International State of Practice, Spring 2025

International State of Practice is a webinar series created by the Community for Ethical Jewelry, addressing the urgency of sustainability in the field of Jewelry and Metalsmithing.

With Special Guest: Stewart Grice
Metallurgist and Alloy Expert

Event Recording

Join us for a conversation with a metallurgist and alloy extraordinaire Stewart Grice, VP of the Mill Division at Hoover and Strong.

This session will be entirely Q&A, and your opportunity to pick the brain of an absolute genius regarding all things metal!

With degrees in Physics, Materials Science, and a Master's in Metallurgy & Materials, Stewart will provide fascinating insights into the metals most often used in our classrooms and professional jewelry studios. Explore metal behavior from the peculiarities of working with base metals like copper, brass and bronze, to the joys and pitfalls of working with fine metals such as silver and gold. With 35 years of experience in the jewelry industry (with emphasis on alloy, product and process development, technical support and process troubleshooting, production management, and responsible sourcing) Stewart is eager to share his expertise with you in this installment of International State of Practice. 

Use this session to clarify rumors, debunk myths, and generally demystify that material metalsmiths love to melt, hammer, solder, and and saw.

Overview of Event:

The following questions were presented to Stewart Grice, the webinar provided valuable insights into the metallurgical aspects of working with precious metals, emphasizing the importance of cleanliness, understanding alloy behavior during melting and solidification, and being aware of potential issues that can arise during recycling and casting. The following questions were presented, and an overview of the answer is provided. 

Q1: How many times can I re-melt my silver or gold metal scraps before it needs to be professionally refined? Why does it degrade and can this be prevented? For example, is furnace heating better than torch heating?

A: The number of times silver or gold scrap can be remelted before requiring professional refining, the reasons for degradation (introduction of impurities like oxides), and whether furnace heating is better than torch heating (cleanliness being the most critical factor).

Q2: When base metals are gold plated, can that gold be reclaimed through the refining process? I believe the answer is no, but what about when we send in sweeps, which is usually a mass of all sorts of metals and misc stuff? That can be refined right? What is the difference?

A: While technically possible, it's generally not cost-effective due to the thin layer of gold. Refining sweeps, however, which contain a mixture of metals, can be processed.

Q3: Are there any plating solutions that are not toxic? What is the safest setup for a small studio space for plating?

A: This question was outside the presenter's area of expertise.

Q4: When casting ingots, the crucible is coated with flux and at the end of the pour, the flux has a color. Usually this is red, blue, or black. What do each of these colors indicate (knowing that fluxes pull out impurities)? Also, can you anticipate whether the ingot will be successful based on these colors?

A: While these colors likely indicate the presence of specific impurities, the presenter did not have specific knowledge on their interpretation.

Q5: What is the best method to mill out ingots, without cracking, air pockets and warping? Is this different for silver and the various gold alloys?

A: This involved a detailed explanation of phase diagrams (using the gold-silver system as an example), the solidification process of alloys and the formation of dendrites (compositional variations at a microscopic level), and the importance of progressive solidification in casting to avoid piping and ensure a sound ingot.

Special Guest: Stewart Grice

Stewart Grice, BSc, MPhil, CEng, FIMMM
(he, him, his)

Stewart Grice’s knowledge in metallurgy is vast and is evident in his numerous accreditations including a Higher Diploma in Physics from Preston Polytechnic in the United Kingdom (UK) where focused on the influence of blocking on the magnetic susceptibility of fine particle ferrofluids. He then went on to study at Wolverhampton Polytechnic (UK), where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Materails Science with his final year project focusing on the development of an injection molded lead-free glass bonded mica composite. He completed his formal education with a Master of Philosophy in Metallurgy & Materials from the University of Birmingham (UK). His thesis focused on the effect of silicon additions on low karat investment cast jewelry alloys.

Stewart has assumed the title of Fellow at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, as well as Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council of Great Britian and Northern Ireland. 

