When entering the realm of precious metals, let Larry Sher be your technical guide and specialist. Larry Sher was first acquainted with the world of fine jewellery over 30 years ago, where his passion for precious metal manufacturing and design grew.
Starting Tafe in 1993 in the Inner Western suburbs of Sydney, he studied jewellery design and manufacture. As an apprentice, Larry had the privilege of working at the bench with top jewellers across the country gaining an intimate knowledge of making jewellery by hand.
Larry was always a natural with his hands and recalls eagerly working in the business as a teenager in various aspects of production – from wax pulling, making moulds, and assisting with casting and tree building. After joining the company it didn’t take too long before his passion for precious metals and production led him to managing the Casting Department. Shortly after this the company also added other products and services to the mix such as fabricated alloys, CAD/CAM, precious metals and JewelMounts.
Chemgold now has a world class factory in Alexandria, Sydney where Larry leads the charge on alloy and technology development, along with being hands on in production to ensure Chemgold’s products are to the absolute highest possible standards.
Recent innovations that Larry has developed include:
- AGPD – Silver with palladium. This is a new high strength sterling silver alloy which is tarnish resistant and fire stain free, fantastic for bench work and allows a better finish that will last longer.
- 18WPP – 18ct white gold casting alloy. It’s the whitest 18ct white gold alloy ever developed in Australia. This new 18ct white alloy has high hardness and better wearing for the consumer. Apart from this it has a high level of grain refiners giving a compact surface which allows for a bright clean polish.
- PTG – revolutionary new platinum alloy called PlatinumG with incomparable qualities, innovative material properties, outstanding workability, easier for setting, brilliant white colour, superior polishing performance and a higher precious metal content.
In his time in the precious metals industry and with Chemgold, Larry has a fair few achievements to be proud of.
“I’m most proud of our reputation within the Australian jewellery industry. Our commitment to quality and excellence has made us one of the most trusted precious metal supplier,” he says.
Improvements to production procedure and the use of cutting edge technologies that enable jewellers to create extremely high quality designs IN CAD/CAM without the prohibitive labour costs is something Larry is constantly striving towards and giving the Australian market better performing products. Apart from this Larry led the way in the Australian market to perfect burn outs for resin.
Larry also has developed a reputation for being the ‘go to’ person for anything that is extremely challenging.
“I love a challenge and being able to assist our clients with the impossible,” he says. His passion for precious metals and love of jewellery has enabled him to consult for many leading jewellery brands and casting companies across the globe.
“I love jewellery as for me it’s the perfect way to engineer something beautiful that can last forever on a microscopic level.”
When asked ‘what’s next’ Larry states he hopes to continue to experiment with new products and bring useful, exciting alloys to the market.
“In five years’ time, I hope to see the industry better able to compete with cheap overseas product. Ideally, I would like to see higher tariffs and duties on products imported into Australia and support the local market.”
For more information on the product and services offered by Chemgold, visit their website at www.chemgold.com or call 02 9698 8500.