REVEAL Day!

I can now reveal the Elements by Dawn necklace that is featured in the January edition of Bead Trends Magazine.....(drum roll, please)





Love Letter Necklace



On the BENCH

A few NEW designs are in the works.  Most of my creations tend to be very bright, traditional and perfectly symmetrical.  However, these new designs are more organic. Created in fine silver (99.9% pure silver) the circles aren't quite round and the sizes vary slightly from piece to piece.

Here is the inspiration behind the new designs:

The circle is symbolic of purity and the cycle of life.  I don't believe the cycle of life is completely smooth!  There are rough times and smooth times in everyone's life. Some people have a larger or longer cycle, others may have a smaller or shorter cycle. Every individual has their own unique life cycle.

Sterling Silver-filled?

I stumbled upon another "silver" term just today, "Sterling Silver-filled." 

"Fire Mountain Gems and Beads worked for over two years with one of the largest precious metal fabricators in the world to offer customers a tremendous value. Sterling Silver-Filled wire and findings bridge the gap between silver-plated and sterling silver. Both wire and findings have a durable outer layer of sterling silver (.925/20) surrounding a copper-alloy core. The findings have additional silver plating for uniformity. The fabrication of the wire and findings is completed with an anti-tarnish coating to preserve the beauty.

Top jewelry makers and resellers benefit from:
•High perceived value
•A fraction of the cost of sterling silver"

My initial thought was, "Oh no. Another product to confuse consumers!"  I also have a real problem with the benefit "high perceived value!"  To me, that translates to artificial value. 

Granted, there is a place for every type of maker.  Heck, I've seen some really beautiful works of art created from telephone wire and bottle caps!

Back to the issue at hand.....sterling silver-filled metals.  My only real plea is for EVERY maker to fully disclose the materials they are working in.  Do not deceive the public (intentionally or not!), do not misrepresent your craft or yourself! Please.

I thought SILVER was SILVER. Right?

Silver.  One of the Earth's elements.  But what is it? Or more precisely, why does there seem to be so many types of silver?

I'm going to bet, most of you have heard of Sterling Silver.  But do you know what that is?  Sterling silver is an alloy.  A blend of metals, if you will.  I'm not going to detail the entire history of sterling, but in modern times, sterling silver is a term for an alloy of silver (pure) and copper (pure).  The traditional recipe is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper by weight.

Some other "silver" terms include:
Fine Silver
Argentium Silver
German Silver
Thai Silver
Nickel Silver
Alpacca or Alpaca Silver
Tibetan Silver
Hill Tribe Silver or Karen Hill Tribe Silver

These are just a few of the more common "silver" terms!  Are you wondering why I keep putting "silver" in quotes?  Because some of these "silver" terms actually contain 0% elemental silver!  That's right.  They're not silver at all!

Alpaca Silver, Nickel Silver, and German Silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc.
Tibetan silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and/or tin.

Thai Silver is generally silver with a purity between sterling (92.5% pure silver) and fine silver (99.9% pure silver). Thai silver, as the name implies, is handmade in Thailand by small groups of silversmiths and craftsmen and each group may use a different alloy recipe.

Hill Tribe Silver or Karen Hill Tribe Silver is also made in Thailand.  However, these silver pieces are handmade specifically by the Karen Hill Tribe people. Most, if not all, Hill Tribe Silver is 99.9% pure silver.

Fine Silver is 99.9% pure silver.  Be weary of individuals who use the the term "fine silver" to mean attractive or very thin. When in doubt, ask for clarification!

Argentium Silver is a relatively new silver alloy comprised of silver, copper, and germanium.  The exact alloy recipe is a trade secret. However, according to the Argentium silver website, Argentium silver comes in 93.5% pure silver and 96% pure silver alloys. This new silver alloy is highly tarnish resistant.

I hope you have learned a little about the various terms used to describe silver colored metals.  Just keep in mind, just because the word "silver" is used doesn't necessarily mean it contains elemental silver.