Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
June 11, 2010
Recently I began collecting jewelry pieces from my older generation. Most of the pieces are of silver, some are very clean and shiny, some have been tarnished (but still have some very nice regions) and some are rather rusty. I don't think I would ever wear these silver pieces and lately I though about the possibility to melt all this silver down (and to have pure silver and perhaps use it for future jewelry, or as an investment). Is it possible to melt different silver jewelry together, even if the silver in each piece is in different condition, or should I try to melt each one separately? Where can I have the silver melted (is it a service jewelers provide or should I manage it on my own?)?
June 15, 2010
First off, you could take your old silver jewelry to your local jeweler and ask him to melt down your jewelry and cast the precious metal into new pieces. If, however, you wish to melt and re-cast your old silver jewelry at home, you would fist need to make sure that the silver of your jewelry isn't plated silver, and is actual solid silver. If you melt down plated silver jewelry all you'll get is a lump of iron or copper mixed with a very small amount of silver. You could melt the silver down with a high temperature blow torch. Make sure your mold is hot before re-casting the silver, if the mold gets cold you will have a very hard time re-shaping the silver. Also, make sure that your silver can be easily removed from its mold after it has been re-cast, so as to avoid damaging the new silver jewelry. When melting down silver, make sure it is at least 50% pure, since melting down preciously cast metal damages the metal's structure integrity and causes it to become extremely porous. You should take precautions when re-casting hot metal. Melted down silver can cause serious burns when it comes into contact with bare skin. Wear protective gloves and goggles while working with the hot metal.
