The Greek argyreos (ἀργύρεος) means 'made of silver' or 'silver.' It is the adjectival form of argyros (silver). In the New Testament it appears in Acts 19:24, describing the silver shrines of Artemis made by Demetrius the silversmith in Ephesus, and in 2 Timothy 2:20, where silver vessels are used metaphorically for people of honorable use in God's household.
The contrast between argyreos (silver) vessels in 2 Timothy 2:20 and articles of wood and clay points to the choices believers make about their own character formation. Paul uses household vessels as a metaphor for people within the church — some are noble, some ignoble. The question is not what material you were made of but what use you make of yourself: 'If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work' (2 Tim 2:21). Meanwhile, the silver shrines of Artemis in Acts 19 represent the clash between the gospel and economic systems built on idolatry. Where the gospel goes, idolatrous economies are threatened. The Reformation always has economic consequences.