Copper and brass jewelry have been used in the jewelry industry for decades. Their warm, earthy tones and durability have made them one of the most valuable metals in the industry. However, what is better between copper and brass jewelry?
If you've shopped for jewelry, you've probably come across copper and brass jewelry. Both have an exceptional track record throughout history and are still used in modern jewelry today. Copper and brass jewelry are durable, affordable, and available in a variety of unique and colorful designs.
However, these two metals have their own advantages and disadvantages. So let's dive into the comparison between copper and brass jewelry.
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Copper vs Brass Jewelry
Copper jewelry is made up of the metal copper, which is also an important mineral found in the body and in nature. It has a reddish-brown color and is a soft and highly malleable metal. Copper has been used to make jewelry since the 8th century BC, as it can be easily shaped into different shapes, as well as a variety of prints and engravings.
Brass ornaments were also used in ancient times to make jewelry. It looks like gold, is very easy to process and durable. Metal brass is an alloy of zinc and copper. The quality of brass jewelry varies depending on the amount of individual metals used to make it. Sometimes jewelry manufacturers add nickel and copper, which leads to allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin.
Physical properties
The characteristics of brass depend on additional alloying elements added to improve process parameters. For example, the density value varies in the range of 8300-8700 kg/m3.
The main physical properties of brass are:
- the specific heat capacity when heated to 20 C is 0.377 kJ kg−1 K−1;
- electrical resistivity 0.07*10−6 Ohm m;
- is not ferromagnetic and does not acquire magnetic properties when exposed to critical temperatures;
- the melting point averages 900 degrees;
- high resistance to corrosion and destruction;
- durable;
- plastic,
- good for forging and processing;
- resistant to temperature changes.
Brass, as a conglomerate of several metals, has a weak conductivity of electric current. Composite metals create distortion in crystal lattices. The resulting voltage fields form the resistivity. Copper itself is an excellent conductor of electric current, which is why all wires are made of copper.
The melting point of brass alloy depends on the percentage of zinc. The more zinc, the easier it is to melt brass.
Rolled brass metal is well suited to arc and gas welding. Well polished and rolled. Resists weathering better than pure copper.
Additions of bismuth and lead to a brass alloy reduce the elastic properties of the metal, making it brittle when exposed to high temperatures (at 500 degrees).
Difference between copper and brass jewelry
Material composition
One of the main differences between brass and copper jewelry is their material composition.
As mentioned earlier, copper jewelry is made of pure copper, while brass jewelry is made of brass, which is a combination of copper and zinc.
In some cases, brass jewelry may contain lead or nickel. As a result, these two types of jewelry have distinctive characteristics due to their material composition.
Appearance
Copper jewelry has a warm, reddish-brown, earthy tone, while brass jewelry has a yellow gold look.
Brass jewelry is one of the affordable alternatives to yellow gold as its warm golden tones convey a sense of sophistication and prestige.
On the other hand, copper jewelry offers its wearers a warm and orange earthy tone that goes with multiple colors and different design patterns.
Durability
Naturally, copper metal is a soft metal.
Jewelry manufacturers combine it with other metals such as zinc and tin to increase its tensile strength.
Therefore, brass jewelry is more durable than copper jewelry.
However, copper jewelry consists of more innovative designs and shapes than brass jewelry because copper is easier to bend and shape into different shapes and styles.
Kinds
Like faucets made of other materials, brass faucets are divided according to their purpose into kitchen, bathroom, and shower.
According to the principle of operation they are divided into:
- Valve - a classic option when the water supply is regulated by two valve taps for hot and cold water.
- Lever - raising/lowering the lever regulates the water supply, and turning it to the right/left controls its temperature.
- Touch - have a thermostat and a sensor that responds to the movement of a person located in the sensor’s coverage area.
Advantages of copper jewelry
Versatility
Copper metal is very malleable, which means jewelers mold and bend it to create unique and stylish pieces. Because of its versatility, copper can easily be combined with other gemstones to create a variety of styles. Its orange and earthy color also pairs easily with a variety of colors and engraved designs.
Accessible
Copper jewelry is quite affordable and comes in different designs to suit different lifestyles and tastes. However, it is more expensive than its alloys such as bronze and brass jewelry.
Benefit for health
Wearing copper jewelry helps reduce copper deficiency in the human body. The body absorbs copper from your copper bracelet, ring or necklace and uses it for various processes in the body. Copper helps reduce arthritis, inflammation and headaches while improving digestion.
Cons of copper jewelry
Bleaching
One common drawback that causes many buyers to shy away from purchasing copper jewelry is that it often turns the point of contact with your skin green. Copper metal oxidizes easily in air and moisture to form copper oxide, which turns your skin green. The discoloration is not harmful, but it is a nuisance for owners since no one wants to walk around with green spots on their skin.
Durability
It is well known that copper is a soft metal. Thus, its strength is compromised when compared to other precious metals and alloys used in jewelry making. It can easily break, bend and scratch. However, with reasonable care and maintenance, it can last a long time.
