its quiet dignity and subtle yet crisp presence. From this perspective, silver is not the new gold, it is a material to be celebrated for its own unique beauty and argentium provides the perfect avenue by which the finest characteristics of silver can come forward and shine.

Argentium Silver Pendant with Tourmaline and Diamonds

Awesome Aquamarine

2011-11-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Precision cut Aquamarine from JL White in handmade custom 14k palladium white and rose gold ring setting.

Precision cut Aquamarine from JL White in handmade 14k Palladium white gold setting designed by JKT and LK.

Welcome!

2011-11-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Handcrafted "Climbing Rose" brooch in argentium sterling with garnet pear and diamond accents.

Upcoming article: 'Not Your Grandmother's Sterling, The Argentium Experience' A summary of my personal experience creating with this lovely silver alloy, including Argentium Silver reviews from several custom jewelry clients.

Handcrafted argentium Victorian style necklace with rainbow moonstone.


Lovely Luna in argentium silver and 18k gold with gray moonstone, iolite and rhodolite cabs.

Julia Kay Taylor Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry