Jewelry Finishing Techniques in Wired For You by Janice M Wolfe Jewelry Designs

Jewelry finishing techniques in my jewelry designs results in jewelry being dark and mysterious or bright and shiny. The finish I use depends on the style or look I am trying to achieve. It also is largely de on a customer’s preference when placing an order for a custom design.This article will aid you in understanding the differences in the finishing techniques.

Dark and Mysterious Finish: Patinas

If you think of your Grandmother’s silver flatware, you can visualize what is meant by old world craftsmanship finishing with a dark patina. In the image at right, the silver has high and low areas. Perhaps the silver started out being completely polished, all bright and shiny.

Over the years however, the silver develops a patina or darkening. Typically, when you polish silver you rub the high areas to a shine, while the recessed areas retain the darkness of the patina. The same can be accomplished with patinas applied to jewelry. Some areas of the jewelry remain dark, while other high areas remain bright and shiny. A jewelry design can be enhanced by applying various color patinas. In my jewelry designs, if I apply a patina, it is usually a dark color to bring out the intricate wire work of my finished design.

Bright and Shiny Finish: High Polish

Highly polished metal rids the surface of tarnish or other impurities. It also smooths the surface of the metal and removes any scratches, nicks, or imperfections. Attaining a high surface polish on silver can be done a number of different ways: polishing by hand, or using machines. Since my jewelry designs are fabricated using wire, most of my polishing is done by hand. I do use a jewelry tumbler to put a final polish on the entire piece. This process also hardens the silver and prevents the final piece from any deformations.

Anti-tarnish and Protective Coatings or Sealants

Sterling silver tarnishes because the metal contains a small amount of copper. Pure silver is tarnish resistant because it has no discernible copper or other alloy in it. Copper will always tarnish or develop a patina on it. Patinas actually work to prevent deep corrosion of the metal and should not be confused with rust. Patina is a natural, chemical reaction on the surface of the metals and is caused by hydrogen sulfide in any material (including air) that comes in contact with the metal.

There are several choices for jewelers to use when deciding how to improve tarnish resistance on a piece of jewelry that is subject to this natural metal reaction to materials containing hydrogen sulfide. Among the finishes used are wax, jewelry polish, cloths, sealants and protective coatings. There are different advantages for each option.

Waxes and Polish

Using wax and jewelry polish will eventually rub off and must be reapplied. However, when silver patinas over time, the dark recesses it develops will enhance the design outlines and form. Many jewelers consider this natural patina over time to be value added to the jewelry.

Polishing cloths that are embedded with jewelry polish are used to keep the silver jewelry looking fresh and new. Pieces that are finished with a high shine also benefit from routine cleaning with a polishing cloth, just like you would clean your Grandmother’s cherished sterling silver flatware you inherited.

Protective Coatings or Sealants

Protective coatings or sealants for some jewelry designs will completely halt tarnish or deepen patinas on metals that have a tendency to quickly darken. Copper is one metal used in jewelry design that will quickly turn to a dark brown — unless the jeweler employs a protective finish. Even copper jewelry that has been polished with wax will eventually turn brown. In most cases, the brown patina on the jewelry has a negative impact on the piece.

Think ‘dark pennies’ in your penny jar. Your copper jewelry without a protective coating or sealant will eventually look like an old brown penny.

Wired For You by Janice M Wolfe Jewelry Finishes

I used both a shiny and brightly polished finish and a dark and mysterious finish in my jewelry designs. A completed piece of jewelry in my Handcrafted Jewelry Showcase will illustrate the various finishes I have used in my art.

My Silver Jewelry Designs

My silver jewelry is fabricated with pure (.999) silver and a small amount of sterling silver. I do not apply a protective coating to my silver designs. Rather I finish the pieces with jewelry polish and cloth so the metal retains it’s natural composition. When you receive a silver jewelry design from Wired For You by Janice M Wolfe, you also receive instructions on how to care for your handcrafted jewelry for years to come. With very little effort, my jewelry designs that are handed down to another generation, will look as new as the day you received it.

My Copper Jewelry Designs

My copper jewelry is fabricated with pure copper metal. I offer two different finishes for my copper designs: bright and shiny and dark and mysterious. The bright and shiny pieces are sealed with a protective coating. Some of my copper pieces are given an old world antiquelook by applying a safe, chemical process that hasten the darkening of the copper to an almost black patina. Then, the piece is polished off to reveal the bright copper underneath the patina. Some of the dark patina remains in the deep crevices of the wire, to enhance the design and shape of the finished jewelry. Finally, the old world antique look is sealed with a protective coating to halt the natural oxidation of the copper over time. The result is a piece of copper jewelry that has an old world antique look that will not alter year after year.

Other Articles of Interest…

You may also be interested in reading Jewelry Style Guide, Gemstone Reference, Wired For You in Copper, and Wired For You in Silver.

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Do you have any questions or comments? I’d love to hear from you. Please contact me!