Argentium™ Sterling Silver

New Highly Tarnish-Resistant Sterling Silver

Love silver?
Hate to clean it?
Then this new tarnish-resistant silver is for you!

About Argentium Sterling Silver

Argentium™ Sterling Silver, sometimes simply called Argentium or Argentium silver, is a new alloy developed by Peter Johns, a professor of silversmithing at Middlesex University in England. This revolutionary new sterling silver is slowly coming to the marketplace.

• For the jewelry maker, Argentium silver is a wonderful material to work with. There's no firescale when the metal is heated so no harsh chemicals are needed to remove the stain, and its bright finish and smooth texture inspire new designs.
• For the jewelry wearer, Argentium silver is a wonderful material to own. There's no need to clean tarnish off your jewelry before wearing it! Argentium silver gets brighter and shinier with wearing!

By U.S. law, a silver alloy must contain at least 92.5% pure silver in order for the material to be labeled Sterling Silver. There is at least that much pure silver in Argentium™ Sterling Silver.

Pure silver is too soft to use for jewelry so other metals are added, creating an alloy. In silver alloys the main strengthener is copper, which reacts easily with oxygen (and moisture and sulfides in the air) to create tarnish. There is also copper in Argentium silver, but it's a smaller percentage than the amount used in traditional sterling silver. The additional metal in Argentium sterling silver is germanium. Unlike copper, germanium does not react with oxygen to create tarnish. Quite the opposite! Germanium loves oxygen. It migrates to the surface to chemically bond with oxygen, which creates a protective barrier so that oxygen, moisture and sulfides do not have contact with the copper in the alloy, and the chemical reaction that results in tarnish cannot begin. (Hurray!)

There may be some copper molecules exposed to the air, which is why Argentium silver is correctly described as “highly tarnish-resistant silver” rather than non-tarnishing silver. If you're in an unusually humid or polluted environment, then any silver, including Argentium, will react to the moisture and sulfides in the air and start to tarnish. But, even in such an environment, Argentium will tarnish much more slowly than traditional sterling silver would. Regardless of environment, if the jewelry made from Argentium silver is properly stored in anti-tarnish tissue and bags, then it may never tarnish at all.

As this new silver becomes more widely known and appreciated, “Argentium-like” or “similar to Argentium” jewelry may become available elsewhere. Beware of imitations! There is no such thing as “almost” Argentium! Silver is either the exact mix of metals that creates tarnish-resistant Argentium silver or it's not. Its production and distribution are being carefully monitored. At ColorSpark Studio we purchase our stock from reputable suppliers so that we and our customers are sure to always receive the real thing—genuine highly tarnish-resistant Argentium™ Sterling Silver!

How to Take Care of Argentium Sterling Silver

Taking care of Argentium is similar to taking care of traditional sterling silver, but much easier. Storing properly will keep your Argentium jewelry looking like new and always ready to wear, and you may never need to clean it.

Storing Argentium Sterling Silver

Wrap your clean Argentium silver jewelry in jewelers' anti-tarnish tissue and then put it into a plastic zip bag. If there are no pearls or opals in the jewelry, squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can before closing it. Pearls and opals need contact with the moisture in the air, so if your jewelry includes either of those, then wrap in tissue and put in a bag but don't close it.

Wrap each piece of Argentium silver jewelry individually and store in separate bags so the pieces don't get scratched by rubbing against each other. It's also important to keep your Argentium silver jewelry separate from your jewelry made of traditional sterling silver when storing and cleaning.

Since Argentium benefits by exposure to oxygen, some people may recommend that it be left unwrapped and in the open. But Argentium silver is not indestructible stainless steel, so I still like to wrap each piece of Argentium silver jewelry in anti-tarnish tissue and store in plastic bags. That keeps dust, oxygen and moisture away, and also protects against dust and scratches.

Cleaning Argentium Sterling Silver

If tarnish does start to form on Argentium silver jewelry, it's a good idea to remove it right away.

