Giving Your Copper Jewelry a Vintage Glow

by Oksana Truhan

Copper is a beautiful metal and takes a patina really well. A soft oxidization of copper gives it warmer, softer finish. Here's how.

Instructions

I really love this moment -- when my piece is completed and I add a beautiful patina to it --shadows become more distinct, high points shine, and the piece just glows!

Oksana Truhan's Giving Your Copper Jewelry a Vintage Glow - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Oxidizing Wire, Oxidizing, Antiquing Wire, Antiquing, copper pendant

I use Patina Gel to make a liver of sulfur solution. It creates a secure and stable patina.

Oksana Truhan's Giving Your Copper Jewelry a Vintage Glow - , Contemporary Wire Jewelry, Oxidizing Wire, Oxidizing, Antiquing Wire, Antiquing, liver of sulfur

Add 3-5 drops to warm water and place your piece in the solution. Keep it in the solution until it becomes dark.
Please note that you must use raw copper or silver wire without any coating. The solution will only react with raw metal wire. This method will not work on colored craft wire.

Now we have to polish our piece. Polishing removes the patina on the high points and leaves it in all the depressions. You can continue to add and remove patina until you’re happy with the results. If you don’t like it, you can pickle the piece to start fresh. The finished piece should look warm and almost vintage. It’s always best to patina copper, as raw copper can look like plumbing pipes!