Discover how to use this innovative new metal for your work.  Argentium Sterling is an alloy that is at least 92.5% pure silver. This material does not firescale, is highly tarnish resistant, is more malleable and ductile than traditional sterling, fuses, welds, and granulates more easily than traditional sterling or fine silver, and can be hardened using a kitchen oven or kiln. During this course you will learn a variety of techniques including annealing, soldering, fusing, granulating, and hardening Argentium Sterling Silver sheet and wire. Following demonstrations, you will have time to make your own technical samples and/or finished work. This class is appropriate for students with basic metalsmithing skills as well as professionals.

Spiculums are elegant, strong, and light hollow forms that can be used to make lyrical jewelry (as well as hollowware and sculpture). Learn two ways to make spiculums.  First, the method that Heikki Seppa developed will be taught: form a tapered tube, solder the seam, and then bend the spiculum. After learning how to use hammers with anticlastic (also called sinusoidal) stakes to form anticlasticly, students will be ready to close the anticlasts into “open seam” spiculums.