Crafted to Age Gracefully
I work in three solid metals — .925 sterling silver, jeweler's brass, and solid bronze. All three are alloys people have worn for thousands of years, and they behave accordingly: they warm, they darken, they carry a mark.
Plated jewelry chips and peels down to a gray base metal underneath. Solid metal doesn't. It reacts to air, moisture and your own skin chemistry, and it can always be brought back — polished bright, or left alone to age into patina.
Tarnish is not a defect. It is the natural chemistry of genuine metal, and it is reversible.
This page tells you exactly what to expect from each metal and how to look after it at home.
know your metal
Understanding the three metals
92.5% pure silver, alloyed with 7.5% copper for strength. Nickel free.
what to expect
Silver reacts to sulfur in the air and to the oils on your skin, darkening to a yellow-gray tarnish. Daily wear actually slows it down — the friction of clothing against metal keeps it bright.
how it ships
Ships unsealed and satin brushed. A polishing cloth restores it in about two minutes.
Copper and zinc. The warm tone of yellow gold, with no plating to wear through.
what to expect
Brass oxidizes into an earthy, golden-brown antique tone. Because it contains copper, unsealed brass can leave a harmless green trace on skin in humid weather or during sweat-heavy wear.
how it ships
Ships sealed in ProtectaClear — a clear micro-coating between the metal and your skin.
Copper and tin. Rosy-brown, and noticeably heavier in the hand.
what to expect
Bronze darkens into a deep, rustic patina that settles into hammered texture and deep engraving — it tends to make handwriting read more clearly, not less.
how it ships
Ships sealed in ProtectaClear — a clear micro-coating between the metal and your skin.
Understanding green skin
Every solid silver, brass and bronze piece will darken eventually. Humidity, perfume, lotion, sweat and your own body chemistry set the pace — which is why two people can wear the same ring and see completely different results.
Green trace is copper, not cheap metal
Brass and bronze are copper alloys. When copper meets skin acid and moisture it forms a harmless copper salt that can leave a green mark. It is ordinary chemistry, it is not a reaction to a plating or a filler, and it washes off with soap and water.
That is why I seal the brass and bronze
Every brass and bronze piece leaves my studio coated in ProtectaClear, a clear micro-sealant that sits between the metal and your skin. While that coating is intact you should see no green at all, and the metal underneath keeps its color.
You are the one in control
Let a piece patina and it will look older and warmer every year. Prefer it bright? Two minutes with a cloth. Neither is more correct than the other — they are just two ways to own the same object.
at home
Simple care, four habits
None of this needs a jeweler, and none of it takes more than a few minutes.
Buff it often
A soft microfiber or treated polishing cloth, whenever you think of it. Most of what dulls a piece is just skin oil, and it lifts right off.
Wash sterling silver
Warm water, a few drops of mild dish soap, and a soft toothbrush to reach into engraving and hammered grooves. Dry it completely.
Deep clean unsealed brass & bronze
Fresh lemon juice with a pinch of salt, 1–2 minutes. Rinse in warm water and dry completely. Only for pieces whose seal has worn off — see below.
Store it dry
An airtight bag or a cloth pouch, away from bathroom humidity. Air is what tarnishes metal, so less air means less work for you.
the sealed finish
Recoating brass and bronze at home
The seal is the part most shops never explain, so here is the whole of it.
It depends entirely on how you wear it. A pendant worn occasionally can hold its coating for years. A ring worn every day, through handwashing and hand cream, is more like six to twelve months. Rings and bracelets wear fastest because they take the most friction.
The piece starts to darken again in the places you touch most, and green traces can reappear on skin. That is the coating thinning, not the metal failing.
Yes — that is what the Studio Care & Seal Kit is for. The order is always the same:
- Clean the piece completely and let it dry.
- Decide how bright or how aged you want it, and polish to that point.
- Apply a thin, even coat of ProtectaClear and let it cure.
Sealing over a dirty or damp piece traps whatever is underneath, so the cleaning step is the one not to rush.
Write to me at Caroline@ScriptedJewelry.com and we will work it out. It is a small studio, so I would rather hear from you than have you live with a piece you have stopped wearing.
Still have a question about a piece you own? Write to me — I answer these myself.