Pure silver is a very soft ductile metal. It is too soft for the majority of things silver is used for. Flatware would bend with the weight of the food, hollow ware would bend out of shape. Traditionally, to prevent this happening, pure or fine silver, has been alloyed with copper. The standard introduced by the silversmiths in England, in the Middle Ages, was what, today, we call Sterling, 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% pure copper. This created an alloy that was still easy to work but that would hold its shape. It had one major drawback. As a silver smith worked it with his tools it got harder, it could be made soft again by annealing it, heating it to red heat and then quenching it in water or acid. Every time it was heated the copper at the surface oxidized to black copper oxide, leaving a black 'bloom' just below the surface. The only way this could be removed was by filing or grinding it away. Even oxygen in the air would cause this to happen and if you lived where there was sulphur in the air then it was even worse. It is known as tarnish and most people have had to repolish their silverware to remove it.

With the advances in metallurgy, in recent years attempts have been made to formulate new alloys. A few years ago, Peter Johns, of Middlesex University, in England, developed an alloy using germanium. This he called Argentium. It has the same proportions of silver and alloy as copper based sterling but it does not tarnish. It is this alloy we use here at Conch Pearl Galleries. Any silver you buy from us should not tarnish.

Our Jewelers

Peter Bradley

Peter's
Jewellery

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Marlee Mason

Marlee's
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Argentium Sterling Silver

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