[Jewelry making - Article 01021] - Re: [Orchid] Prejudice against copper materials?

[James Binnion]

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    When I first started selling my mokume gane jewelry I used copper
    and brass and silver in the pieces I made. Partly because I could
    not afford to experiment with gold but mostly because the colors
    available in the patinas of copper alloys are so varied and so much
    more intense visually than the colors available in gold alloys. The
    public however was not willing to pay enough to cover the labor
    required to make the jewelry because it was "just copper". Once I
    started to work in gold I had little trouble making a reasonable
    wage for my labor but the color contrast is much lower between the
    gold alloys. I did try adding some copper alloys to the laminate mix
    but the corrosion of the copper is so rapid when it is used in rings
    with gold alloys that a ring will literally come apart in a matter
    of a few years because the copper is etched away by the action of
    the corrosive chemicals in sweat and water. -- Jim Binnion 

James Binnion Metal Arts
Phone (360) 756-6550
Toll Free (877) 408 7287
Fax (360) 756-2160
http://www.mokume-gane.com
jbin AT mokume-gane.com
Member of the Better Business Bureau


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