Create Handcrafted Jewelry Handmade Earrings Unique Bracelets UsingPatinas | Handmade Jewelry Blog

Oct 8, 2009 Handmade Jewelry, Uncategorized, handcrafted artisan jewelry, handcrafted jewelry, handmade bracelets,handmade earrings, unique gift ideas, unique gifts, unique jewelry, wholesale fashion jewelry, wholesale jewelry

Handmade earrings, Handcrafted jewelry, Unique Earrings with green patina

Creating incredible layers of color on your handmade jewelry is easily achieved with the use of Liver of sulfur. Thiswondrous chemical compound oxidizes many different metals creating fantastic colors on your handmade earrings andunique bracelets making your handmade jewelry extraordinary. The varieties of colors that can be achieved areincredible ranging from gold to black and everything in between. No other chemical can produce such wide-rangingcolor patterns on the surface of a variety of metals including silver and copper jewelry.

Working in a well ventilated area is a definite must, outdoors is preferable. The odor of rotten eggs given off by liverof sulfur can be overwhelming if used in a closed area. It is easy to be put off by the smell but the results that can beachieved are simply amazing.

Liver of sulfur comes in two types. The liquid form can be used straight from the bottle, but the shelf life isunpredictable even when stored in a cool, dark place. Solid liver of sulfur is usually sold in small chunks, which aremixed as needed. For this reason, it is better to buy small amounts of the solid and make your solution mixing onlywhat you need to create the most beautiful handcrafted jewelry.

For your solution, put a 1cm or 1/4 inch clump of solid liver of sulfur in a glass or plastic container with about 1 cup ofwater. The color of the solution should be a very pale yellow. A strong solution will develop the colors too quickly tostop the process at your desired color while too weak of a solution can take too long and build a thick flaky crust.Experiment to find the best concentration for the metal you are working with to get the results you want.

Set up your workstation so you can easily go from one step to the next. Have a heat source, the liver of sulfur solution,cold water bath and finally a soapy baking soda rinse. The secret is to control the process is the solution strength andthe temperature. The hotter solution will react more quickly and the colors will move faster from one color to the next.They roughly go from gold, pink, blue, purple, gray and finally black.

Before you begin, your metal handcrafted jewelry piece should be clean and free from dirt or oils from your hands.Wearing gloves throughout the process is preferable. Liver of sulfur will begin to react the instant you put handmadebracelets or handmade earrings into it. Let the color develop for a couple of seconds on the handmade jewelry piece,then put in the cold water to stop the patina forming. Repeat these steps until you reach the desired color. Finally, rinsethe piece in soapy baking soda solution to remove any liver of sulfur residue that could continue to change the color ofthe patina. Do not rub the handcrafted jewelry piece with the baking soda mixture as any abrasive will damage thepatina finish you have worked hard to create.

Liver of sulfur produces a patina finish on metal handmade jewelry but if not treated the effects will wear over time.Use a clear lacquer finish to protect your handmade earrings and handmade bracelets with their new patina finish. Beadventurous and watch how a little color can change your handcrafted jewelry into a masterpiece!

 This article is an original article by Jennifer Hisir of Handmade Jewelry by Copper Reflections and may be reprintedas long as the hyper-links are kept intact with working links.

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