Alternative to Sterling

Hi All. If the price of sterling keeps on going up, I am going to be
looking for alternative metals. Is there a stainless alloy that would
be soft enough for fabricating jewelry? How about 316 L?

Thanks, Vince
LaRochelle

vince -

there’s a book, “russian jewellery - mid 19th century - 20th
century” part of the “russian decorative metalwork” series, 1993, in
russian and english. it has excellent examples of contemporary
russian designs and there is practically no sterling or gold used -
it’s almost all ‘german silver’ (nickel), iron, steel, aluminum,
plastic, copper, brass, glass and mother-of-pearl! it’s all in the
polishing/burnishing.

if your customer isn’t allergic to nickel he/she will appreciate the
material cost not being at the almost $29.00 current spot price. (16
g 6" x 12" sheet = $25.00)

good luck -
ive

there's a book, "russian jewellery - mid 19th century - 20th
century" part of the "russian decorative metalwork" series, 1993,
in russian and english. it has excellent examples of contemporary
russian designs and there is practically no sterling or gold used
- it's almost all 'german silver' (nickel), iron, steel, aluminum,
plastic, copper, brass, glass and mother-of-pearl! it's all in the
polishing/burnishing. 

It is very perilous business to draw conclusions based on practices
of another country, if one does not know the country.

I am from Russia, and the reason that a lot of jewellery was made
from German Silver, has nothing to do with metal been suitable for
it. I have known a dentist in Russia who made teeth out of beryllium
bronze. That is not an example of anybody should follow.

Under the Communists, possession of precious metals, unless one
employed as jeweler or dentist, would insure that one spend the rest
of his life, mining coal above Arctic Circle. Even for those
professions, one could not have the metal at home, only at the place
of work.

The jewellery that you refer to is a Folk Craft and has nothing to
do with real jewellery. It is produced on par with pained wooden
dolls (matreshka) and lacquer boxes (Palech)

Leonid Surpin