materials

Gold
A noble metal with an extensive history and recognition by almost every culture worldwide. Often I will use Gold as an accent to highlight other colors in a piece of jewelry. Gold is an exquisite color paired with other metals such as the Japanese alloy Shakudo.

Silver
Sterling is the alloy most used for silver in jewelry since it is more durable in general use than Fine Silver. Sterling by definition/law must be 92.5% Fine Silver and the balance can be just about any other metal depending on the properties required. There are even Sterling alloys utilizing the precious metals Platinum or Palladium.

Copper
The only metal other than Gold which is not of a natural silvery tone. It has great working characteristics and has been used as jewelry for eons. Since Copper is not a noble metal, it is prone to color changes and oxidation. It is this very trait that makes it useful for achieving colors outside the normal color palette of Gold and Silver. With patinas Copper can achieve many striking colors that complement the design of a piece. Most of the finishes are durable, but will never be as long lasting as the noble metals. However, with patinas finishes, the uniqueness makes the piece valuable in its own right.

Bronze
The metal that propelled civilizations into modern tool making. Working with Bronze I was very surprised just how hard, durable and sharp an edge could be made. It was a perfect fit for weapons, but was used extensively for jewelry and ornamentation as well. Ancient Bronze was an alloy of mostly Copper and the addition of Tin. Some modern Bronzes may be a similar alloy, though those take a back seat to the high number and volume of specialized alloys used throughout industry. The Bronze used in my work is safe for wear.

Brass
If you alloy Copper with different proportions of Zinc, Brasses of varying shades of red and yellow are achieved. Add a portion of Nickel to the alloy and the result is German “Silver” or Nickel “Silver” which has no Silver at all.

Pure Iron
Steel has been around in practical usage for at least a couple of centuries. Around the 19th century industrial processes were developed that made it economical to produce in large quantities. Iron has been around longer. The primary difference between the two is the addition of a trace amount of carbon during the manufacturing of Steel to gain the desired quality of hardness. Pure Iron has no carbon and cannot be hardened beyond its natural state.

Observations will show that in the landscape there are many metal objects rusting away exposed to the weather. In the middle of these rusting bits of architecture and such you probably have noticed that there are others that seem impervious to the rust. Those were made of Wrought Iron (meaning worked) from many years before. This same characteristic of aversion to easily rusting also belongs to Pure Iron. It is a carbon thing, or, actually lack of carbon. I like using this material in some of my pieces because of the high strength of very thin pieces and the deep black and very interesting coloration that can be achieved. This black looks striking next to Gold accents.

Damascus Steel
The famed sword steel better known today as patterned welded steel. This material has a long and fabled history and is originally the by-product of the particular manufacturing process for steel. The patterns came from different alloys of the steel mixture being combined as the ingot (a mass of metal cast into a shape that is easy to handle or store) was hammer refined to remove the waste products. The result was a weapon steel achieving both ideal hardness and durability.

Today the patterning process is done purposely and many wonderful patterns are available from custom manufactures who are artists in their own right. I like the inherent unyielding strength of the material even though it demands a departure from traditional jewelry making of hammering and sawing. Damascus Steel requires either red heat to hammer or grinding with carbide tools to shape. Tough stuff!

Stainless Steel
This material has the appeal of ruggedness. Many men enjoy wearing a cuff of Stainless Steel where they would not consider one of Gold or Silver. Like Damascus Steel, I find that working Stainless Steel is best done when at red heat or through grinding. Polished, this steel will achieve a mirror finish and will last for many, many years. It also can be colored to have a great level of contrast between a black texture and the shining metal.

Shibuichi
Traditionally this is an ancient Japanese alloy of Copper (three parts) to Fine Silver (one part). The name itself means One Part in Four. Japanese metal smiths made many different alloys with different ratios of Copper and Fine Silver. Each has its own wonderful capacity for coloration with patinas from an olive greenish grey to a beautiful gun metal silver. It is also possible to achieve many different surface finishes with heat while imparting a range of colorations as well. I alloy and fabricate the Shibuichi for my work and choose the alloy ratio to meet the needs of the design for each individual piece.

Shakudo
This is another beautiful Japanese alloy made primarily of Copper with the addition of 5–7% of Fine Gold. Working characteristics are close to that of Copper, but the color of this metal can be a deep purplish black that is a regal match for Fine Gold accents. This is an alloy that I also make and fabricate for my work.

Stones and Alternative Materials
Often I will use items that strike my fancy from plastics to recycled piano keys for a particular design need. It is my nature to make use of something which has worth within the context of jewelry design rather than letting it go to waste. When I choose a stone for use in my jewelry I try to showcase the stone in the best manner possible. Hopefully my design will be complimentary to the stone and secondary to its beauty captured and shaped by the lapidary artist.

Green
Recycled and recycling are part of what I do. In fact, every jeweler recycles the precious metals: Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium. It just makes sense for a number of reasons. I do this too.

When I need manufactured sheet, wire or tubing for my work I buy from a supplier who manufactures from recycled metals. More often than not I make ingots from melting scrap metal that I have generated in my work and fabricate my own wire, sheet and on occasion, tubing. It is a handy and practical thing to do when warranted. There is so much less inventory to keep in stock when I can make a lot of my own to specifications as needed.

The Japanese alloys Shakudo and Shibuichi I use are made in my own studio from recycled materials. This is particularly useful since many suppliers carry sheets only in limited dimensions. Bronze, Pure Iron and Stainless Steel are from sources that most likely use new raw materials. However, all of my scrap is recycled. Metals such as the Copper, Iron and Brass which are part of my work are often from salvaged sources. Their scrap is recycled. There is value in these lesser metals too. Other non-metal materials used in my work are very much from salvage efforts too. It is the right thing to do. Sometimes the character of the material alone is a springboard for creative juices. (Salvaged materials have a habit of making suggestions, you know.)

I can’t claim the high moral ground on the issue of being green for the sake of making more sales or setting my work apart from others. That isn’t the point of making the green efforts. But I do want my clients to know I have an awareness of responsibility in choosing my materials and what is done with the scrap when finished.