There is a great deal of interest in tarnish-resistant sterling silver alloys and there have been numerous attempts at developing alloys that are "tarnish-resistant"or "tarnish-proof." There have been improvements made in tarnish resistance, but usually at the expense of other necessary alloy attributes such as the ability to recycle the material. This paper will review the mechanisms of tarnishing, discuss the metallurgical options available to increase the tarnish resistance, and the resultant metallurgical limitations to developing a tarnish-proof sterling silver.

Author: Dr. Joseph Tunick Strauss