Metals…. more than meets the eye…

Rich, glowing, matte, brushed, silver, gold, patina, etc…..metals are the foundation of my work as well as the compliment…

I thought I would take some time to go into detail about the metals I use in my work…. before delving into this arena, I had not even heard of some of them!

Sterling Silver- This is the metal used most often in my work, especially in my chains (stay tuned for next week’s entry when I explain just HOW I make my chains!).  It is composed of 92.5% pure silver and the remaining amount of base metal (usually copper).  This metal is easy to work with and is fairly strong due to the mixture of the base metal. 

Fine Silver- 99.9% pure silver or more is considered to be Fine Silver. This pure form of silver has a bit more depth and richness to it’s appearance, but is more difficult to work with at times as it has less tensile strength than does Sterling Silver. I will use this metal for accents, in my glass beads and glass fused pieces, as well as in the form of PMC (see below).

PMC- or “Precious Metal Clay”- This is a mixture of fine particles of pure silver suspended in an organic clay suspension that gives it the ability to be sculpted like ordinary clay, but when fired in a kiln or flame, burning off the binders and clay, leaves just the sculpted piece in pure Fine Silver. Any of my work that is described as “sculpted in fine silver” refers to my use of this material. This new product allows an extreme amount of detail to easily be sculpted into original jewelry pieces that are as unique as each of us.

Gold-Filled- Most people understand what Karat Gold is. The number preceding referring to the amount of pure gold in the piece. Gold-filled is a different type…. it is a process that permanently bonds a heavy amount of gold to a base metal core. Gold filled is a permanent bond, unlike plating which is notorious for flaking and peeling over a relatively short period of time. Gold-filled metal will generally wear as long and as good as solid Karat Gold as the bonded gold surface would need to literally wear off before revealing the inner core metal. This metal tends to be not only more economical than solid Karat gold, but because of its make-up and ability to wear long and well, is also a stronger material overall in many applications than a solid Karat gold. I generally use 1/20 14K Gold filled wire when a touch of Gold is needed. This means that 1/20 of the total make-up of the wire is 14KGold permanently bonded to the core. (While I am always happy to do custom chain work in solid Karat gold, Sterling silver and Gold-filled are my usual choice of metal).

Copper- Aw..come on …..we all know Copper! Over the last few years there had been much a buzz about the healing properties of copper. Now, I certainly couldn’t even begin to determine if that is true or not, but I simply find that the earthly richness of the metal along with its unique ability to patina over time to even richer hues makes it the perfect metal for many designs, sometimes as an accent to silver, and sometimes as the focal.

Artistic Wire- This wire is used only occasionally in my work. This wire is a copper cored wire that is permanently colored in a very wide array of color choices! Because it is generally finished with a plastic coating, it is perfect for those with metal allergies as well as for those designs that just NEED a wire of a different color!

So …there you have it! A summary of my metal choices, what they are and why I use them!
Until next time… (When I discuss chain making…from the beginning raw materials to the end product…)
Lori B.