I have been designing and making jewellery and small decorative objects in silver and gold for many years. I started reading about a new kind of silver alloy, which had the wonderful properties of not tarnishing, and not getting fire stain, and I was intrigued. My research found that it had taken off really well in the USA, but in the UK, so I started trying to source some of this amazing alloy so I could have a play with it.

Argentium silver was invented in the 1990s by Peter Johns, at Middlesex University, and is an alloy of silver copper and germanium. I’m not a metallurgist, but I got really interested and found out lots of fascinating information about Argentium by googling. When I read that it could be fused, rather than soldered, I thought about how much time that might save me when I’m making hand made chains, and when I read about the wonderful malleability and ductility, I knew it would be an advantage when I do chasing and repoussé, and that I could experiment with anticlastic raising.

This blog is all about my experiments with Argentium silver, and hopefully it will help to make it more popular and thus easier to source in the UK. I am keen to raise the profile of this lovely metal, so if you have any queries please get in touch.

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