What The Heck Is A Patina?

Patina  is one of those words artsy types throw around. I create artsy jewelry, I'm an artsy type; and I do say things like,  "This Copper Pendant will develop a lovely Patina in time."  But I'm also down to earth, so when I use the word, Patina, I go a bit further and try to explain myself.

A Patina is the shift in color of a metal's surface. It can develop naturally as a result of ongoing oxidation from exposure to moisture in the air; or the color change can be induced with chemicals that speed the process. 

The simplest way to demonstrate is to examine a handfull of Copper pennies. You will notice the newer pennies are bright and shiny, while the older ones are darker. That's Patina At work.

Ohmigosh... it's turning dark

Copper is a beautiful metal. Its color varies from warm, glowing brown to deepest burnt umber. Or even green, like an old statue you might see in a public park. Some people call the dark brown Patina,  Antique, because that word is easier to relate to; but the color variation that makes Copper so versatile and beautiful for one person, so attractive against any skin color, can be the very thing that makes another wearer say, Ohmigosh.. It's turning dark, and  head for the metal cleaner.

So how do I get rid of this Patina?

Let's play kitchen scientist for a moment. First go to your kitchen, then pour a bit of lemon juice in a glass, just enough to cover a penny laying flat. Add a little salt and shake it a little until the salt disolves.

Then take a few of those pennies you were looking at and drop them in. You will see changes very quickly as the solution clears away the darkness. The pennies will brighten; but if the Patina is really dark it won't come off completly. Next remove your pennies, rinse away all of the solution with water and dry them.

So what you're saying is, if I have Natural Copper Jewelry and I don't like the Patina, I can clean it off?

Exactly! And if you'd prefer to keep your lemon juice for tea and your salt for popcorn, there are tons of metal cleaners that will do a good job. Tarn-x, Brasso, and many other brands. There are metal cleaning Mousses and Pastes and Oils. Carbona, the stain people, sell packages of disposable Copper polishing cloths you can get in some grocery stores. Some of these products do both cleaning and polishing.

So now you have a choice- To Patina Or Not To Patina.