What is Solstice White Metal?

Solstice White is a signature silver alloy developed exclusively by Stem and Seed Jewellery Australia. Named after a peak of brightness, the specialised heat treatment and composition gives the metal a bright and cool shine just like the silver it contains.

 

Why Solstice White?

Silver's reputation as a 'cheap metal' is long gone. Looking online for a casting material that's affordable, we found advice that recommends brass, bronze or even recycled car parts. Looking into what these parts are made of, we decided that these parts are made of metals that we do not deem safe to wear. Being a nickel, zinc and lead free facility, we were hungry to design a brand new alloy that is totally unique and unlike anything seen before.

Once we found that out, we set out the process of meticulously planning the chemistry and composition of Solstice White, which is primarily pure aluminium based. Solstice White sets itself apart from "pot metal" (metal made of "anything laying around"), Solstice White is made from pure and clean metals. When making the first batch of Solstice White, we nickel tested all of the materials and found no trace of nickel, something that causes allergic reactions and is very common in "pot metal" alloys. We also verified the composition with MatWeb, the Google of alloys, just to ensure it was actually a new alloy.

 

Solstice White combines an incredible lightness with a bright and silvery shine. The design of this unique material benefits both creators, casters and wearers. By eliminating industrial metals, we've created an alloy that is safe on the skin and ready for daily wear.

 

Every piece made of Solstice White is thermally aged and has had its metallic matrix aligned using a 18 hour process based on the T6 thermal aging process. Solstice White is a Supersaturated Solid Solution (SSSS), not just a piece of aluminium or dirty plated metal. Additionally, aluminium is one of the most recyclable metals on Earth.

 

Stay tuned, this page will be updated with plenty of photographs of pieces made with Solstice White in the coming weeks. We will be testing things like gem setting, castability and more. Subscribe on YouTube and Instagram to keep up to date with our latest creations and experiments!

 

Hallmark

Every authentic piece of Solstice White jewellery should be marked with a signature Snowflake Hallmark. This symbol represents the frozen crystalline structure of the metal, this structure is a result of our unique quenching process that locks in the alloy's strength and brilliance.

 

Lightweight Luxury

The most surprising feature of Solstice White is its weight to strength ratio. It offers the bold aesthetic of silver, platinum even rhodium, but at a fraction of the weight. When I first held Solstice White in my hands, I was shocked at how lightweight it was. This makes even the biggest statement pieces comfortable enough to wear daily.

 

Will Solstice White turn my skin green?

"Never say never" but for 99.9999% of people, no!

The Aluminium in Solstice White forms a transparent oxide layer the moment it touches air, protecting your skin from interacting with any of the copper contained within. This layer is incredibly chemically resistant too.

By the way, the following things may turn your skin green if you wear sterling silver:

• If you have particularly acidic skin chemistry (pH balance), such as being in ketosis.
• If you are wearing a very tight ring in high humidity / sweat.
• If you are using certain lotions or hand sanitisers that react with metals.

All of which the self protecting nature of Solstice White should protect you from so you can wear your jewellery without needing to change your lifestyle.

By removing all nickel and other industrial additives, we've eliminated the leading cause of rashes in jewellery. Solstice White is significantly safer for sensitive skin than silver toned jewellery.

 

Is Solstice White safe in salt water?

Similar to sterling silver, copper, brass, bronze and stainless steel, we think the salt and chloride ions in saltwater would attack the metal. How quickly this would occur still remains to be tested, but if you washed it off after salt exposure it should help it rebuild its self protecting oxide layer.

Pieces we make in Solstice White spend 18+ hours in the furnace which builds up a nice strong layer of oxide and increases its strength and scratch resistance. We will be posting the results of tests like these and more on my YouTube and Instagram, so tune in to see just how this new material behaves!

 

How can I work with Solstice White?

We will be offering granules soon, once we are finished the testing and development phase of Solstice White. But for your reference, we will include the following information below.

To calculate the amount needed for your wax: For example, for silver, you usually multiply the weight of the wax by ~10.4. You do the same with Solstice White, except you use 2.8 instead of 10.4. You'll still need to account for the button and sprues!

For example, if you needed 22.662g of sterling silver for a ring, you'd only need 6.125g of Solstice White to make the exact same ring. (Also not including any extra for the button, so be sure to add 125% - 150% for the button!)

Solstice White granules will be available for $1.50/g. If you are really keen, get in touch and we can send you some to try out!

 

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next one!

- Dante Diamante