Help! My sterling bead is too shiny!

[Starfield]

I was give a small piece of sterling silver to finish off a necklace and it is VERY shiny and too bright. The other spacers are more of a antique looking finish. Can I darken this small bead to match?

Thank you

Karen

PS: I am a lampworker not a bead stringer so forgive me I don't know this stuff!

[maddog1050]

You can take some very fine steel wool (0000) and buff the silver to give it a matte finish and put some bite on the surface. Then take something like liver of sulfur (very stinky) or some other pre-mixed patina solution and apply it to the silver according to instructions. This will most likely make the piece very dark, so take the steel wool again and very lightly buff it until you have the right amount of silver and dark finish to match the rest.

That's what I'd do. I started out metalsmithing before lampworking.

[Judi_B]

Karen,
You can use a hard boiled egg instead of liver of sulfur to age the silver. The sulfur fumes from the yolk work like the liver of sulfur, but it takes longer and doesn't get as dark. Take a hot hard boiled egg, slice it in half lengthwise (shell and all) and put it in a zip-loc bag with the beads. Put the beads on wire or string and suspend inside the bag so they don't touch the sides or the egg. I usually use a section of egg carton as a frame and put it in a 1 qt zip bag. Set this up while the egg is boiling then slice the egg, put it in the bag and zip quickly to trap the sulfur fumes. It will take at least 30 min, and longer if you want it pretty dark. I have even left it overnight. You can use a heating pad to keep eveything warm and speed the process up a bit. Also, the older the egg, the better.

[Starfield]

You guys are terrific!

I'll try the egg first, then the steel wool. (I'm hungry and can make egg salad for dinner that way!)

Karen

[rainygrrl]

Judi, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing.