Copper is very soft and easy to work with but it's also easy to scratch and gouge. It tarnishes very quickly in humid climates, so consider your environment and skin chemistry when ordering copper pieces. If you live in a dry climate you can watch the metal age and go through a beautiful and wide array of colors. There is a particularly special time (after about 2-3 weeks for me) that the tarnish is just heavy enough to deepen the color to a brilliant, fiery red! It's slightly weaker than other metals, so take care not to twist or pull copper pieces or the rings could pull apart.

The neutral, slightly golden color of this metal makes it the most versatile of all the copper alloys, and it compliments seemingly any metal or color. NS is slightly harder than bronze, and is accordingly more resistant to scratching. Like yellow brass it retains its shine well into tarnishing.

As NS turns it acquires a darker, almost burned color. In the right light the color straddles the lines between yellows, browns and greens. NS is 18% nickel which is the jewelry metal most frequently associated with skin allergies. A lot of production jewelry - among a huge range of other products - is plated with pure nickel so the chances are small that you have a nickel allergy without knowing it. The best precaution you can take is to be aware of and heed your body's messages.

An alloy of copper, tin and phosphorus, bronze tarnishes just as quickly as pure copper, and the two are nearly indistinguishable when freshly polished. As it tarnishes it changes from bright orange to a salmon color, then gradually browns. It is one of the harder copper alloys, and withstands abuse well.

Sterling is an alloy of 92.5% silver and copper. I use argentium silver, which is traditional sterling that has also been alloyed with the element germanium, making it tarnish-resistant.

Striking in color, this bright yellow metal has a sparkle that outlasts all the others. It is 30% zinc, is almost as hard as NS and ages with more luster than any of the other alloys. As it tarnishes the pale yellow gives way to richer tones that are still yellow but hint of gold.

Medium grey in color, and very hard and strong. It weighs slightly less than copper, and compliments all the copper alloys well.

When freshly polished this metal looks very much like gold. RB is soft - slightly harder than copper - and tarnishes a little more slowly, eventually turning a similar brown to tarnished Bz.

Cheaper versions of this unique material are sold as “craft wire” in large craft stores. It is dead-soft temper copper with a colored enamel coating that is fairly easy to scratch. I use a high quality wire that is plated with silver before enameling, giving the colors an irresistibly rich and pearlescent look! Because it is so delicate however, I only use it in earring designs.

The color we see when these metals are anodized is produced by light interference. When electricity is passed through them in an electrolyte solution they form a layer of oxide that absorbs and reflects different wavelengths of light. The thickness of the oxide is a product of varying voltages and determines what color we see. This is the same effect we see in oil slicks, butterfly wings and gemstones.

Extraordinarily vivid and deep colors are produced via anodization, though red, dark green and black are not possible. With control as minute as one-tenth of a volt imperceptibly small differences are possible, opening up design opportunities.

Because this is only a surface process it will eventually fade with wear. Anodized niobium and especially titanium jewelry however will last many years if it is treated with care. Clean it as you would copper, though avoid chemical tarnish removers (diluted solutions may be used sparingly). Because color is determined by light refraction instead of with dyes, it can fade dramatically when covered with sweat and dirt. This is most pronounced in the low voltage colors (brown, dark blue), but is hardly noticeable at the top end (aqua, peridot, fuchsia). Cleaning your jewelry with a little hand soap and water will instantly restore the color.

Nb is brighter and shinier than Ti, which has more of a matte luster, and weighs a little less than Ag. Ti is very strong & lightweight and the color is by far the most wear-resistant of all the coated metals I use. Both metals are dark grey in their raw form. At the moment I don't offer any titanium pieces but have plans to add some in the future.