Copper is an amazing metal that jewelry artists love since it is easy to mold and stamp as well as for its amazingly rich color.  Throughout history, copper has been used in jewelry as well as coins.  At one time, it was associated with gods and goddesses and was greatly valued by the elite.

Today, copper can be seen used in some of the most amazing jewelry but many will turn up their noses knowing that it will tarnish or turn their skin.  If you love the look of copper you can wear it; you just have to know how to care for it properly.

First, why does copper darken?  While the patina, or darkening, is a natural reaction of the metal, some can wear it daily with no problem and others can see it turn quickly.  This has to do with a number of factors such as an individual’s body chemistry.  The green on your skin tells you that your skin has become more acidic which happens when we sweat, are stressed, or change our diet, and that acid is dissolving the copper faster than the body can absorb it.  Your body may also be copper deficient and your body is trying to obtain it at a faster rate than you can absorb it.  No worries either way, a bit of soap and water will wash the green tint away.

So you own a copper piece but it isn’t that bright and shiny piece that you fell in love with!  Some jewelry artists intentionally darken their copper to achieve a certain look so what you see is what was intended.  If your piece is meant to be bright and shiny, there is a quick fix to bring it back to life.

Simply take a few tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with the same amount of water and drop your jewelry in.  Swish is around and let it soak a short time-literally just a couple of minutes.  Take out your jewelry and rinse it well with clean water.  If the piece is still tarnished, drop it in again and let it sit a little while longer. To speed up the process, use an old, soft toothbrush and lightly brush your jewelry to clean it a bit more.  Let your jewelry dry completely before wearing it again.

Please note that you will not want to use this method if your jewelry piece includes “added” patina which is design choices put in by the artist to enhance the look or if your jewelry contains any pearls or other soft stone!  If this is the case the best cleaning method will be to rub it with a polishing cloth and scrub away the tarnish.

Now that your jewelry is clean, how do you keep it that way?  As said before, there is no way, though some jewelry is coated to slow the patina process, to completely avoid the tarnish.  Your best bet is to store your jewelry in an anti-tarnish bag in a dry place.  If you don’t have one of these bags or boxes, you can store your jewelry with an anti-tarnish paper or a tightly sealed zip lock bag will also do the trick.

Now, go forth and check out all the amazing copper jewelry that is out there and rock one of the hottest trends.