Continuumâ„¢ Sterling Silver by Stuller?

DakotaDocMartin

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Has anyone tried out Stuller's new Sterling Silver alloy? They don't mention any anti-tarnishing properties such as Argentium Silver has.

Here is their description:

Developed by Stuller, Continuumâ„¢ sterling silver has over 95% precious metal content. It is considered a European-friendly sterling silver, as it contains no nickel. It is a grade 1 bright white metal.

This patent-pending sterling silver has an as-cast hardness that allows setting of high quality stones in a sterling silver jewelry. This, combined with superior oxidizing and tarnish resistance, allows for a finish that will last longer.


It can easily be age hardened up to 150 HV, making it comparable to the “as-castâ€￾ hardness of 14kt gold. It remains ductile after hardening and can be used to make high quality earring clutch backs and other jewelry components that require springiness.

Continuum’s mechanical properties fall between those of 14kt yellow gold and most other sterling silver alloys. This versatile alloy can be used for casting, die striking, and producing mill products. It can be worked at the bench with ease.
 

Tira

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I tried it out during the bench pressure challenge in Chicago last month. The fishtail setting challenge was in this continuum silver. It cut well and the stones went in fine. The Stuller people mentioned that it does not tarnish easily and that it is holding up with other stone setting projects that they have tried. Other than that one ring I have not worked with it, but it did seem like a great alternative to sterling.
 

Mike Cirelli

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I just used it a couple weeks ago to make a ring. It didn't seem any different than any other sterling. What's nice with some of the new silver alloys is they can be hardened to a hardness similar to white gold. The tarnish resistance is nice also, sometimes. United has some different mixes with platinum, palladium, and germanium. The one with germanium is like the argentium silver. Most of these new alloys have surfaced in light of silver jewelry being so popular now. They can reduce clean up in the manufacturing process and produce a bright white finished product without rhodium plating.
 

SharpGraver

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The only issue I find as a Jeweler is sizing the new silvers. The solder is not the same color and tarnishes at a different rate. I guess I can just engrave over it though. Does any one have a solution for that problem???
 

diandwill

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I have a lot of silver jewelry in my shop. I haven't plated any of it which means that every 2 months or so, I need to either re-polish it or dip it in Tarnex. Tarnex is good for every other or 2 out of 3 with Sterling. Argentium tarnishes differently than Sterling. It gets a whitish cast, which is better in some ways, but it still loses its shine. It does not clean with Tarnex, so must be re-polished. For engraved pieces, this isn't the best solution.
Use the new silvers at your own peril. I prefer Sterling...the old fashioned kind!
 

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