meviva
Cave Dweller 
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474 
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Post by meviva on Mar 24, 2015 14:36:19 GMT -5
I'm going to place an order for wire and not sure which silver wire to get. Are sterling silver and Argentium silver similar to work with? Is Argentium worth the extra few dollars per ounce? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both?
Thanks,
Andrea
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Mar 24, 2015 14:48:48 GMT -5
For wire wrapping, argentium is preferred over traditional sterling for it's anti-tarnish properties. they both wrap about the same. visually, sterling has a deeper shine, argentium is brighter.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Mar 24, 2015 14:54:23 GMT -5
Sterling does tarnish but I leave all my wraps out in the open on display and it takes about 4 months to notice the tarnishing to start and then I just toss them in the tumblers 4 at a time to make them like new again. I was tempted to switch to argentium but I use several gauges and styles of sterling so I never run out of everything at one time to do the switch. Silver prices are way down right now and if they spike up again the price difference between the two will grow again.
Chuck
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Post by drocknut on Mar 25, 2015 20:45:32 GMT -5
IMO sterling and argentium are about the same as far as working with them. The argentium will tarnish but it takes longer and is more of a gold tint rather than the regular black tarnish. I have used both but have been sticking with sterling mostly because I didn't want to pay extra for the argentium even though the price isn't too much higher than sterling. It might be my area of the country but when I tell someone the wire is argentium or tarnish resistant they tend to think it is craft wire even when I explain what it is so it's just easier to use sterling.
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Mar 26, 2015 9:35:06 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. drocknut Drummond Island Rocks Don Do you mark your pieces with 925 to indicate that it is sterling? Is there something to indicate Argentium?
Andrea |
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Mar 26, 2015 10:08:28 GMT -5
I do not mark mine. I have been selling them for a couple years and have never had anyone question the material used.
I do think that a lot of customers will question "what is argentium" and its even harder to explain "gold filled" or "sterling filled". When customers see that they just think it means gold plated or silver plated.
Chuck
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Mar 26, 2015 10:11:12 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. drocknut Drummond Island Rocks Don Do you mark your pieces with 925 to indicate that it is sterling? Is there something to indicate Argentium?
Andrea There really isn't a practical way to stamp a wire wrap .925, or .930 in the case of argentium. There are sterling tags that you could incorporate into a wrap, but I haven't encountered anyone using them. |
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Post by drocknut on Mar 26, 2015 10:41:40 GMT -5
I don't mark mine either. I agree with Don, no practical way I can imagine to stamp a wrap. I just try to keep them separate although there really isn't much difference between the two metals. I've heard other wrappers refer to them both as silver rather than try to explain the difference.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 26, 2015 17:38:53 GMT -5
I, personally, do not like argentium. It costs more, it doesn't look as good as sterling silver and I have gotten too many bad batches of it. And, by bad I mean way too hard and from Rio, at that! I use to use it, but I just stick with sterling now. No one has ever missed the argentium and no one ever seemed to care if I used it or not. The average person is not well educated about it. Speaking of educated..... the one great property of it is that it is tarnish resistant, but it is only tarnish resistant when it is brought up to a certain temp- somewhere around 500F, if memory serves. Well, I don't bake my wraps. So, they are not as tarnish proof as they should be.
I live in a sea salt environment. (the beach) If I don't store my wraps in a zip lock bag with an anti tarnish tab, they will almost immediately begin to tarnish- unless it has been polished with a sunshine cloth, then it takes a little longer.
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Post by radio on Mar 26, 2015 18:55:37 GMT -5
I, personally, do not like argentium. It costs more, it doesn't look as good as sterling silver and I have gotten too many bad batches of it. And, by bad I mean way too hard and from Rio, at that! I don't know what it is about Rio's metals, but it seems lots of folks see an inconsistency with them. I haven't bought from them in many years due to this problem. |
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Mar 26, 2015 19:26:20 GMT -5
I, personally, do not like argentium. It costs more, it doesn't look as good as sterling silver and I have gotten too many bad batches of it. And, by bad I mean way too hard and from Rio, at that! I don't know what it is about Rio's metals, but it seems lots of folks see an inconsistency with them. I haven't bought from them in many years due to this problem. Where do you buy your wire from? |
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Post by Rockoonz on Mar 26, 2015 19:46:13 GMT -5
I agree with rockjunquie about Argentium. Hard and stiff unless annealed before use. Never had any kind of problem with anything else from Rio. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 27, 2015 10:18:45 GMT -5
I agree with rockjunquie about Argentium. Hard and stiff unless annealed before use. Never had any kind of problem with anything else from Rio. Exactly- I haven't had a problem with anything, at all, besides the Argentium. |
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meviva
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2013
Posts: 1,474
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Post by meviva on Mar 27, 2015 10:49:42 GMT -5
I ended up ordering sterling. I do have a little sterling and Argentium but have never worked with either one yet. I just wanted to take advantage of the lower prices and stock up.
Thanks,
Andrea
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Post by radio on Mar 27, 2015 12:31:17 GMT -5
I don't know what it is about Rio's metals, but it seems lots of folks see an inconsistency with them. I haven't bought from them in many years due to this problem. Where do you buy your wire from? Sante Fe jewelers supply. Always consistent and the customer service is second to none. Tell Wendy that Arlen from Sho Me Silver sent you  |
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