The easiest way is to wash it in warm water that contains a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid such as Dawn, Ivory or Simple Green. Use warm-to-the-touch water. Hot water can discolor silver. Swish your Argentium silver jewelry in the sudsy water. If that doesn't remove the tarnish, then use a cotton swab to rub areas that need extra cleaning. Clean gently. All silver can be easily scratched. For more abrasive cleaning and to get into small areas, brush lightly with a soft baby toothbrush. Rinse the piece thoroughly with warm water and dry with a cotton cloth to avoid water spots.

If your Argentium silver jewelry includes pearls, crystals or soft gemstones such as turquoise or malachite, don't immerse the jewelry in water. That can dull the surfaces of those materials. Instead, moisten a cotton swab with diluted dishwashing liquid and with that carefully wipe the silver surfaces that need cleaning. Wipe the silver with a damp cloth or cotton swab to remove the soap and dry the silver.

Before storing, let your clean Argentium silver jewelry lie flat and air dry completely, overnight if possible. Moisture speeds up the tarnishing process so it's important to make sure your jewelry is thoroughly dry before storing it.

There are other, more aggressive cleaning techniques described in the information about caring for traditional sterling silver, but it's unlikely that Argentium silver will ever need such cleaning.

Polishing Argentium Sterling Silver

After it's dry, if your Argentium silver is looking a little dull, polish it with Goddard's long-shine polishing cloth. That cloth is highly recommended for polishing Argentium silver. It not only brightens Argentium but it also leaves a protective barrier so the Argentium silver is even more tarnish resistant. Experienced silversmiths who have been working with Argentium for a long time (the “testers”) discovered the benefits of the Goddard's polishing cloth, but no one knows why that particular cloth is so effective.

The cloth you use to polish your Argentium silver jewelry, whether it's Goddard's or another brand, should not be used to polish traditional sterling silver. Doing so would transfer some of those pesky copper molecules from the traditional silver to the Argentium silver and then tarnish can form on the Argentium.

Additional Tips

These “don'ts” apply to all jewelry:

Don't use toothpaste to clean Argentium silver jewelry. Toothpaste is meant for tooth enamel, the hardest substance in a person's body. Toothpaste and scrubbing with a toothbrush are much too abrasive for jewelry.

Don't use baking soda to clean silver jewelry either. There is a silver cleaning technique described on the internet about lining a pan with tin foil, adding hot water and baking soda, and letting your silver jewelry sit in it. Don't do it! It will cause tiny pits to form in which chemicals and moisture can be trapped and eventually cause damage.

Don't wear Argentium silver jewelry in a swimming pool or hot tub or when using ammonia or cleaning bleach at home. Bleach, including chlorine, will attack and dissolve the metal so that the more delicate parts will come undone. Don't wear Argentium silver jewelry in the shower either. Soap residue builds up causing a dull finish on the silver that's difficult to remove.

Also, don't use rubber bands to wrap your jewelry bags together. As rubber bands age they release sulphur so don't keep any rubber bands near your jewelry or in your jewelry box. Other sulphur producers that you should not use for storing your jewelry are newspapers, clingy plastic wraps, and non-archival cardboard boxes.

Taking Care of Argentium Silver Jewelry ~ Summary

• Store carefully so that tarnish never forms and the silver doesn't get scratched.
• If tarnish starts to form, wash the Argentium silver with diluted mild dishwashing liquid. Rinse thoroughly. Dry with cotton. Lay flat to air dry overnight. Wrap in jewelers' anti-tarnish tissue. Store in its own airtight plastic bag.
• Argentium silver jewelry can be immersed in water for cleaning if there are no soft gemstones, pearls, crystals or silk thread in the piece.
• Avoid getting any chemicals, including perfume, hairspray, deodorant spray, body lotion, acetone, bleach, or turpentine onto your Argentium silver jewelry.
• Now there's no need to spend time cleaning your silver jewelry before wearing it!
  Put on your Argentium silver and go play!