Expired Argentium® Silver Pendant: Beginner or Beyond

2 Day Workshop with Cynthia Topp 

Thursdays, June 6 & 13, 2024
5:45-8:45pm

Are you wanting to dip your toe in the world of metalsmithing for the very first time? Or do you have a little experience, but you’d like some tips to brush up on using a jeweler’s saw, an acetylene torch, hammers, files, and the flex shaft with polishing equipment? (Or perhaps you’re ready to create your own home studio, but you don’t know what to buy? This class will use only tools that Cynthia, the instructor, bought with her first investment when she was just starting out, so it’s a great place to get advice.)

We understand that working with a jeweler’s torch and melting metal can be intimidating. We know that some of you with a bit of metalsmithing experience avoid using the jeweler’s saw because it feels tricky. This class is designed to inspire slightly nervous newbies as well as encourage anyone else who may feel uncertain. The instructor will guide you through each step, even standing right beside you as you use the torch, ensuring a safe and comfortable learning environment.

In this two-evening beginner’s workshop, you’ll be using Argentium®, an alloy of silver with a higher silver content than sterling. You’ll design the shape of your pendant and saw it out of sheet Argentium®. You’ll texture it if you choose. You’ll learn safely around the torch: turning on the acetylene tank, lighting the torch, and bleeding the hose when the class is over. You’ll learn how to fuse shapes like circles, hearts, teardrops, and spirals out of Argentium® wire, and how to melt tiny decorative balls, called granules. Once you’ve formed all your decorative items, you’ll fuse them to your pendant! Then you’ll add a little circle of wire and a jump ring at the top. Finally, you’ll play with various ways to finish the piece, including oxidizing, polishing to a high sheen, or giving it a soft satin finish.

No experience with metalsmithing is required, but for those of you who have worked with sterling, this class serves a great way to experience the unique qualities of Argentium (Here’s a teaser: there is absolutely no solder in the three pieces in the photo because Argentium® fuses to itself! And it doesn’t firescale! It’s far more malleable than sterling. And it doesn’t tarnish!)