How can copper be used to make jewelry?

Answer 1

Copper is a great material for making jewellery. It's highly reactive, so you can get many different looks from it. By dipping it in a liver of sulphur solution (or even by putting it with a rotten egg) it reacts with the sulphur to give a range of colours from browns, blues, reds, and black, depending on how long you leave it. It can also be etched with ferric chloride, a fairly safe salt solution (however it's still important to wear appropriate safety gear and have proper ventilation, as with liver of sulphur or any other chemicals you might be using). that's also used to etch circuit boards. It reacts with vinegar and ammonia to give really nice blues and greens. When you apply heat to it, it changes colour - you can even turn it bright pink if you remove the torch at the right time! Apart from all this it can be shaped and formed just like other metals, however due to it's highly reactive nature, it does turn the skin green when in contact with it for any length of time!

Answer 2

Yes, but you may need to varnish it if you are going to wear it against your skin (will make your skin turn green - copper oxide) - it will also burnish in the air. It can be coloured with many chemicals to given different hues - its gleams when polished, is very ductile and can stand much bending and twisting.