5 Reasons Why I Love Copper

Although I had the best intentions of blogging regularly, I'm afraid those intentions have fallen by the wayside! A busy family Christmas, winter bugs and lots of jewellery orders have meant that it's been put very firmly on the back burner. I'd like to change that though, so here I am, hoping again to share a glimpse into my world of jewellery making!I love to use copper frequently in my jewellery designs, here's 5 reasons why:

It's versatile.  I love the many different ways you can treat and create using this metal. It can be polished to a high shine, given a wire-brushed, rustic finish; oxidised for an antique effect; stamped and textured to create interesting patterns.

It's easy to work with as it's relatively soft; can be soldered with silver in the same project, using silver solder; so doesn't require any extra equipment than needed when working with silver.

It's inexpensive. As much as I love creating beautiful jewellery in silver, it's great to offer the same designs at a more affordable price. As copper is such an attractive metal, nothing is compromised. (I hope!)

Using copper is a perfect way of practising a design idea before I make it in silver. Mistakes are often inevitable when trying out a new design and it's cheaper price makes copper the perfect 'model' material.

The gorgeous autumn tones of copper really lend itself to designs based on natural forms. My jewellery is often inspired by the beautiful countryside where I live and I use copper to reflect that.

If you'd like to take a closer look at my range of handmade copper jewellery, please go to my folksy.com shop https://www.folksy.com/TheLittleRedHen