Why Don’t We Value Copper or Brass in Jewellery?

Well, of course, many people do value copper and brass in jewellery! Let’s get that out of the way. You can see all kinds of absolutely amazing jewellery in copper and brass, but nevertheless, there’s often a touch of disdain when people compare these metals to sterling silver and gold. In fact, people may even disdain sterling silver!

We can’t fight it. For literally millenia gold has been at the apex of precious metals. As jewellery is a small item, it has long been a practical means of owning and flaunting one’s wealth in gold.

But today, as independent metalsmiths work to produce unique pieces, gold is often simply out of reach. Unless given a commission or gold jewellery to recycle or remake, the purchase of the metal itself is prohibitive for most small businesses. Even sterling silver is becoming an expensive initial outlay in creating new designs.

I’ve used copper and brass in a number of pieces, usually combined with silver. The thing is… brass is often practically indistinguishable in appearance from gold, and copper provides a rich, beautiful tone to pieces. Yes, both tarnish, as does silver. But there are plenty of cleaning options available for jewellery and, after all, tarnish, otherwise known as patina, is a natural artistic element itself.

If we have a brass or copper statue or if the metals feature in architecture, the patina is valued. Indeed, we highly value a whole range of copper and brass work that isn’t jewellery,

So why is copper and brass considered ‘non-precious’ in jewellery?

Because, when you think about it, jewellery is simply metalwork in a small, wearable form. In fact, there’s tremendous goldsmiths who work in architectural forms like Vicki Ambery-Smith. I discovered her beautiful work after I started to explore a more rustic architectural history in my own work, with a series of rural schoolhouses and slab huts.

Perhaps in these economic times, it is upon us, as metalsmiths, to show the public that cheaper metals can be rendered precious too, simply through the artistic process. Not to mention that the copper and brass, particularly when recycled, can have a much more positive environmental impact than much cheaper plastic-based jewellery forms.