Abstract: The present invention relates to manufacturing a silver alloy which is blackened throughout its bulk and used, for example, in jewelry. The method of manufacturing this material comprises putting the silver alloy into contact with sulfur in the form of sulfur vapor. The thickness of the wires or foils used in the method lies between about 1/10th of a millimeter and a few millimeters, and the time during which the silver alloy is exposed in the atmosphere of sulfur vapor is calculated as a function of this thickness. The silver alloy blackens due to sulfur/silver diffusion, and according to the present invention the silver alloy is heated to a predetermined temperature in order to optimize this diffusion as well as the microstructure of the resulting material.

Abstract: According to the invention, a silver product which is black-colored in its whole mass is obtained by pouring molten silver into molten sulfur or by heating silver pieces in the presence of sulfur pieces or still by subjecting silver sheets or silver threads to sulfur vapors until complete oxidation of the silver, by converting in powder the oxidized silver and by heating the powder thus obtained preferably in the presence of a flux. The product thus obtained may be used for the manufacture of jewels which comprise at least a portion made of black silver colored in its mass.