Patina

What does it look like? It comes in many colors and is found on metal surfaces. It can occur naturally or artificially. For example, copper and bronze will turn green with enough exposure to the elements, especially salt and moisture. Rust is a common and deliberate patina on outdoor steel sculptures. This process is also called oxidation.

There are hundreds of recipes available to create patinas on different types of metal. Similar to the world of cooking, you can find recipes that teach you how to make patinas from scratch (be prepared to turn your studio into a chemistry lab) or you can buy patinas in dry or liquid form.

Why use a patina? Details of a design are visually enhanced by adding coloration to the recesses and then polishing the high points. Before the pre-mixed versions were available, people had to wait a long time for the process to develop naturally. Like aging a fine wine or cheese, chance played a huge role in the success of its development. This added to the value of a piece of jewelry.

What are the popular types of patinas used in jewelry? Two of the most popular types of patina's in the jewelry world are liver of sulfur and Silver Black, a brand name for hydrochloric acid. It is important to note that care should be used with the preparation, handling and disposal of the chemicals involved with patina.