A recent development in metallurgy and material science has created tremendous opportunities for new jewelry manufacturing methods and innovations in precious metal alloy recipes. The arrangement of atoms and crystal formation are considered the building blocks of metal alloys and solidification. Porosity, shrinkage, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance are just a few examples of metal alloy characteristics that can be improved by careful control of microstructures. Thermodynamic modeling combined with carefully controlled solidification study has made it possible to tailor the size and type of crystalline structures formed in bulk precious metal alloy specimens. Crystallographic, microstructural, thermodynamic, mechanical, and thermal studies have allowed for fine-tuning the alloy compositions and structures to tailor them to particular applications. Two examples are included in this paper:the ultra-hard gold alloy and the ultra-low temperature silver alloy system that can be cast directly into a silicone mold.

Authors: Dr. Boonrat Lohwongwatana, Nunchaya Adara-Apipokee, Anan Lewan, Ekasit Nisaratanaporn, Kamolchanok Thipayarat