I am amazed at how hard Argentium Sterling® Silver turns when it is heat hardened. Last week I made a beautiful turquoise ring. The ring was made so that it could be adjustable. After hardening, I realized the ring was no longer adjustable. Just another one of those things that needs to be kept in mind when working with Argentium Sterling®. Because the properties of Argentium are so different, I have trying to treat Argentium Sterling as though it is a totally different metal, rather than comparing it with standard Sterling Silver. The two metals have very different properties. Standard Sterling conducts heat well, AS does not. Oxygen must be kept away from standard Sterling silver. Oxygen is desirable when working with AS. The melting temperatures are different. The way the metal reacts when heated is different. Working with AS is not that hard, it’s just different.
