Metals

Goldsmiths work with metals. Our bodies react to metals, their dusts, salts and oxides. The metals that jewelers come in...

Fire scale or fire stain is a reddish purple toned 'bloom' or 'stain' that appears on silver/copper alloys such as...

Considered to be one of the richest and most important archaeological finds in Great Britain, the Ship Burial known as...

In this presentation I attempted to provide you with information on platinum alloys to help you make an informed decision...

Because titanium behaves somewhat differently than the standard metals in the goldsmith's workshop some special attention to its working is...

Metalsmiths and enamelists have used ferric chloride for several years as a safer alternative to nitric acid for copper and...

Jewelers treat soldered objects with dilute acid solutions to remove oxides produced from heating and soldering as well as glassy...

This method of etching uses a prepared ferric chloride solution which also contains hydrochloric acid. This 'etchant' is not a...

A selected bibliography list for the jeweler - Metal working, Casting, Plating, Enamelling ,Gem Cutting, Setting, Engraving and Etching, Other...

Tarnishing is superficial corrosion of the carat gold surface and is evident by a usually dark discolouration - the tarnish...

As with most Japanese metal coloring methods the techniques are metallurgically based rather than solution oriented; in the West we...

Titanium and the other refractory metals other the metalsmith a new range of exotic colors - colors that are beautiful...

The most commonly used metals for enameling are pure copper and fine silver. The fine silver is primarily used for...

Sterling silver alloys typically contain about 7.5 percent copper, an addition that not only provides strength to the otherwise pure...

For a number of years I have been exploring the use of the Japanese alloy shakudo in ways other than...

Very little research has been done on the medical problems of artists as a direct result of occupational health hazards....

Gold and silver have long been esteemed as the king and queen of metals, for good reason. No other members...

This patination solution gives you a range of greens, olives, browns, black, turquoise and yellow-greens on many metals because it...

An art school is in some ways a difficult place to learn to be a metalsmith. Traditional systems of industry...

No single item is more used yet more neglected than flatware. It is used in one form or another by...

The popularity of white gold has us all looking to the most perplexing gold we use. Perplexing a variety of...

Most jewelers know how to handle their precious metal scraps: they separate their scraps by metal, dry out ultrasonic solutions...

Applying liquid gold, palladium and/or silver in the final firing of enamel pieces is something that can frequently raise the...

While I was in graduate school at San Diego State University I became interested in the anodizing process. I had...

As skill develops in spinning, it becomes more important to have a sense of what forms can be produced. To...

Now this is a truly attractive book. One of those coffee table type books dripping with gorgeous National Geographic quality...

Looking down the long corridors of time, the ancient Etruscans emerge as a powerful people whose economic and social development...

There are a few scientific methods for precisely determining karat gold purity, some destructive (fire assay) and others nondestructive (X-ray...

Multi-metal Lamination is a type of 'faux' married metal which produces a freer, more 'painterly' effect than the hard-edge, highly...

This is the second in a series of articles on the art and skill of rendering jewelry and small metal...

In the Middle Ages, alchemy meant the art of fathoming natural substances in an experimental manner. The goal of the...

From 1988 to 1989, German goldsmith Hermann Jünger was celebrated in his native country with a major retrospective of his...

In late 1981, I began working with anodized aluminum, drawn to its light weight, availability and low cost. In developing...

Historically, a wide range of techniques has been used to clad or coat silver or base metals with gold. These...

This paper describes a process that combines techniques researched by others with a few well known facts about the properties...

This page offers a list of some useful North American Sources for Equipment, Materials, information, etc that would be very...

As you may have noticed (Id be astonished if you hadnt), prices for gold and silver, platinum too, are on...

This article is based on technical information taken from my personal notes and experiences, shared information from the Penland Anodizing...

Firescale has been the scourge of sterling silver casters since the first silver was poured into a mold. It has...

The use of area inlay, called damascening or woven inlay, is common in the ancient metalwork of Iran, India, Japan,...

Richard Reinhardt's best-known pieces today are silver bracelets, constructed in concave or convex forms that curve smoothly and logically in...

Meditation on Metallurgy Not everything is metal, but metal is everywhere. Metal is the conductor of all matter….And thought is...

This article was completed just weeks before Robert von Neumann's accidental fall and subsequent death on April 23, 1984. Books...

