Great Article on Copper Patina
Copper Jewelry - To Patina Or Not To Patina
by niceladyjewelry
What The Heck Is A Patina?
Patina is one of those words artsy types throw around. I create
artsy jewelry, I'm an artsy type; and I do say things like, "This Copper
Pendant will develop a lovely Patina in time." But I'm also down to earth,
so when I use the word, Patina, I go a bit further and try to explain myself.
A Patina is the shift in color of a metal's surface. It can develop naturally as a result of ongoing oxidation from exposure to moisture in the air; or the color change can be induced with chemicals that speed the process.
The simplest way to demonstrate
is to examine a handful of Copper pennies. You will notice the newer pennies
are bright and shiny, while the older ones are darker. That's Patina at work.
Ohmigosh... it's turning dark
Copper is a beautiful metal. Its
color varies from warm, glowing brown to deepest burnt umber. Or even green,
like an old statue you might see in a public park. Some people call the dark
brown Patina Antique, because that word is easier to relate to; but the color
variation that makes Copper so versatile and beautiful for one person, so
attractive against any skin color, can be the very thing that makes another
wearer say, Ohmigosh.. It's turning dark, and head for the metal cleaner.
So how do I get rid of this Patina?
Let's play kitchen scientist for
a moment. First go to your kitchen, then pour a bit of lemon juice in a glass,
just enough to cover a penny laying flat. Add a little salt and shake it a
little until the salt dissolves.
Then take a few of those pennies
you were looking at and drop them in. You will see changes very quickly as the
solution clears away the darkness. The pennies will brighten; but if the Patina
is really dark it won't come off completely. Next remove your pennies, rinse
away all of the solution with water and dry them.
So what you're saying is, if I
have Natural Copper Jewelry and I don't like the Patina, I can clean it off?
Exactly! And if you'd prefer to
keep your lemon juice for tea and your salt for popcorn, there are tons of
metal cleaners that will do a good job. Tarn-x, Brasso, and many other brands.
There are metal cleaning Mousses and Pastes and Oils. Carbona, the stain
people, sell packages of disposable Copper polishing cloths you can get in some
grocery stores. Some of these products do both cleaning and polishing.
So now you have a choice- To
Patina Or Not To Patina.
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