In 1991, after ten years of experimentation, Peter Johns invented Argentium Silver, and the jewellery industry hasn’t been the same since. Johns began his research because of a big problem called firestain.
Firestain is when dark spots appear on the silver after applying heat. It’s impossible to manipulate silver without heat, so you can imagine how annoying firestain can be. Luckily, this problem has been solved. Argentium Silver can’t be firestained because of the Germanium element Peter Johns added to the silver.
Johns accidentally added many other benefits to this new silver; Argentium is nickel-free, making it hypoallergenic. This way, people who are typically allergic to silver and can wear this material without any problems.
This clever alloy has proven to be more capable of withstanding everyday wear. Argentium Silver tarnishes three times slower than sterling silver, and it’s extra scratch-resistant. These benefits make it much easier to travel with and easier to care for.
Argentium has a super-strength built into it that lovers of silver jewellery appreciate. This strength means it can be bonded to other alloys, like gold, without being soldered. Likewise, it’s possible to bond Argentium pieces together to make one solid piece of silver without any signs of being joined.
One last benefit that came as a pleasant surprise was how bright and extra-white the metal ended up being. For these reasons and more, all our A & R Jewellery is made out of this newly discovered material. Angela even makes the earwires and jump rings out of Argentium because she wants to know every millimetre of her designs is made out of the best material.