A process for the manufacture of a coated wire, the process comprising at least the steps to: providing a precursor item consisting of a silver alloy consisting of silver in an amount in the range of from 95.99 to 99.49 wt.-%, palladium in an amount in the range of from 0.5 to 4 wt.-%, and further components in a total amount of from 0 to 100 wt.-ppm, wherein the individual amount of any further component is less than 30 wt.-ppm, wherein all amounts in wt.-% and wt.-ppm are based on the total weight of the precursor item, elongating the precursor item to form an elongated precursor item, until an intermediate cross-section in the range of from 7850 to 31400 μm 2 or an intermediate diameter in the range of from 100 to 200 μm is obtained, wherein step includes one or more sub-steps of intermediate batch annealing of the precursor item at an oven set temperature of from 400 to 800 °C for an exposure time in the range of from 50 to 150 minutes, depositing a single-layer coating of gold or palladium or a double-layer coating of an inner layer of nickel or palladium and an adjacent outer layer of gold on the surface of the elongated precursor item obtained after completion of process step, further elongating the coated precursor item obtained after completion of process step until a desired final cross-section or diameter is obtained, and finally strand annealing the coated precursor obtained after completion of process step at an oven set temperature in the range of from 200 to 600 °C for an exposure time in the range of from 0.4 to 0.8 seconds to form the coated wire, wherein the wire has an average cross-section in the range of 50 to 5024 μm 2, wherein the wire comprises a wire core with a surface, the wire core having a coating layer superimposed on its surface, wherein the wire core itself consists of a silver alloy consisting of silver in an amount in the range of from 95.99 to 99.49 wt.-%, palladium in an amount in the range of from 0.5 to 4 wt.-% and further components in a total amount of from 0 to 100 wt.-ppm, wherein the individual amount of any further component is less than 30 wt.-ppm, wherein all amounts in wt.-% and wt.-ppm are based on the total weight of the core, and wherein the coating layer is a 1 to 1000 nm thick single-layer of gold or palladium or a double-layer comprised of a 1 to 100 nm thick inner layer of nickel or palladium and an adjacent 1 to 200 nm thick outer layer of gold, providing a precursor item consisting of a silver alloy consisting of silver in an amount in the range of from 95.99 to 99.49 wt.-%, palladium in an amount in the range of from 0.5 to 4 wt.-%, and further components in a total amount of from 0 to 100 wt.-ppm, wherein the individual amount of any further component is less than 30 wt.-ppm, wherein all amounts in wt.-% and wt.-ppm are based on the total weight of the precursor item, elongating the precursor item to form an elongated precursor item, until an intermediate cross-section in the range of from 7850 to 31400 μm 2 or an intermediate diameter in the range of from 100 to 200 μm is obtained, wherein step includes one or more sub-steps of intermediate batch annealing of the precursor item at an oven set temperature of from 400 to 800 °C for an exposure time in the range of from 50 to 150 minutes, depositing a single-layer coating of gold or palladium or a double-layer coating of an inner layer of nickel or palladium and an adjacent outer layer of gold on the surface of the elongated precursor item obtained after completion of process step, further elongating the coated precursor item obtained after completion of process step until a desired final cross-section or diameter is obtained, and finally strand annealing the coated precursor obtained after completion of process step at an oven set temperature in the range of from 200 to 600 °C for an exposure time in the range of from 0.4 to 0.8 seconds to form the coated wire, wherein the wire has an average cross-section in the range of 50 to 5024 μm 2, wherein the wire comprises a wire core with a surface, the wire core having a coating layer superimposed on its surface, wherein the wire core itself consists of a silver alloy consisting of silver in an amount in the range of from 95.99 to 99.49 wt.-%, palladium in an amount in the range of from 0.5 to 4 wt.-% and further components in a total amount of from 0 to 100 wt.-ppm, wherein the individual amount of any further component is less than 30 wt.-ppm, wherein all amounts in wt.-% and wt.-ppm are based on the total weight of the core, and wherein the coating layer is a 1 to 1000 nm thick single-layer of gold or palladium or a double-layer comprised of a 1 to 100 nm thick inner layer of nickel or palladium and an adjacent 1 to 200 nm thick outer layer of gold,