Your Copper Jewelry - How To Treat It Right

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IceLady | Aug 30, 2010 |

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Copper jewelry - what's not to like? It shines and has an earthy glow to it that is irresistible. What's that you just said? You just went out and bought every piece of copper jewelry you could find? Great! You're all set. But now that you own a really nice collection of copper jewelry, you will want to keep it in great shape. Read on to find out how.

If you wear your copper jewelry often, it will need a thorough cleaning about once a week. Using warm water with a bit of mild soap in it, gently rub your piece until visible dirt and skin oils are gone. Using cool water, rinse until all soap residue is removed. Set it aside and allow to it dry completely before wearing again. If your jewelry has any components that you think may not be washable, just moisten your cloth with water and a dab of soap and rub only the copper parts until they are clean. Rinse your cloth and wipe again to remove all the soap. Let it dry completely.

Your copper jewelry will benefit from a good polishing once in awhile. Mix a cup of lemon juice and a dash of salt, and dip your copper pieces in the solution. Remove them, rinse with clear water and dry them with a soft cloth. Make sure the piece didn't have any extra patina (the bluish color that copper gets with age) applied to enhance the design before you polish though, because that patina will come off and the piece may not look like It did when you bought it. You can also use a jewelry polishing cloth for this step, avoiding areas where you do want some patina build up to stay on for design purposes. Polishing cloths are available in jewelry stores and most stores that have a jewelry department should also carry them. Do not ever use silver polish or a silver polishing cloth on copper! It will scratch and damage your copper jewelry.

After cleaning and polishing your jewelry, you will need to store it in an airtight atmosphere to keep it looking its best. Zip-lock bags are perfect for this. I have found that the little snack-size bags are perfect for most pieces, and they can in turn be put in larger bags if you wish. Press as much air out of the bag as you can before zipping the bag completely shut. This step will not only keep air from tarnishing your copper jewelry, but will keep the copper beads and other components from getting scratched and will keep other pieces of your collection like your cheap cubic zirconia rings from being all and tangled up with your copper treasures while in storage.

You spent a lot of time and money on that collection of copper jewelry, so remember that just a little TLC can go a long way to keeping your copper jewelry sparkling clean, shiny and polished, as well as tarnish and tangle-free.