| > | | | | Automated machines are used to produce chains |
| Have you ever thought about the wonderfully | | | | of almost countless different styles. Cable chains, |
| shiny sterling silver piece that adorns your neck, | | | | snake chains, satellite chains, ball chains, figure |
| ears, or wrists? What it is, where it’s | | | | eight chains, rolo chains, square chainsÂ… the list |
| from, and how it got here? Then read on, my | | | | goes on. For each different style of chain link, a |
| friends.... | | | | different specialized machine is required. Generally, |
| Have you ever thought about the wonderfully | | | | the wire is fed into one side of the machine, |
| shiny sterling silver piece that adorns your neck, | | | | where, depending on the style, it is bent, |
| ears, or wrists? What it is, where it’s | | | | flattened, curved, soldered, and moved along. The |
| from, and how it got here? Silver is ubiquitous in | | | | following link receives the same treatment, and is |
| the jewelry industry, and widely used in many | | | | joined to the first one. For simple chains this |
| others, but there is a certain disconnection | | | | process continues until a long sequence of identical |
| between the mines where metallic ore containing | | | | links emerges at the other side of the chain |
| silver is excavated, and the world of high fashion | | | | machine. Some chains are not so simple, and may |
| where silver has reigned for millennia. If you love | | | | involve 2 or more different kinds of links. Because |
| metal accessories as much as we do, you might | | | | most machines can only produce one size of one |
| enjoy a brief walk through all the hard work that | | | | style of link, they must either be recalibrated to |
| goes into turning raw silver into a beautiful chain, | | | | produce new effects and sizes, or, more likely, |
| and an understanding of why silver and gold | | | | multiple machines must be used in combination. |
| chains are as expensive as they are. You just | | | | Since there are so many different styles of |
| might come out of it with an even greater love | | | | chains, and a dedicated machine for each, there is |
| and respect for your favourite silver jewelry! | | | | indeed a smorgasbord of different chain making |
| Mining | | | | machines. Larger operations have upwards of 600! |
| Before anything, a site is chosen that has | | | | Other chains may feature indents, hammering, |
| indicated high levels of natural metal deposits in | | | | brushing and other personal flourishes that are |
| the Earth. Once a candidate has been decided | | | | achieved by hand, adding a human touch at the |
| upon, the site is scrutinized by environmental | | | | cost of skilled and time-consuming labour. |
| specialists and mining engineers in a series of | | | | Chains that have completed the shaping process |
| studies, tests, and calculations. Since there are | | | | often undergo an additional electroplating process. |
| rigorous government controls on mining, the very | | | | This is where a very thin layer of an even more |
| confirmation of a piece of land as the future site | | | | precious metal like gold or rhodium are plated onto |
| of a mine can be a 2-5 year process. The mining | | | | the sterling silver through an electrochemical |
| company is also obligated to ensure, before any | | | | process that achieves a nearly flawless coating all |
| construction begins, that after the site has been | | | | over the chain. Plating is done with a number of |
| depleted of valuable minerals there will be an | | | | benefits in mind, and is frequently used to change |
| environmental rehabilitation process to restore the | | | | the colour, reduce the possibility of tarnishing, or |
| land. Huge amounts of expertise and critical | | | | increase the hardness. |
| thinking go into making mining projects safe, | | | | And voila! The chain is born! A quick recap: |
| environmentally sound, and effective- before | | | | silver-containing ores are mined from sites that |
| they’ve even started construction! There | | | | are cultivated with the utmost of technical skill |
| are generally two types of mines: surface level | | | | and environmental care, shipped to the reduction |
| mines, which surround their site like an enormous | | | | plant and broken down into constituent parts, |
| football stadium, and underground mines, which | | | | shipped again to refineries that produce pure |
| can be located deeper than a mile underground, | | | | silver, shipped yet again to wire factories, and |
| where they carve out a virtual subterranean | | | | then shipped again as pure or alloyed wire to chain |
| society. Either way, the scale is huge and the | | | | makers, where the chains are crafted and |
| technical coordination is astounding. | | | | electroplating occurs. After that, the finished chain |
| Silver, like all metals, is found as a mineral | | | | is, you guessed it, shipped all over the world, |
| encrusted below the earth’s surface. What | | | | where jewelry enthusiasts incorporate them into |
| many may not realize is that silver, copper, lead, | | | | original designs. The whole multi-stage process |
