First came the Copper Age, then when humans found out about tin, copper was mostly substituted for one of its alloys. During the Bronze Age weapons and tools were made from bronze which consists mostly of copper and tin and is harder than pure copper.
There was a time in jewelry making when copper was regarded to be an inferior material compared to silver or gold. Not only were people afraid copper would leave dark or green stains on their skin, they also didn't like that copper tends to oxidize easily, and it just wasn't good enough for them.
That has definitely changed again. There is non-tarnish copper and both bright and oxidized copper is widely seen in jewelry. People appreciate the warm, earthy tones and often even prefer it to the bright and shiny gold and silver.
Now I want to show you the designs that our members entered in this week's JAC Oldies but Goodies Challenge. No doubt about it, we like our copper, too!
1 and 8 Cat's Wire
2 and 7 Jewelry Art by Dawn
3 RioRita
4 and 9 Violetmoon's Corner
5 and 6 MC Stoneworks
I love working with copper, most of the time I use it to practice a design, I really like the warmth of the wire. My hubby however doesn't like my pieces made in copper. What does he know! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou should use it not just to practice, I think your designs would look beautiful in copper.
DeleteAnd yeah, what do men know ;-)