I’m writing today about the miracle that is Argentium- one of the biggest advances in the jewelry world.  It’s a sterling silver alloy, so it’s still technically sterling silver.  It is 92.5% pure silver but instead of being combined with 7.5% copper, it’s combined with a metalloid germanium.  This is a significant improvement for designers in that it is highly tarnish resistant.  It also has advantages for traditional silversmiths related to it’s properties when heated.  For us, it means that we can offer our clients silver that they don’t have to polish!  Though it is not available in every finding that we use as people are just beginning to get comfortable with it, we are able to buy wire which is a core element in our designs.  The big findings companies are starting to offer more items every year as it catches on.  Riogrande.com offers quite a few staples such as wire, jump rings & headpins in the fantastic stuff!  Another couple of sites that have some findings are: argentiumsilverfindings.com & halsteadbead.com.  It is more expensive, so right now it’s a tough choice but to us it’s completely worth it!  It is our hope that one day all of our silver components will be available in Argentium.  If enough designers demand it, then we’ll be in luck!  Argentium Silver is patented and trademarked by Argentium Silver Company, UK.