Price of Silver

[George F.]

Just ordered a piece of sterling silver from Rio-Grande today. .064   4"x6". Kinda pricey today at $19 an ounce,  compared to when it was $4.95 an ounce.  ...Geo.

[Kentucky Jeff]

Its trading around $14 an ounce right now in the commodities markets.  So you paid a pretty good premium. 

[Blacksmoke]

George F.  I assume that the sterling silver was for inlays on a rifle stock-- not that it is any of my business -- just a tip for you.  When I first started to do silver wire inlay and other silver  inlays on rifle stocks I always used "sterling silver".  Now 30yrs. later the sterling that I used is tarnishing.  Some of it is so bad that the design is disappearing and blending in with the color of the wood.  My point is that sterling will always tarnish but "fine silver" will not.  The reason is:  sterling has 5% copper content which gives it more tarnish ability than fine silver which is also known as:  ".999 fine silver".  This I learned from a goldsmith a number some yrs. ago now.            Hugh

[davec2]

Not to be too much of a wet blanket, but fine silver will tarnish also.  Sulfur is the major culprit and I blacken fine silver all the time (and almost instantly) with liver of sulfur (sulfurated potash -  a poorly defined mixture of potassium sulfide, potassium polysulfide, potassium thiosulfate, and probably potassium bisulfide available from almost any jewelry supply company.)  (This reaction is the basis for niello work.  Niello is a black metallic alloy of sulfur, copper, silver, and usually lead, used as an inlay on engraved metal for filling in designs. The Egyptians are credited with originating niello decoration, which spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.)

Copper and brass are also darkened with liver of sulfur, so sterling, while it may be a little more reactive, is not much different than fine silver.  Sulfur, in whatever form, will combine with the surface of the silver and form a black silver sulfide layer.  The only silver alloy I am aware of that is almost completely tarnish resistant is beryllium silver (~2% beryllium).  There is also a relatively new alloy called "Argentium" silver - I have never used it, and I don't know what's in it, but it's supposed to be fairly oxidation (i.e. tarnish) resistant.  Because silver tarnishes as it does, I do most of my wire inlay work with gold - it will never tarnish under any circumstances.

By the by, silver spot price is $13.93 today.  If you think $19 an ounce is a high price for the sheet, try refining, pouring, rolling, and finishing a piece of sheet silver 0.064 thick by 4" by 6" for $5 extra an ounce.   As much as I complain about postal rates, I still can't take a letter to New York (from California) by myself for 44 cents.  I refine a lot of gold, silver, platinum, etc., for people tired of being ripped off by the large refining companies (they typically steal 30 to 50% of what you send them).  But refining and processing these metals into useable new material is not a simple or inconsequential task.  At $19 an ounce for new, high quality sheet silver, I think you got a great deal.

[George F.]

Thanks for sharing, like the photo, and do you still have the paperweight?   ...Geo.

[jerrywh]

 Fine silver is a lot harder to do fine wire work with than sterling is. The trouble with fine silver is , it is too soft and wants to bend over when being forced into the grooves. It is true that it tarnishes more so than fine silver but it is only necessary to give it a brisk rubbing with a cotton cloth to brighten it up. Like Dave Crisalli , I do a lot of precious metal work. Karat gold tarnishes also.
The cost of silver and gold is irrelevant when it comes to doing fine gun work or jewelry-- it is simply passed on the customer. Most high art gun buyers like to brag about how much they pay for their guns. Most of us are so use to worrying about money that we cannot imagine the fact that there is a whole class of people who never think like that.
"you can't make money off of people who don't have any" MY DAD.