A note from Bonnie's workshop

Real Copper Is Meant to Be Worn for Life. Here's How to Care for It.

Most jewelry never changes because there's nothing real underneath the shine. Pure copper is different: it lives, it reacts and it slowly changes with you. That's not a flaw. That's how you know it's the real thing.

It warms. It deepens. It turns into yours.

Wear pure copper for a few weeks and it starts to build what craftsmen call a patina: a soft, darker layer that comes from your skin, the air and the life you live in it. Every piece ends up a little different.

Some women love that lived-in glow. Others like the fresh, bright copper color from the first day. Both are completely fine. There's no right or wrong way to wear it.

Whichever you prefer, here's everything you need to keep your piece looking the way you like it.

My mother wore the same copper band for more than seventy years and never once polished it. She said the darker it got, the more it looked like her.— Bonnie

How to clean your copper

Three gentle, natural ways. Everything you need is already in your kitchen.

Option 01

Lemon & Salt

The quickest refresh. The natural acid in lemon lifts dullness in seconds.

Halve a lemon and dip it in salt. Rub it over the copper for 30 to 60 seconds. Rinse in warm water and dry right away.

Option 02

Vinegar & Salt Soak

Best for pieces that have darkened a lot. Let the soak do the work for you.

Stir a teaspoon of salt into a cup of white vinegar. Leave the piece in for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse well and dry right away.

Option 03

Baking Soda Paste

The softest method, made for engraved or detailed designs.

Mix baking soda with a little lemon juice into a paste. Work it in with a soft cloth or an old toothbrush. Rinse and dry right away.

The easiest trick

Simply keep wearing it.

The natural oils in your skin buff the copper a little every single day. A piece left in a drawer actually darkens faster than one you wear.

Copper loves the women who never take it off.

Keep your copper away from

Pool chlorineSalt waterStrong soapsPerfumeHousehold cleanersUltrasonic cleanersBleachToothpaste

Not sure? Slip it off before you swim or put on lotion or perfume, and put it back on once you're done.

A little green on your skin?

Now and then pure copper leaves a faint green shadow on the skin. It's a harmless, natural reaction between copper, moisture and your skin's own chemistry.

And it's proof your copper is genuine.

Plated jewelry stops doing this once the thin coating wears away, because there's no copper left to touch you. A green mark simply means real copper is still in contact with your skin.

A little soap and water takes it right off, and most women barely notice it after the first few weeks.