ArtMetal

Thanks so much, Fred!

About Argentium - I like the fact that it is much slower to tarnish - and is a bright silver color - but I have found that
it seems to discolor a bit - not tarnish exactly - but it loses
it's shininess. Tumbling brings the shine back, but a potential
customer isn't going to do that. So, now I'm mulling whether
it is worth the extra cost. It seems softer to work with than
sterling too.

As for cold connections - if you could steer me to a basic resource about 'how-to' or what would be the simplest to just play around with - and what basic tools do I need? I have a tiny anvil and little hammer that I use to flatten sterling jump rings - but this may be too lightweight for rivets, etc? I am really a rank beginner here, but totally interested! Any suggestions you can give me would be most appreciated!

Trish