This is the expanded edition of Mark Grimwade's groundbreaking 1985 book. A solid introduction to the use of precious metals for students, professional jewellers and metalworkers. The author presents complex metallurgical concepts in ways that anyone working with precious metals can understand and apply. A genuine understanding of materials and the physics and chemistry related to them is necessary for the fostering of innovation which is so important in this field. Artists who work with precious metals are always trying to push the boundaries of what is possible and this book will help them to understand how to do just that.