| and gold are most frequently mined in the same | | | | requires technical planning, environmental care, |
| place and found in the same ores, and separated | | | | chemical engineering, huge machines, hard work, |
| afterward. Only about a quarter of all silver | | | | creativity, and a lot of transportation. |
| produced is mined from ores that are specifically | | | | Silver in the World Today |
| harvested for silver. Even from those rare ores | | | | The world’s most prolific silver-producing |
| predominantly made of crude silver, trace | | | | nations are Peru, Mexico, and Australia, but the |
| amounts of copper, lead, and gold will be | | | | most skilled and effective chain producer is Italy, |
| recovered and saved, just as trace amounts of | | | | where artisans have long cultivated silver working |
| silver are recovered from lead, zinc, and copper | | | | techniques and slowly amassed a virtually |
| ores. | | | | incomparable variety of machines. Furthermore, |
| Refinement | | | | chain links are patented by the companies that |
| Once the ores are recovered from the earth | | | | build the chain making machines, so classic Italian |
| through painstaking physical labour and specialized | | | | designs are not commonly available outside the |
| mechanical machinery, they are shipped from the | | | | country. All of this means that if topnotch chains |
| mine to a reduction plant to be milled. Reduction | | | | are sought after, intercontinental transit is |
| plants (also called ‘mills’) are usually | | | | involved, and Canadians have to buy most of |
| located adjacent to or nearby the mine itself, | | | | their jewelry silver at a disadvantageous |
| established alongside the realization that the site | | | | exchange rate. While the Canadian dollar has been |
| will be profitable for years to come. | | | | remarkably successful lately, especially against the |
| At the mill, the ores are ground into powder into | | | | American dollar, the Euro has been quite strong. |
| giant drums to increase surface area, quickening | | | | As the price of raw silver has doubled in the past |
| the effect of metallurgical chemicals. Various | | | | 5 years, and the whole process of transforming it |
| metallurgical extraction processes are employed | | | | from an unrefined mineral to a finished jewelry |
| to isolate the desirable elements, ridding the | | | | chain is so extensive, there is also a great deal of |
| original ore of unwanted impurities like antimony, | | | | economic strategy in keeping the costs as low as |
| arsenic, and tin, and separating usable metals like | | | | possible at every stage. |
| copper, lead, zinc. After all chemical treatments, | | | | A quick note on silver economics: as of May 1st, |
| intense heating, and physical separation, silver can | | | | 2007, the price of pure silver was $0.47 CAD |
| emerge as pure as 95%. | | | | gram. After being shipped, made into wire, |
| At that point, it is shipped to a precious metals | | | | shipped again, made into chain, shipped |
| refinery. There the silver is soaked in nitric acid, | | | | internationally to the supplier (with duties applied), |
| dissolving into the mixture. Silver precipitant | | | | and marked up every step of the way, it will end |
| crystals are added to the solution, and the acid is | | | | up costing the consumer upwards of a dollar per |
| drained and neutralized. The result is pure silver in | | | | gram. Not bad, really, considering all of the shipping |
| the 99th percentile! | | | | and markups. If you find silver chains for $0.60 |
| Alloys and Wire | | | | gram, there are generally two possibilities: either |
| Pure silver that will be used in the jewelry industry | | | | the supplier bought it when it was worth much |
| then typically gets shipped to a wire factory. | | | | less, or it’s not pure silver. It could be a |
| There it can be alloyed with other metal to | | | | lower grade alloy or silver plated. |
| produce sterling silver, also known as standard | | | | Treasure the beautiful silver chains that flow into |
| silver, which is 92.5% silver (the remainder | | | | your country and around your limbs, and do not |
| typically composed of copper). Sometimes sterling | | | | take them for granted! They are the result of |
| silver is also referred to as 0.925 silver. The alloy | | | | skill, creativity, time, and hard work. Given |
| is heated yet again to become soft, and drawn | | | | everything that went into them, it is no wonder |
| through specially cut dies to be formed into wire. | | | | that sterling silver necklace you own is so valuable! |
| Depending on the width of the die, different | | | | And with recent stock market increases, your |
| gauges of wire are created. | | | | favourite silver bracelet that you bought 5 years |
| Chains | | | | ago is now worth twice as much. In financial |
| Spools of sterling silver are shipped to chain | | | | terms, that’s a pretty good return on |
| makers, which range from small studios to fairly | | | | investment indeed. |
| sizeable factories. This is perhaps where the silver | | | | Enjoy this article? |
| industry ends and the jewelry industry begins. | | | | |