Brass jewellery is any ornamental piece crafted from brass, an alloy constituting two metals – copper and zinc. It has a warm, attractive golden tone that bears a close resemblance to gold. Brass is affordable too making it the material of choice among many artisans and jewellery lovers.
Brass jewellery may be less valuable than pure silver or gold but it is just as trendy as the duo.
Is Brass a Good Metal For Jewellery?
Brass is indeed a good metal for jewellery. It is very ductile, which is a desirable quality for metal jewellers. It can be easily manipulated into any design, be it intricate twists and cuts, or chunky shapes for statement pieces.
Most importantly, brass is corrosion and rust-resistant.
How Durable is Brass Jewellery?
Brass is a fairly hard metal. It’s far from stiff yet it’s tough. It won’t break or crack under pressure but somewhat stretches. Maintained under ideal conditions, brass will last for centuries. As a result, brass jewellery is durable and could outlive you if you care for it well.
Some conditions that undermine the longevity of brass include ammonia, moisture, and acidic, and salty environments. Chemicals from deodorants, perfumes, and skin moisturizers are bad for brass too.
Storing brass jewellery in a dry, preferably airtight container, pouch, or box when not in use will preserve it.
***It is worth noting that brass-plated jewellery can easily pass as solid brass. Brass-plated jewellery is not durable. It will fade over time, exposing the actual metal underneath, usually not as beautiful as brass. You’ll then have to either give it up or put up with the headache of occasional replating.
To be absolutely sure you got solid brass jewellery, introduce the piece to a magnet. Solid brass is non-magnetic. Another way to do it is to scratch a hidden part of the jewellery and note the colour underneath. Anything other than a beautiful yellow-gold tone is brass-plated.
Can I Shower With Brass Jewellery?
When exposed to water and soap, pure brass will tarnish, but the speed depends on the chemistry of the water. Higher PH, chlorides, sulfides, basically any salinity, or acidity accelerates oxidation.
Also, brass jewellery may dezincify in water, a process where the zinc molecules slowly dissolve when it sits in water for too long. With time, the brass becomes very weak and loses form.
Therefore, we would advise against showering or bathing with brass jewellery. And the same goes for swimming and cleaning.
Is It Safe To Wear Brass Jewellery?
Some metals are notorious for toxicity -cadmium, lead, nickel, mercury, to mention but a few. Therefore, it is essential to know your metals to avoid possible metal-jewellery poisoning.
Thankfully, pure brass is one of the most jewellery-safe metals. It only contains zinc and copper, both of which are needed by the body in the right dose to stay healthy.
In fact, folklore swears by brass jewellery in improving one’s health. Wearing brass is alleged to spike energy levels and improve metabolism by providing the body with copper chalets absorbed through the skin.
Arthritis, headaches, and other conditions are also said to improve with regular wear of brass. Though there isn’t enough scientific evidence to prove this, it will still look nice if you try it.
Does Brass Jewellery Turn Your Skin Green?
Indeed, brass jewellery does turn the skin green after wearing it for a long time. There’s no need to get into panic mode when it happens. The Hulk tint is superficial and not permanent. It can easily be removed by washing with soap and water.
Why does brass turn the skin green anyway?
Well, it is the copper component that actually makes brass leave a greenish residue on the skin. When copper meets oxygen and fuses with humidity from sweat through the skin pores, it oxidizes forming a greenish layer.
This natural oxidation patina is non-toxic and completely harmless. Some people even consider it ornamental. There’s a simple hack to avoid the green discoloration on your skin from wearing brass jewellery; applying lacquer or clear nail polish to the parts that touch the skin.
