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Silver is one of the noble metals along with gold and platinum, chemical symbol Ag, which stands for Argentium (more on this later). Silver is the most conductive substance of both heat and electricity. It is the standard that all other metals are measured against. Silver has been valued for all of human history more for its beauty than its rarity, as many cultures valued silver over gold. Silver sometimes used as pure silver is referred to as fine silver. Fineness is a measure of the parts using 1.000 as pure or fine, and since there may always be a trace of something else (gold, platinum, copper, tin, zinc) fine metal is almost never referred to as 1.000, or one thousand fine, it is always a decimal as .999. Fine silver or any other metal is usually referred to a .999 or 999 fine except for some laboratory samples and sometimes gold bullion is .9999 or .9998. We start with .999 fine silver that we buy from our good friends at AAA Precious Metals in Portland OR. Triple A does their own refining, and I have always been pleased with the great job they do.

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An alloy simply means a mixture of metals. All alloys have at least some different properties than the original parent metals. As an illustration there are several thousand different kinds of steel each suited for a different industrial or domestic use. The two things they all have in common are iron and carbon. The silver alloys we are discussing all have silver as the predominate metal, in fact, the silver content of these alloys is mandated by law. Britannia is a silver alloy that has gone out of style but collectors will sometimes find articles made of it, and stamped “britannia” or “Britannia Standard” accompanied by English hall marks. The silver content is .950 fine. There is also a pewter that was popular in the 1960′s and 70′s called Britannia Metal. It contains no silver. Look carefully at any article stamped Britannia as there is also a process where Britannia Standard silver was bonded to copper sheet and manufactured into hollow ware (teapots, etc.).

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Sterling is .925 fine. The silver content is mandated by law with only a .01% error allowed. The usual alloy (mix) for sterling is .925 fine silver and .075 copper. This alloy as been in use for centuries and is a wonderful alloy for flatware, table ware and jewelery, but has one drawback and that is fire-scale. The properties that caused the ancients to class silver as a noble metal is that it, like gold, does not oxidize or rust. Copper on the other hand loves oxygen and forms a variety of oxides, the most familiar of which are black or green.

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This black copper oxide forms on the surface when sterling is heated and when it is melted it can get mixed into the alloy so it is not just on the surface. While on the surface it can be removed with acids, but if it gets worked into the interior of the alloy while hammering rolling or other processes, it cannot be removed and continues to show up as grey or black cloudy patterns in a shiny silver surface no matter how long one polishes. Fire-scale can be avoided by using an atmosphere controlled furnace, molten salt baths, and other things beyond the reach of most individual craftsmen. All is not lost, however, as this is the 21st century and bright minds have been working on this for a long time.

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Argentium is now a patented trade mark for a sterling alloy that contains Indium. I promise not to rant on and on about this, but I believe it should never have been granted patent, or trade mark status under the Latin name for silver. Other than the name, it is an excellent alloy, fire scale free and readily available to the hobby jeweler and craftsman.

S88 alloy is the name for a mix of metals containing Germanium, zinc, and several others in very small amounts. I use this alloy because it allows me to control every step of the process from fine silver to sterling sheet to finished bracelet or casting, with out having to contend with fire-scale or buy special equipment or solders.

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I think it is equal to Argentium in every way but allows me the freedom to mix my own Sterling for sheet and wire. The Argentium alloy is not sold by itself as is the S88 alloy. There is another fire-scale free sterling alloy available in which the alloy is platinum, but the cost of platinum makes this sterling very expensive. 7.5% does not sound like much until you see platinum at $2000.00 per ounce.

I have never seen anything stamped “German Silver”, but it is a common term for things made of white brass or similar alloys of copper and nickle. It contains NO silver. “Alpaca” is a stamp often seen on articles from Peru and Bolivia. Alpaca is German Silver and it contains NO silver.

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