Tarnish-resistant silver

London-based Argentium Silver Co. has launched a sterling silver product that should keep its shine for many years without polishing.

The company claims Argentium Sterling Silver is the first highly tarnish-resistant sterling available for mass production. Tiffany, Gucci and other manufacturers and designers have already produced items with Argentium, and distribution is expected to grow as new partnerships are established.

Although the sterling silver alloy (germanium is a major element in this patented product) is not totally tarnish-free, it reportedly has much better tarnish resistance than standard sterling, and any tarnish that does develop can be easily removed with a wet sponge, according to developer Peter Johns. No polish is required. The product has been tested in independent laboratories, such as Cutlery and Allied Trades Association in the U.K., under tarnishing conditions thousands of times more aggressive than those of the typical home. Company officials claim that Argentium Sterling Silver will remain tarnish-free after two years because it does not rely on plating or coatings that degrade or wash off over time. Indeed, Argentium builds and increases its tarnish resistance over time and has the ability to regenerate its anti-tarnishing properties.

Beyond its high resistance to tarnish, Argentium offers other benefits. The metal is free from fire-scale when heated, which eliminates the need to strip off the unwanted oxidation coating with hazardous materials. Therefore, it is environmentally safer in the workplace.

It is also the first sterling silver to be laser-welded in a manufacturing environment. In addition, it is capable of achieving hardness levels twice those of standard sterling silver.

“This is a major breakthrough for silver,” says Cynthia Eid, a Lexington, Massachusetts-based jewelry designer and metalsmith. “I was thrilled to find that Argentium Sterling Silver does not fire-scale and that it is more ductile than any other sterling silver alloy. It is also extremely tarnish-resistant. I haven’t seen any of the pieces I’ve worked with tarnish whatsoever.”

Argentium Sterling Silver has partnered with Stern-Leach, a U.S. manufacturer of silver alloy and fabricated silver, to make the product available to silversmiths, designers and retailers.

— The preceding is an excerpt from Silver News, a quarterly publication of the Washington, D.C.-based Silver Institute.