A Note About Argentium Silver

Argentium silver is my current favorite metal to work with. It resists tarnishing, which means less maintenance for both me and my customers. It also fuses better than traditional sterling silver, which makes a lot of the metalwork I like to do easier. I just heard that in a recent Lapidary Journal, an article stated that Argentium does not contain copper. This is incorrect - Argentium silver does contain copper (as does traditional sterling silver - copper adds some hardness and durability to silver, which is desirable in finished jewelry) but a little bit of the copper is replaced with germanium. Germanium reacts with the air to form germanium oxide at the surface of the metal, which is what helps slow or prevent tarnish.