Argentium Sterling Wire information
Argentium® Sterling Silver is a new blend of Sterling silver invented in 1996. By definition, sterling silver has 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other materials. Pure silver (known as fine silver) is rather soft, so adding another metal helps make the sterling sturdier so it holds up to regular wear. Typically, sterling is blended with copper, which makes a nice strong and attractive blend, but it tends to tarnish easily. Argentium has the same 92.5% silver, but has a little bit of a metal called Germanium blended with the copper. For chemical reasons, this makes Argentium sterling far more tarnish resistant than standard sterling silver. You'll be amazed at how long it stays bright. Argentium looks just like traditional sterling silver, since it is just another form of sterling silver. When tarnished, it takes on a slightly grey tone, where silver tends to form a dark black patina.
Why is it tarnish resistant? Sterling tarnishes due to the presence not of oxygen, which is the usual assumption, but from the presence of sulfur, which reacts with the copper. Sulfur can come from perfume, deodorant, skin, and the atmosphere, especially around swimming pools (chlorine is hard on silver too) and near some work areas. So why doesn't Argentium tarnish the same way, since it also includes copper? The difference is the small amount of Germanium.
