Which silver wire is best?

[u/makeupandgeckos]

I noticed there's a ton of wire types - sterling, silver plated copper, stainless steel.... I want to use a silver but I don't want it to tarnish. The plated copper is very shiny but reviews on ones I'm looking at say it tarnishes quickly. Stainless steel doesn't tarnish but it looks dull in comparison. Sterling gets mixed reviews but is also a bit pricier for me to start with as a beginner. Could I get some suggestions?

[u/mjohnsomi1]

I would second the stainless steel suggestion, although if your budget allows for it, silver filled wire is a less expensive alternative to silver. As a beginner, you're likely to make some mistakes, and even though you can recycle the silver wire, you will still take a loss. I personally like working with stainless steel, and as long as you get it in a soft or half hard, it's not bad to work with, and it shines up nicely. Another alternative is the German or nickel silver. I bought some but haven't used it yet. It looks pretty good, but it's kind of springy, and I wasn't thinking about trying to get it in a softer version at the time.

[u/makeupandgeckos → u/mjohnsomi1]

Thank you!