Argentium sterling silver

Argentium silver is the result of research at the Art and Design Research Institute (ADRI), School of Art & Design, Middlesex University, by Peter Johns and colleagues. The project began in 1990 with research on the effects of germanium additions to silver alloys. Germanium was discovered to impart the following properties to sterling silver:^[3]

• firescale elimination
• high tarnish resistance^[4]
• precipitation hardening and simple heat-hardening properties^[5]
• increased ductility
• increased thermal and electrical resistivity^[b]
• environmental advantages^[c]

Many of these properties significantly affect the traditional methods of working silver. For instance the absence of firescale eliminates tedious and time-consuming steps required by the silver worker using traditional sterling silver. It also eliminates the need for plating the final product which is often done on manufactured items because of the problems introduced by firescale. Tarnish resistance is of significant importance to both silver workers and the wearer of silver jewellery.

In 1994, Peter Johns sought and received U.S. utility patent protection for argentium silver, although both the metal and methods for making it became part of the public domain on August 27, 2016 when the patent expired and patent protection thereby ceased.^[1]

Via various corporate entities, Johns also sought U.S. trademark protection for the word “argentium,” though his trademark was canceled by the federal government in June 2014 based on a failure to provide evidence of a valid trademark under Section 8 of the Lanham Act.^[6] Eventually, Johns filed a new application attempting to trademark only the word “argentium” when used with a limited subset of enumerated goods and services.^[7]. However, that trademark may also be invalid under the Supreme Court’s “utilitarian functionality” doctrine, which renders a trademark presumptively invalid if it covers the same subject matter as “an expired utility patent.” TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc., 532 U.S. 23 (2001). Since argentium was already covered by Johns’ now-expired utility patent, his trademark purporting to cover the same metal is presumptively invalid. See Id. As of April 2026, no court has ever found the “argentium” trademark to be valid.

More information Silver alloy, Solidusmelting temperature ...

Refractory temperatures

Silver alloy	Solidus melting  temperature		Liquidus flow point  temperature
	°C	°F	°C	°F
traditional sterling silver	802 °C	1475 °F	899 °C	1650 °F
argentium 940	860 °C	1580 °F	895 °C	1643 °F
argentium 960	890 °C	1634 °F	920 °C	1688 °F

Close