Argentium silver revolutionized jewelry making with its patented tarnish-resistant silver alloy! Argentium silver wire and findings are 93.5% - 94% silver, and the remaining 6 - 6.5% is a combination of copper and germanium. (Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, and copper makes up the remaining 7.5%.) Jewelry findings and wire made with Argentium silver just need an occasional wipe with a soft cloth to keep their brilliant shine. Best yet, the tarnish resistance actually increases over time. Germanium atoms in the alloy migrate to the surface, allowing the protective germanium oxide layer to regenerate.
Additional benefits to using Argentium silver include:
- Argentium silver findings are resistant to dents, scratches and abrasion.
- Like sterling silver, Argentium is nickel-free and hypoallergenic, which makes it a great choice for earrings.
- Argentium is fusable -- like fine silver, you can join it without solder.
- Argentium silver doesn't develop firescale, which makes its production cleaner for the environment.
- It can be made nearly twice as hard as standard annealed sterling silver by a simple heat treatment (90 minutes at 300C/572F, followed by slow cool in air or in furnace).
Like sterling silver and fine silver, Argentium is susceptible to tarnish from exposure to sulfur. Do not store Argentium with rubber bands. Areas with high levels of airborne sulfur (byproducts of burning fossil fuels and some industrial processes), or even damp salty air, may also cause tarnish on both Argentium and sterling silver.
Our precious metal wire is sold by the troy ounce (ozt). The number of feet per ozt varies depending on wire gauge (thickness). Click into a product's details to see the feet per ozt for that gauge.
Did you arrive at this page during a Sale? Please note: Precious metal wire and sheet are excluded from sale discounts and coupons.