Posted 12 years ago
silversmith
(16 items)
This Kiddush cup was made from very thin material. I reshaped the torn area which extended 3/4 of the way around the stem. I then brought together both sides of the split and pulse arc welded (read about the tewchnique here: http://www.hermansilver.com/pulse-arc-welding.htm) them together. All voids were filled by welding with sterling wire for a perfect color match. I straightened the stem and leveled the bottom and top rims. I then removed the dried polish and performed a very light hand polishing.
Beautiful work! Good to see you, sir.
I wouldn't polish antique sterling. Collectors have been shown to spend more money on pieces with their natural patina
Removing tarnish will not harm the value. Removing applied patina or patina that has built up over the years is the problem. The cup on the left is considered dirty in the world of conservation. Even notable museums with vast silver collections clean their silver, just ask the MFA, the Met, and Yale. Would you rather drink out of the cup on the left or right?
Nice work!
Well no one is going to be drinking out of it, its a collector piece. Museums clean them because they are for show, but if its for resale like this piece, collectors will tend to pay less. There is something about patina on antique silver that increases desirability for some reason. People who collect antiques don't appear to favor a brilliant, shiny, looks-like-it-was-made-yesterday look. They like the look of old things.
Stillwater, dirty silver is as appealing as dirty paintings. Silver is meant to be seen as silver and not a golden color.
Superb work!
How I agree with you with patina vs tarnish subject.
Buying mainly antique jewelry, I'm in despair with tarnex dipped pieces... Always struggling to restore patina in recesses!