How to Oxidize Silver and Copper Jewelry with Liver of Sulphur
Look at the color of that silver! Blackened to perfection. I neglected to take a picture of the before, but everyone knows what shiny white silver looks like right?
I am a bit of a jewelry magazine junkie so I know that wire wrapping has been a popular topic in the past couple of years. You have probably admired gorgeous patinated jewelry and wondered how that’s done. Well read on and I’ll tell you how I blacken silver and copper.
Liver of Sulphur is a chemical you can buy from a jewelry supply vendor (I get mine from Lacy and Co. in Canada). It’s a little stinky, like rotten eggs so make sure you use it in a well ventilated area.
When you open the jar, you will see sharp lumpy rocklike chunks. Before I knew what it looked like, I had always wondered so I took a picture for you, dear reader.
Here are the steps I use to oxidize silver and copper.
- Put a pea-sized chunk in a glass bowl that is big enough to hold the item you wish to oxidize. Break up a bigger piece if necessary by smashing it with something hard.
- Fill the bowl with hot tap water.
- Use a plastic or wooden implement to mix the solution until the liver of sulphur is dissolved.
- Place your item in the hot water solution and leave it there until it darkens to your satisfaction. The longer you leave it, the darker it gets.
- Take your item out of the solution and rinse it well with water. I use hot water and then cold when I rinse.
- I flush the solution down the toilet when I no longer need it. I always make up a new solution when I oxidize. I don’t know what happens if you try to reuse the solution but the chemical is so inexpensive I have never looked into reusing it.
*Always remember to use gloves whenever you handle any kind of chemical
That’s it!
Here are some additional tips:
- Oxidizing seems to work better if you can keep the solution hot. I use a coffee cup warmer under my glass bowl.
- Oxidizing wire beforehand is a great time saver and has no effect on the finished jewelry in my opinion.
- Polishing your finished oxidized jewelry creates depth; the crevices remain dark, while the shininess of the raised polished parts of the piece add extra interest.
- Using a tumbler to polish is another great time saver that imparts a beautiful shine not easily accomplished when hand polishing.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
Resources mentioned: Lacy and Company Online Store : Jewellery Tools and Supplies
