Silver: meticulous workmanship for precious manufacturing!
To be able to work with silver it must first be amalgamated with copper in variable percentages, regulated by law, which determine the fineness of the alloy.
The first phase in silver production is the fusion from which a silver bar is made and then pressed between the rollers of the milling machine and transformed into sheets of different thickness by a rolling process. The sheet of silver - which can vary in size and thickness - is then manufactured using different methods according to the desired product as follows:
Pressing: is a technique carried out with steel moulds used to produce cutlery, trays, plates and various articles that are then finished by hand.
Turning: disks of various sizes and thickness are moulded and start to take the desired form, such as plates, vases, coffee pots, carafes etc.
Hammering: is used to outline a specific form or to decorate the external surface of an article.
Embossing: this technique consists in enhancing the relief decoration - low or high relief - by working in negative, on the wrong side of the article. Embossing is carried out with special tools.
Chiselling: is used to better outline the shape and moulding using small steel scalpels called ‘chisels'. These are used to engrave the surface of the silver article making the form more accurate as well as to outline the edges. In order to reinforce the metal, to support the blows of the chisel, the article is filled with pitch, plaster or other components that will help keep the metal elastic, preventing the sheet from splitting.
Engraving: is one of the oldest techniques used and is carried out by engraving on the surface of the silver - on which the ornamental design has been previously sketched - using a metal point. The tool used is called a burin or graver when the engraving is made with a metal point cutting tool. The engraving can also be arabesque when it is carried out with machines operated manually that engrave straight or undulated lines using a diamond point or milling cutter. By crossing these lines a multitude of different geometric designs can be achieved. Recently laser engraving is being used.
Assembly: is the technique used to assemble handles, edges, knobs and also pieces which make up the main body. When assembly is of high quality the seam is invisible and there is no excess of silver used for the welding.
Enamelling: the article - inserted repeatedly into a high temperature furnace - is covered with various layers of fine powder made up of coloured crystals and metal oxide. After the powder has crystallised and undergone polishing the article with take on the desired colour and brilliance.
Fusion and micro fusion: is used to make solid ornamental parts such as knobs, handles, spouts, legs, figures and edges which are then welded to the main body of the article. The melted metal is poured into special cylinders that contain a mould in wax which then melts, leaving room for the liquid metal.
Cleaning: the article is cleaned using rotating brushes and a special paste used for this job.
Silver plating: the article is immersed in a galvanic tank and covered with a layer of pure silver (measured in microns) giving the finished product greater brilliance. When the product is in silver, plating is carried our using the flash method.
Polishing: This is the final process that gives silver that brilliant, moonlight appearance and is carried out using soft rotating brushes. It is used to remove any small water spots and to enhance the surface.