Stewart has served on numerous industry relevant committees including the British Jewellery and Giftware Federation, the British Jewellers’ Association’s Nickel Working Group, the Technical Committee STI/53 (Jewellery) of the British Standards Institution, the MJSA White Gold Task Force as well as the MJSA Innovation Advisory Council, and is currently a Board member of The Jewelry Symposium. 

Stewart has accumulated 35 years of experience in the jewelry industry with emphasis on alloy, product and process development, technical support and process troubleshooting, production management, and responsible sourcing. He has acted as Research Technologist at Morgan Materails Technology (UK), Senior Metallurgist at Johnson Matthey (UK), Metallurgical Manager at Cookson Precisous Metals (UK), and most recently he has been the Vice President of Mill Products at Hoover & Strong in Richmond, Virginia (USA) since 2000. 

Through out his career Stewart has received five Collaborative Reserach Awards, three Awards for Exxcellence in Research, and an Honorary Ambassador award from the Santa Fe Symposium.

  • EM Board and Advisors tour Hoover & Strong with Stewart Grice, 2023

  • EM Board and Advisors tour Hoover & Strong with Stewart Grice, 2023

  • EM Board and Advisors tour Hoover & Strong with Stewart Grice, 2023

  • EM Board and Advisors tour Hoover & Strong with Stewart Grice, 2023
    Pictured from left: Dani Cutler, Christina Malle, Sarah Parker, Chelsea Nanfelt-Rowe, Kathleen Kennedy, Stewart Grice.

International State of Practice is powered by our Education Committee

The Education Committee builds a community that champions the most sustainable practices in the metalsmithing and jewelry fields. Through questioning and interrogating accepted standards, we foster curiosity to find best practices. We disseminate this information and build calls to action through projects such as Radical Jewelry Makeover, International State of Practice, So Fresh + So Clean, and Criticalsmiths.

Education Committee 2025

  • Alexandra Hart

    (she, her, hers)

    Advisory Board

    Designer/maker/teacher
    Alexandra Hart, metals artist/designer goldsmith
    Sacramento, USA

    Alix's workshop is located on the unceded territories of the the Nissim-Pawenan, Nisenan, and Miwok peoples.

  • Chelsea Rowe

    (she, her, hers)

    Education Committee Member

    Artist, jeweler, and educator based in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.

    Little Rock sits on the ancestral territory of the Quapaw and Osage people.

  • Curtis Hidemasa Arima

    (he, him, his)

    Board of Directors

    Professor and Chair of Ceramics, Jewelry and Metal Arts, Individualized, Sculpture, and Textiles Programs at California College of the Arts, California, USA

    CCA in located in Yelamu on the unceded territories of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples.

  • Dr. Elizabeth Shaw

    (she, her, hers)

    Advisory Board

    Head of Fine Art Program and Head of Jewellery and Small Objects Department at Queensland College of Art Griffith University, Queensland, AUS

    Griffith University sits on the homelands of the Meeanjin, the traditional lands of the Turrbal, Jagera/Yaggera.

  • Kathleen Kennedy

    (she, her, hers)

    Board Member
    Radical Jewelry Makeover Director

    Assistant Professor of Jewelry and Metalsmithing, Department of Theater, Art, Graphic Design and Animation at Longwood University, Virginia, USA

    Longwood University sits on the ancestral territory of the Lumbee, Monacan, and Occaneechi peoples.

  • Lucy Louise Derickson

    (she, her, hers)

    Education Director

    Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Jewelry and Metalsmithing/Craft Area at Montgomery College, Maryland, USA

    Montgomery College sits on the ancestral territory of the Piscataway nation.

  • Sarah Parker

    (she, her, hers)

    Radical Jewelry Makeover Store Manager

    Adjunct Instructor, Department of Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Virginia, USA

    Virginia Commonwealth University sits on the ancestral territory of the Powhatan nation.

  • Susie Ganch

    (she, her, hers)

    Advisory Board
    Radical Jewelry Makeover Director

    Associate Professor & Metal Area Head
    Department of Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the Arts, Virginia, USA

    Virginia Commonwealth University sits on the ancestral territory of the Powhatan peoples.