This reticulated silver jewelry is designed and hand crafted by Jeff McKenzie, here in the Pacific Northwest. Sterling silver is an alloy, commonly consisting of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. To reticulate the silver, Jeff repeatedly heats and then quenches the silver in an acid bath. When the sterling silver is heated, copper oxides are produced on the surface of the piece. Quenching in an acid bath removes the copper oxides. This "depletion gilding" creates a thin layer of pure silver on the outside of the piece, leaving the copper inside. Once the silver piece has been heated and cooled six or seven times, it is then heated one more time, almost to the point of melting; in fact the piece is melted, but from the inside out. The copper has a slightly lower melting point than the silver so when the copper melts and boils on the inside, it produces a ridged or ripply surface.
