What is Argentium Silver?

Argentium is a relatively new sterling silver Alloy, patented by a company in the UK.

1. Is Argentium still sterling silver? YES! The ratio of silver is still the legally required 0.925 (or 92.5% silver).

2. So what's different? What makes up that last 7.5% of the metal! Standard sterling silver uses a mix of copper and other metals. Argentium, on the other hand, uses Germanium. This means quite a few things for us, creating and wearing the jewelry:

    - Very TARNISH RESISTANT!
    - Easier to maneuver.
    - Slightly lower melting point for soldering.
    - Other benefits as well! Check here for more info.

3. If it is so great, does it cost more? Well, depends on where you search. I've found a few places that have very similar, if not the same, prices for standard sterling and Argentium. Just poke around.

4. Should I buy Argetium for ALL my wire needs? No. The primary reason is because it does not tarnish! That means ANTIQUING the wire is out of the question. Also, it is difficult to find HALF HARD Argentium (stiffer wire) and to find a variety of sizes (or gauges) of wire.

5. Have you found other benefits? YES! When I hammer, there is less clean-up afterwards. With standard sterling, I had to use a Moonshine cloth after hammering and scrub for a bit. Now, I just take the cloth lightly over the surface, and for most hammering, this is perfect! For more intense hammering, I still need to scrub a bit. In general this reduces my creation time, making me able to CREATE MORE JEWELRY.

All in all, this is a great wire. I'm excited to use it more in my jewelry line! Have you used it? Let me know what YOUR experience was like.