Metalwork in the 20th Century When curator J. Stewart Johnson of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York decided...

The hardening of gold and silver is now easier than ever before thanks to increased experience in the heat treatment...

The principle of this ancient, valued procedure is described here because of its historical interest, and with the thought that...

Procrastination can sometimes lead to wonderful discoveries. Tom Arnold, owner of Facets Fine Jewelry in Arlington, Virginia, found this out...

Metal shop tin men seem to be as American as L. Frank Baum's tale of Dorothy and company in the...

This segment from the 2017 MJSA Journal November issue is dedicated to metals, tools, software and more that aids jewelers...

The expressions which have come to identify the pre- and post-World War II generations - Me decade, suburban frontiersmen, spoiled...

"Culture of materials," an expression originating from the early 20th-century teaching of Russian Constructivist Vladimir Tatlin, defines the artist's deliberate...

A variety of colors stands for zest and happiness. In the case of jewelry, these strong emotions have been expressed...

The word "technology" is defined as the totality of the means employed to provide the objects necessary for sustenance and...

The following are excerpts from a panel discussion chaired by Lois Etherington Betteridge at the Society of North American Goldsmiths’...

The first reference that I have that links copperas with the collection of fossils is found in the 'Life and...

Have you ever noticed how white gold varies in color? Many folks think white gold is the same color as...

Shawna Kulpa takes a look into the assaying methods refiners use to determine the value of a lot. This article...

Platinum jewelry manufacturing presents some very different concerns when discussing the collection of materials for refining purposes. The assumption that...

Jurgen J Maerz of the Platinum Guild International USA outlines factors to consider when adding platinum to your line of...

With over 300 tonnes of gold used in electronics each year, end-of-life electronic equipment offers an important recycling potential for...

My study of metalwork in Japan began with the words, "First you will make a ring." The teacher ceremoniously handed...

For most of this century, story-telling in art has been considered taboo. From the turn of the century to well...

Silversmithing is a big topic. While I have a few reservations about this book, my overall response is that it...

Florence Resnikoff delights in the use of color. Vibrant and glowing, muted and moody, color for her involves extending beyond ...

Double is a German word of french origin meaning rolled gold or gold fill material. I use it for the...

My recollection of the first piece of metalwork I owned is of a pin consisting of two poodles connected by...

While gold's mystique is indisputable, we must resist being so entranced by its luster that we fail to recognize and...

This article is a set of predictions for what the jewelers bench and workshop will experience in technological change in...

A Legacy in American Metalworking It was 9:00 in the morning in Lawrence, Kansas and Carlye Smith was heading for...

The following text was written by Vannoccio Biringuccio, an Italian master craftsman in smelting and metalworking, born in Siena in...

Many fine books have recently been published for the serious student of metalsmithing. Tim McCreight's new book is a tasty...

Susan Kingsley's work has involved a long, determined struggle with the role of a woman artist in the field of...

Jonathan Bonner is a pleasant young man with a quick smile and an easygoing manner. If you saw him in...

Art school is in some ways a difficult place to learn to be a metalsmith. Traditionally, it took industry from...

About five years ago, Robert Fairbank, John Reynolds and I created a "living entity" called Goldsmiths 3 in Concord, Massachusetts....

The core of life's work in fine artisanry is the unfolding of a personal style within the cultural milieu of...

Second Annual Jewelry/Metals Symposium Seattle, Washington Seattle was recently the host as well as the delighted recipient of the second...

This entry marks the beginning of a new, regular column in Metalsmith. It will deal with technical concerns of interest...

Behold the metals supplier, lord of all things shiny. He fills your crucible with casting grain and makes sure youre...

It is also vital to know the basic forms of semi-fabricated Platinum product that are generally available and how to...

I stood on Kawaramachi Street in downtown Kyoto. Kyoto, capital of Japan, home of the emperor from 794 to 1868,...

After "Plastic", "Glass" and "Wood", "Metals" is now the fourth volume in a successful series of books on materials. It...

It seems like it was over a year ago, but in fact, The Arsenal Metals & Enamels Exhibition debuted this...

This article series from Metalsmith Magazine is named “Recent Sightings” and here Bruce Metcalf talks about art, craftmanship, design, the...

In the world of fine art, galleries wield enormous power. Galleries such as Castelli, Knoedler and Marlborough, through the artists...