Argent

Metals

Argent(Ger. Weiß, Weiss, Silber, or silbern) is similarly derived from the French argent, "silver". Although sometimes depicted as metallic silver or faint grey, it is more often represented by white, in part because of the tendency for silver paint to oxidize and darken over time, and in part because of the pleasing effect of white against a contrasting colour. Notwithstanding the widespread use of white for argent, the heraldist Arthur Charles Fox-Davies suggested the existence of white as a distinct heraldic colour. The blazon of the coat of arms of Pope Leo XIV is also notable for its rare distinction between the metal argent and the colour "white".