the living beauty of

RAW Brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, resembling gold in color.  Like sterling silver, and other living metals, this material can develop a natural patina over time, often creating a brownish aged color in areas of low contact, and high shine where they make contact with other hard surfaces. Some of our pieces - rings especially - can tarnish a bit at first, and then become very shiny as you wear them (we consider them ‘self-burnishing’ - more on that below).  This look can be even more beautiful than new raw brass.  However, if you prefer your brass to really shine in all areas (even where they don’t naturally burnish), we offer complimentary polishing squares with every purchase.

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We love to work with solid brass because it is durable, easy to clean, and will last a lifetime with proper care. One thing to keep in mind is that the copper content of this metal can oxidize in combination with skin oils and sweat, sometimes creating a slight greenish layer of copper carbonate on skin. This occurs most often with tight rings worn in hot weather, because of the lack of air circulation between your finger and the ring. Everyone's chemistry is a little different, so the wearing experience can vary quite a bit.

If you want to create a barrier between your skin and the brass, a clear coat of enamel or nail polish on the inside of your piece will do the trick. In fact, most non-fine metal jewelry is already coated in this clear enamel for that reason. We choose not to coat our metal so that you can experience the richness as the metal changes over time.

wear + care

solid brass jewelry

Taking good care of your brass and jewelry will keep it shinier, longer. Wearing it often tends to keep it looking its best (the oils from your skin and contact with other hard services - especially with rings - will burnish and shine the surface naturally), but here are a few tips for long term wear and care:

If you wouldn't put it on your skin you shouldn't put it on your jewelry. Avoid chemicals like household cleaners and liquid jewelry cleaner. All you need is a great polishing cloth, or soap and water. Our favorite method is a little bit of dish soap with a soft toothbrush or sponge (a more abrasive sponge can be used if the tarnish is deep). Wash carefully, then rinse under the faucet and dry with a soft cloth (don't forget to plug the drain first). We also like to use our little polishing squares for the ultimate shine (there is an option to add a complimentary pack of these to your order at checkout).

Try not to wear your jewelry in the pool, as the chemicals can oxidize and change the appearance of your metals. Try not to sleep or sweat in them either, as this can change the patina on your metals very quickly. Test this out for yourself - some of our pieces wear very well when worn in the pool or overnight, and others are better to set aside.

When not wearing them, store your jewelry pieces in a dry place. Like sterling jewelry, moisture and exposure leads to tarnish, thus the bathroom is not a great place to store your jewels. To slow down the natural tarnishing process, we suggest a small ziplock bag if your are going to give your jewelry a break for more then a few days.

wear + CARE

24K DEMI-FINE GOLD COLLECTION

Prefer to live bigly in your jewelry, getting sweaty when playing in the mountains? Can’t be bothered to take off our jewelry at the pool? Never taking your earrings out before bedtime? This collection is for you.

The short wear and care instructions for all of our Demi-Fine gold pieces is simply, wear your jewelry! Unlike our solid brass jewelry, avoid using our polishing squares on these pieces, as this can remove the finish (and you aren’t likely to be tempted, as these pieces will stay shiny through all of your adventures).

WHY DO WE CALL IT ‘DEMI-FINE’ GOLD?

Each piece in our Demi-Fine Gold Collection is handmade and finished in our Bozeman studio. All of our designs start with our solid jewelers’ brass core and .925 sterling stud posts. Using a high-deposition 24k gold solution, our multi-step electroplating process preps and bonds gold particles from the solution to the surface of your jewelry. It’s not technically ‘gold filled’, but it’s dang thick.

A BIT ABOUT the industry, AND WHY GOLD PLATING GETS A BAD RAP.

Industry-wide, the thickness of plating is measured in microns (a term defined as ‘one-millionth of a meter’). Much of the affordable gold plated jewelry available on the market is flash plated (dipped just long enough to change the color, and depositing less than a quarter of a micron). Our approach is a little different. Our pieces have at least a 1.5+ micron deposition that is designed to last.