Let’s talk about Argentium Silver - thank you
@sinead_cleary_jewelry For imparting your wisdom and experience with this material! 🙏🏻😘 ”Argentium is .935 silver. So a little more than sterling and it has geranium metalliod in it which allows it to fuse and prevents it from tarnishing. But it also has some tricky properties. It can become brittle and even crack if exposed to rapid temperature changes. So you cannot quench it after you solder or fuse. Its melting temp is very close to the flow temp of regular silver hard solder so I recommend purchasing argentium solder or only using medium and easy solder. You also have to be careful using argentium for bezels. The sheet can collapse if it's not fully supported on a block. To fuse Argentium it's just like fusing fine silver or gold. You have to get it hot enough that it's just below its melting point. You'll see it start to glow. For people just learning how to fuse I recommend a big bushy flame as it's easy to melt your piece when trying to fuse. Argentium also balls up really nicely. I think it's better than fine silver.” This gorgeous cuff is Argentium and be sure to swipe to see a little video of Sinead fusing some Argentium wire! We would love to hear everyone’s thoughts, experiences and questions! 💕
#argentiumsilver #argentiumjewelery #fusingsilver #fusingmetal #benchjeweler #metalsmithsociety
