How to Patina Copper and Sterling Silver

How do you turn a shiny copper ring to a beautiful copper ring covered with a dark patina?

There are different methods, but I use a product called Liver of Sulfur-

Please Beware:  This product has dangerous fumes and should be handled only in a well ventilated area.  Do not handle the product with your hands.  Wear gloves or use tweezers to hold your piece.  Another thing you should know is that it smells of rotten eggs!!  That's right... rotten eggs!!  :)

The pictures below will show you  my method:  

1st thing to do is to clean your piece of jewelry or metal with pickle solution (please don't reach for the pickle jar from your refrigerator).  When I mention pickle solution I mean an acid base mixture used to remove dirt, oil or fire scale.  You can make a basic pickle solution with citric acid which works very well for copper and silver (I'll post an article about it in the future).

*As mentioned previously, make sure to not handle your jewelry with your hands, after you've done pickling it in your acid solution.  The oil from your fingers will interfere with the patina.

Secondly, I use a small Crock Pot (they're quite inexpensive, but I got mine as a bonus when I purchased my large Crock pot for my kitchen).  

I add a bit of water, no more than about 1/2 cup to my crock pot put it on and wait for the water to get hot;

Once water is hot, add a thumbnail size of the Liver of Sulfur to the hot water and stir until it dissolves (use a junk piece of metal to stir);

You can also add 1 tsp of ammonia (I didn't do this thus far, but it's advised to this in order the deepen the patina);

*Dip your piece of metal quickly, rinse it, check to see if the color is to your liking and if not, dip it again and repeat the rinsing process.

You can use a brass brush to sort of polish it up and repeat the dipping and re-polish.

I hope my method was helpful for you beginners out there!

More Sterling Silver Rings to my Etsy Shop

I added more beautiful spoon rings to my Etsy Shop.  They're wide rings with lots of beautiful detail.  I love the antiqued look!!  They make the most wonderful thumb rings.  These spoon rings are so original and unique!!  You will just love them. Click here for more info of spoon ring.


I also added a few more wire wrapped rings as well.  The most recent being the Chalcedony (blue agate) ring in .925 sterling silver wire work.  The blue is very soft with a touch of lilac to mauve; it's very delicate and unique! Click here to see more information on this ring.  Click here to go to main page of my Etsy Shop

Sterling Silver Rings with Beach Stones Wire Wrapped Designs

I've been slowly adding all of my walk-in store inventory to my Etsy Shop.  Today I've decided to begin adding my .925 sterling silver, gemstone rings.  I love these beautiful rings!!  The stones are really what make these rings so amazing.  Some of my rings are made from local, beach stones we hand picked and polished in our rock tumbler; other stones we purchased from different dealers around the world.

Take advantage of my "Black Friday Sale" where you have the opportunity of saving up to 40%.  Go to that category in my Etsy shop here.  Also, I'm offering a coupon for savings of 10% off entire Etsy Shop: BAYSAVE10.  Although this is not a promotion, I offer free shipping on most of my smaller items and most of my jewelry.  There are lots of savings going on in my store and it's the perfect time to take advantage.  I have decided to extend my Black Friday sale until Monday night - Go here to check out Black Friday deals in my Etsy Shop.

Sea Glass, Beach Glass and Mermaid Tears

When I started making jewelry over 7 years ago, that's when I really discovered sea glass for the first time.  Not that I had never noticed it before when I was walking bare foot in the sand, but I never thought of it as something precious.  To be honest, I would be frustrated because in my eyes these were pieces of garbage scattered on the beach; a display of negligence and selfishness .  With time and a little bit of research, I've come to appreciate sea glass as being beautiful, frosty gems, gently tumbled with the tides of time; little pieces of coloured history as it may.

Every time I find sea glass, especially a rarer colour such as blue, aqua, mauve, orange, red or black, I ponder and try to imagine its journey. The Bay of Chaleur is so rich with history that one cannot help but wonder if some of this glass wasn't from an old English Ship, a French frigate from France, an Oriental cargo ship, or perhaps it was from the local lobster fishermen who after finishing their favourite drink, hid the evidence at the bottom of the Bay.  As you can see, the possibilities are endless.  Why don't you let your imagination run free the next time you spot these multi-coloured gems in the sand and come up with your own story; a romantic one.

Here is one of my pieces of wire wrapped jewelry with a beautiful greenish-blue colour of sea glass in .925 sterling silver wire.  Click here for more info on pendant and chain.