A tungsten alloy feedthrough for ceramic discharge vessels is used to form a hermetic seal with the ceramic body of the discharge vessel. The tungsten alloy comprises tungsten alloyed with a metal selected from titanium, vanadium or a combination thereof. The alloy may be formulated to have a coefficient of thermal expansion that closely matches that of the ceramic to prevent cracking. Preferably, the tungsten alloy contains from about 10 to about 35 wt. % of a metal selected from Ti, V, or a combination thereof.