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Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Which Silver Doesn't Tarnish? Argentium?

Quickstart: Pure silver and Argentium silver are discussed in this thread as being somewhat less prone to tarnishing. An alternative is rhodium plating the silver (see thread 14585 for a start) or organic topcoats (see thread 1734 for a start).

Q. Which is the silver that does not tarnish -- is it sterling silver or just silver.

Roger Martinez
jeweler - Wyoming, Michigan
2004

A. Dear Roger!

All commercial silver alloys tarnish. Pure silver too.

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia

Silver Anti-tarnish Strips
silver_tarnish_strips

on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. Silver that will not tarnish would be the one that is kept in a vacuum or has something on top to isolate its surface from the atmosphere (if you take it to outer space or other environment that does not contain sulfur it will be OK). There is also a number of alloys or metals that resemble silver and do not tarnish like platinum, palladium, etc.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico

A. If you meant "which silver is less prone to tarnishing" then it would be pure/fine silver (which is usually too soft for most jewelry applications).

Jason Aube
- Flint, Michigan
2004

A. Some sterling silver is coated with (I think) "Rodidium" I've also heard it called Mexican or Argentinean silver and this does not tarnish. Could someone please tell me if this is the correct metal.

Paula Newcombe
- Hamilton
2007

Thanks, Paula. The exact spelling is "Rhodium"

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

Argentium Sterling Silver

Argentium Silver

Thanks,
Discovered the right mineral right after I posted that.
Did you know though there seems to be a new process of melting the silver so it won't tarnish. This silver is called Argentium silver.

Paula Newcombe [returning]
- Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Argentium Silver Earrings
argentium_silver

on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

Thanks again, Paula. Argentium® silver is apparently an alloy that includes germanium which is claimed to discourage tarnishing. I don't personally know much else about it but some silversmiths apparently feel it's quite good.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

Q. I've been looking into buying a sterling silver anklet. I spent the last few days learning everything I can about sterling silver. I felt like, I guess I'll just have to maintain my anklet to keep it in new condition. Then I came across this article about Argentium silver. How does it look and feel? Is it really tarnish resistant?

Cameron Campbell
buyer - Tracy, California
February 26, 2010

Q. HELLO

I WISH TO PURCHASE A SILVER CHAIN...I HAVE HAD BAD LUCK LATELY AS THE CHAIN TURNS BLACK AND IS NOT EASY TO KEEP CLEAN.

WHAT TYPE OF SILVER CHAIN SHOULD I LOOK FOR THAT WILL STAY CLEAN AND NOT HAVE TO BE POLISHED?

DONNA KEENE
- SOUTHINGTON Connecticut USA
August 25, 2013

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