HOW SILVER WAS MEANT TO BE

The Most Important Advancement in Silver in Modern Times; Argentium Silver Co. Introduces Sterling Silver with Lasting Shine

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2004--The London-based Argentium Silver Co. today announced the launch of a new sterling silver that keeps its shine indefinitely without the need for polishing. Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver is the first highly tarnish-resistant sterling available in all the traditional forms needed for wide scale manufacture. This new silver is set to replace up to 50% of the total worldwide silver market (*30 billion dollars) share from traditional sterling silver and be worth a total of 15 billion dollars as early as the year 2010.

Some of the world's leading retailers, including Tiffany and Gucci, as well as leading manufacturers and designers have already made products with Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver. Mass-market distribution will increase steadily as partnerships like these continue to be formed and developed. Consumers will easily be able to identify a genuine Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver product by the Argentium silver mark stamped on all its products.

An independent test published today by CATRA (The Cutlery and Allied Trades Association) in the UK lends weight to Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver's highly tarnish-resistant claim. Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver was tested alongside standard sterling silver in an accelerated tarnishing test, using the most aggressive and corrosive conditions that can be created. These conditions represent a tarnishing atmosphere vastly greater than would be experienced in the average American household and a time frame of many years

Renowned silver expert Charles Allenden says, ''Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver is the most tarnish-resistant sterling silver that has ever been developed. Extensive testing in independent laboratories, using atmospheres at least 20,000 times more aggressive than in the typical home, have shown that if standard sterling silver tarnishes in two weeks, then Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver will still be tarnish-free after two years. This does not rely on plating or coatings that will degrade or be washed off over time. Indeed, Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver is guaranteed to exceed the minimum silver content required by law for any sterling silver article. "

Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver builds and increases its tarnish resistance over time and has the ability to constantly regenerate its anti- tarnishing properties.

The introduction of Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver has tremendous business, manufacturing, and distribution implications. Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver provides a myriad of industry-changing benefits for alloy manufacturers, designers, retailers and consumers.

Beyond the obvious consumer benefit of high tarnish-resistance, Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver offers a wide range of benefits including:

• It is fire scale-free when heated, which eliminates processes that use hazardous materials needed to strip firescale from standard sterling silver materials. Therefore, it's environmentally safer in the workplace and for the community.
• It is the first sterling silver to be laser-welded in a manufacturing context
• It is capable of achieving hardness levels twice those of standard sterling silver
• It affords increased ductility which assists in the forming processes including spinning and stamping

Ken Mannering, Director of Marketing for Argentium Silver Co, said, "Because of its extensive benefits, Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver has immediately been accepted by leading industry figures and organizations. Our new silver overcomes many problems that traditional sterling silver has. This is how silver was meant to be."

Michael DiRienzo, Executive Director and Secretary for The Silver Institute, says, "One of the core missions of The Silver Institute is to report and highlight innovations in the silver market, and we are pleased that the Argentium Silver Co. has launched its highly tarnish-resistant silver. We wish them much success and look forward to following their progress."

Michael Merolla, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Stern-Leach - the leading manufacturer of silver alloy and fabricated silver in the U.S. - says, "Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver will open a host of new opportunities for our customers. By using Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver, our customers can develop new and innovative products that have the prestige of sterling silver without the limitations associated with traditional sterling silver. Because of its unique properties, Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver is poised to replace up to 50% of the total North American silver market."

Cynthia Eid, a Lexington, Massachusetts-based jewelry designer and metalsmith who has been working with the alloy for several years, says, "This is a major breakthrough for silver. I was thrilled to find out that Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver does not firescale, and that it is more ductile than any other sterling silver alloy out there. It is also extremely tarnish-resistant - I have not seen any of the pieces I've worked with tarnish whatsoever. Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver has everything going for it, and it's been a huge hit with my clients."

Initial testing of Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver with consumers has caused an incredibly high interest in the product because of its highly tarnish-resistant capabilities. For products made out of Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver, consumers no longer have to worry about the beauty of their products. Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver remains bright without the need to polish it. Dust, grease and finger marks can be easily wiped away using a soft polishing cloth.

For designers, the unique properties of Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver - particularly because it can be made both harder and more ductile - creates an extended range of design capabilities and space for experimentation not possible with standard sterling silver.

For example, any product requiring spring properties or memory, either components or finished pieces, cannot be made successfully in standard sterling silver. Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver possesses the necessary properties to solve this problem, and because it is stronger and more dent-resistant, it allows for bolder, bigger and unique designs that are lighter and do not sacrifice quality.

Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver also benefits retailers as it increases shelf life of products without the need to re-polish on a regular basis. Simple dusting with a soft cloth will remove finger marks and maintain the original, bright condition of the product. A typical standard sterling silver piece requires re-polishing after two weeks of exposure to normal air conditions, and must continue to be maintained at very frequent intervals.

Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver was invented at Middlesex University, in the UK. Argentium Silver Co has partnered with Stern-Leach, the leading American manufacturer of silver alloy and fabricated silver, to make Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver available today to silversmiths, designers and retailers.

Charles Allenden is a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgy and Micro Structural Engineering with 20 years of working experience in silver production

* The worldwide silver market figure of 30 billion was derived utilizing research, reports and surveys from three independent resources: World Silver Survey from The Silver Institute in Washington, D.C. ; Buckingham Research Associates, Berkshire, U.K. ; and Competitive Analysis from the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London, England.

About Argentium Silver Co.

Argentium Silver Co. (A.S.Co), a spinout from Middlesex University, is a new kind of pioneering technology transfer company based in London, UK. A.S.Co has set out to bring Argentium(TM) Sterling Silver to market in partnership with a selection of the world's leading silver manufacturers, designers and retailers.

About Stern-Leach

A company with over 100 years of experience, Stern-Leach is the market leader of fabricated gold and silver alloys producing products in an infinite combination of sizes, shapes, and forms. Primary industries served are jewelry manufacturers, silversmiths, giftware, writing instruments, and national mints industries.

Stern-Leach is part of The Cookson Group, an international materials technology group, which provides advanced materials, equipment and enabling technologies to organizations worldwide. With products and expertise in metal, ceramics, electronics, and materials science, companies within the Cookson Group are leaders in their respective fields.

About Red Consultancy USA

RED USA is a multi-specialist agency based in New York, offering consumer, corporate and business-to-business PR. RED's purpose is to combine the best in strategic thinking with the best in creative execution without compromise.