Today, I had to prepare some silver pieces for an exhibition. As I pulled the older pieces, which had been made with traditional sterling silver, out of their anti-tarnish bags, and saw the streaks of tarnish, I groaned. The newer pieces, made of Argentium Sterling, only needed a few swipes with a Goddard’s cloth to brighten the shine. The Argentium Silver pieces weren’t tarnished—they just were not gleaming. Several hours later, after going over the older pieces with cleaning compounds, and then waxing them so that they’ll stay good-looking during the exhibition, I felt that I had definitely experienced the difference between these two sterling silver alloys. Vive Argentium Silver!
Below are images of some of the work. The silver pieces will be in an exhibition at the Cahoon Museum, in Cotuit, MA. http://www.cahoonmuseum.org/
I’ll be giving a talk about the work at 11am, October 17, 2009.
Cynthia Eid
Lithic Lights -three sterling silver oil lamps. these needed to be polished and waxed, too....
Veins II Though it had been waxed and stored in a silvercloth bag, inside a sealed plastic bag, this sterling silver seder plate needed a polish and wax
Having a Chat -this set of 3 sterling silver, quartz, and hematite scent containers had to be cleaned and re-waxedPour Cindy: Self Portrait Tea Strainer This sterling silver piece was in pretty good shape, actually. (But I polished and waxed it, anyways.)
- This Argentium Silver lidded container, Convergences II, only needed a little shining up with a Goddards Long Shine Cloth
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting work.
Glad to see someone embracing Argentium sterling silver. My company has been using it for some of our wedding band styles for a little over a year now. While it’s been slow to catch on with retailers, the metal has a great price point. Argentium sterling silver is a good choice if someone is looking to step up from ordinary sterling silver.
If interested, take a peek – http://www.novelldesignstudio.com/products.php?category=70.
Hi Cynthia,
Those Lithic Lights are SEEEXXXYYYYY!
Wow, the pieces in this post are really beautiful! I just found your blog today, I’m just starting to get into doing more with metal than just bending headpins around beads. Your work is amazing!
All of these are beautiful.
I too love Argentium for the qualities you’ve described.
oh my goodness, your work is beautiful. Those lithic lights are just stunning.