Jewelry casting at home for beginners
But how are we going to fuse paraffin onto a ring when it is incredibly fluid and unpredictable? It turned out that everything is much simpler. In the process, the master realized that paraffin remains plastic for a long time and can be deformed like plasticine. And so it happened. He simply molded the desired ring shape and continued. True, it wouldn’t hurt to go through a soldering iron in order to fuse the molded boundaries. But the master decided not to do this. Later on the castings this will appear as a defect, but not so bad that you can’t wear this ring. Now we need to process the molded model. The master decided to do it with sandpaper, but he doesn’t remember whether it was forty or sixty, but it was definitely very rough. And again for good reason. The fact is that a large grain of sandpaper leaves a deep mark on the paraffin and gives it texture. Therefore, carefully walking along the front part of the ring with coarse sandpaper, we will leave the resulting texture for casting. Since the paraffin could fail at any moment, the master decided to leave the finishing work to the brass casting.
We put the model aside and prepare the bases for fixing the model. The simplest thing is to make it from plasticine. We knead it and sculpt a hemisphere into which we will install sprues in the future, and subsequently this sphere will become a kind of pocket for melting metal before pouring. Therefore, you should not make the sphere too flat. It is necessary that all the molten metal fits in it. By the time of casting you will understand everything and see for yourself what it looks like.
As a flask (a metal mandrel for pouring the molding mixture), you can take a very ordinary metal pipe; for example, a plumbing store should have pieces of a suitable size.
We will make the sprues from 2 nails. We bite off the excess with pliers and install them in our plasticine sphere. After installing them, we somehow need to attach the wax model to the metal sprues. To do this, the author decided to take a burner and slightly heat the nails, and then lean the ring against them. Hot nails will easily melt the paraffin and go deep into the model.
And actually, it turned out quite well. When the plaster gets stronger, you can clean the mold from sagging and separate the plasticine from the sprues. Now comes the most crucial moment - the moment of calcination of the mold. In the instructions for the molding compound, there is a map that indicates the calcination cycle of 15 hours. But since this goes against knee technology, it would be fair to reduce this time to 40 minutes.
This is bad and wrong, but still possible. The main thing here is to provide gentle heating at first, so that the water from the plaster begins to evaporate, and the paraffin begins to smoothly melt and flow out. The master used a roofing torch for this, since he had one. You can get by with a household burner, or you can start with a very ordinary oven, it will be more correct. Just don’t forget to place the mold with the sprues down in some kind of tray so that there is somewhere for the paraffin to drain.
You can pour metal at home in several ways: using potatoes, clay, or any other dense, moisture-containing material. But the author has never mastered this method, so he will cast metal using a manual centrifuge.
It looks like a glass with four bolts (for more reliable fixation of the flask), a chain and a handle made of PVC pipe with bearings inside (for long-term unhindered torsion).
The author welded this thing himself, but you can get by with, for example, a metal mug.
We heat the mold until red and prepare to pour the brass. As a starting material, you can take brass plumbing fittings. They're great for this. Well, or if you are braver, you can immediately pour silver or even gold. There are no restrictions on metal in knee technologies.
Pros of brass jewelry
Durable metal
Copper is mixed with zinc to form a brass alloy, which is strong and durable enough to make long-lasting jewelry. This resilient metal can last for generations without bending or breaking. Moreover, its durable and highly malleable nature allows it to be made into various forms of jewelry, including rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
Golden look
Many people prefer brass jewelry because of its similarity to gold. If you prefer to wear yellow gold jewelry, brass jewelry is a more affordable option. As a result, you will have a versatile and inexpensive line of jewelry at a fraction of the price.
Recommendations for selection
The cost of silumin products is lower than brass, so many users purchase budget products. Even if devices made from an alloy of aluminum and silicon are treated with care and shocks are avoided, destruction inside the housing can occur due to a water hammer in the water supply system.
Silumin cranes are used for no more than 1.5 - 2.5 years and, most often, cannot be repaired. They are installed in temporary cabins, trailers, and dachas.
Brass faucets are of high quality and are used in bathrooms of apartments and private houses. The products are designed to last for a long time; gaskets and valve axle boxes are replaced in them, so we can talk about the possibility of repair.
Cons of brass jewelry
Not hypoallergenic
One of the main disadvantages of brass jewelry is that it is not hypoallergenic. As a result, people with sensitive skin may react to wearing such jewelry.
Additionally, some manufacturers add lead and nickel to brass jewelry, which are common allergens in the jewelry industry.
Similarly, the copper found in brass jewelry oxidizes to form copper oxide, which causes the skin to change color to green.
Influence of constituent elements
To expand the range of uses of brass and improve its properties, alloying components are added to the alloy. Each component element has a specific effect:
- silicon reduces the hardness value, making the material less durable, but resistant to wear during prolonged friction;
- manganese increases strength and corrosion resistance;
- tin, aluminum and iron in small proportions are added to the alloy along with manganese to improve strength values;
- Lead has almost ceased to be added as an alloying element; it reduces the mechanical properties of the alloy, impairs ductility and elasticity;
- nickel increases corrosion resistance and makes it possible to use the metal in alkaline environments;
- aluminum, aluminum oxide creates a protective coating on the surface of the metal, which prevents oxidative processes from having a destructive effect;
- Tin is a light metal; its addition improves strength and corrosion resistance.
The alloy with tin is widely used to create components for ships that constantly operate in seawater conditions.
Are copper jewelry worth anything?
Copper jewelry ranges from jewelry to inexpensive items. The type of jewelry you buy determines its cost. Typically, vintage copper jewelry is more valuable than copper jewelry from a street fair or market.
Likewise, gemstones and embellishments in copper jewelry add value. Your copper jewelry may contain gold, silver, or diamond gemstones, which automatically increases its price. Buying copper jewelry from a reputable seller helps you understand whether your jewelry is worth anything.
