I wanted to shine a spotlight on one of my favorite materials for jewelry-making, which is brass. The metal is a warm neutral brown and makes the color in beads or gemstones pop. It is not a very expensive metal, but it goes with both cool and warm tones that highlights the beauty of the wearer, and does not distract with shine, as does other metals. Amethyst, my favorite stone, looks amazing with brass.
To me, brass jewelry has a bit of mystery to it, giving the pieces a vintage-y and boho look, making it ideal for necklace and bracelet stacking, and adds a whimsical touch to eyeglass chains and lanyards.
Brass is a composite metal that includes copper (which is where the brown in brass is from), and depending on how much copper is in it, can create that reaction on skin that turns it green. That is not a reaction that happens to everyone, and not with every piece of brass jewelry or accessory. If you know that copper leaves marks on your skin, you can wear a piece of brass jewelry as a test to see if it reacts the same for you. The reaction tends to occur when we sweat, so you could still wear brass but not on hot days. However, if it does leave a mark, it is harmless and will fade within a couple of days.
With some accessories, I put brass accents, but they don’t actually come in contact with skin, like these eyeglass chains. I just really liked that dark red with the brassy brown:
For myself, I have noticed that copper jewelry does leave a mark if I wear it on hot days, but not once have I had that reaction to brass jewelry, hot or not. And never while working with it. In fact I was surprised to find out that brass could react like copper after I’d already made a few pieces with it and worn them without any problems. But I think people should be aware it can happen and shop confidently. I try to offer a range of metals in my jewelry, so everyone can wear The Juice just as they like. If you have any questions about a piece, please feel free to contact me so we can talk about it! Do you like brass in your jewelry? Let me know below!