Brass Jewelry

by Rena Klingenberg.
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The brass used in jewelry-making is sometimes called “jeweler’s bronze”.

Handmade brass cuff bracelet with stone

It’s a good choice for inexpensively adding a gold color to your jewelry design.

Brass resists tarnish better than many other jewelry metals, and when it does tarnish it tends to take on a brownish, antiqued color as it darkens.

Many jewelry artists like to give their brass components a colored patina – such as blue-green, black, or reddish-brown – by using various chemical products (available from jewelry suppliers).

Brass is a popular element for casting, because of its low melting point.

Many jewelry suppliers carry affordably-priced cast brass stampings, charms, clasps, findings, and other components.

You can also buy brass in chain, sheet or wire form.

Brass jewelry wire is often used for learning wire-wrapping techniques or for making a “rough draft” of a design before using more expensive sterling silver or gold-filled wire.

But it can also be used beautifully in the final jewelry design.