Bronze, Brass, Nickel Silver and Copper Base Metals

According to chemistry, a base metal is one that oxidizes or corrodes easily and reacts with hydrochloric acid to form hydrogen.

This group includes iron, lead, nickel, copper, and zinc. (Fun fact: copper doesn't actually create hydrogen in the reaction!)

The term "base" originated with ancient alchemists, who used it to contrast these common metals with the more "noble" or "precious" ones like gold and silver.

Today, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection defines base metals as iron, steel, copper, lead, nickel, zinc, aluminum, tin, titanium, and others basically, everything except gold, silver, and platinum.

Here's a fun fact about copper: although it's been mined and used for over 10,000 years, more than 95% of all copper ever produced has been extracted since 1900! Even more impressive about 80% of that copper is still in use today, either in existing structures or through recycling. (Copper can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality.)

Copper is a soft metal, rating only 2.5-3 on the Mohs scale. That's why it's such great practice wire if you can wrap a cabochon in copper without leaving tool marks, you're doing excellent work!

Its chemical symbol Cu comes from cuprum, short for cyprium, because the Romans sourced their copper from Cyprus. When copper oxidizes, it forms the familiar green coating called verdigri the same property that gives malachite, azurite, and turquoise their vivid green and blue hues.

In wire jewelry, copper is both affordable and forgiving. You can experiment freely, recycle scraps, and still keep your costs low. (And yes, copper prices have climbed for electricians and jewelers alike, but it's still a bargain compared to silver!)

Copper is mined worldwide major sources include Utah, New Mexico, Chile, Indonesia, and Peru. In Sweden, the famous Great Copper Mountain operated for over 1,000 years (from the 900s to 1992!), supplying two-thirds of Europe's copper in the 1600s and even supporting a "Copper Standard" for currency.

You don't have to smelt copper to recycle it. Copper wire from house wiring or appliances can be reused. But can you really turn stripped electrical wire into jewelry? Technically, yes, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Electrical wire is always round, and its size might surprise you. A thick cable could contain dozens of fine 30-gauge strands or several large wires. So, if you prefer square or half-round wire or need precise, consistent sizes, it's better to buy jewelry-grade copper wire.

In terms of purity, electrical copper wire is about 99% pure, just like jewelry copper wire. It's designed for conductivity, not aesthetics. While some people worry about lead exposure from old coverings, there's no solid evidence suggesting a real risk.

There are a few practical considerations, though:

Temper: Electrical wire is usually dead soft, meaning it's very pliable. If you don't work-harden it (with a tumbler or hammer), your jewelry could bend or lose shape easily.

Surface: It's not made for looks; expect dirt, burn marks, or rough spots. These can be cleaned off with steel wool, but older wires may still have imperfections.

Stripping caution: If you're removing the plastic insulation yourself, work slowly and carefully to avoid nicks or kinks.

In the end, recycling copper wire for jewelry can work, but it's a lot of effort. Still, if someone handed me a truckload of old electrical wire, I'd probably give it a try too!

Nickel Silver, also known as German Silver, Albata, New Silver, or Alpaca, is an alloy made from nickel, zinc, and copper. Even though it looks like silver, it contains no actual silver. It was specifically designed to mimic silver's shine at a much lower cost, which is important to explain to customers.

Nickel silver was developed in the 19th century by German metalworkers who were trying to replicate a Chinese alloy called paktong. The Chinese had created this silver-like metal centuries earlier and closely guarded the formula. By the early 1800s, European craftsmen were experimenting with similar alloys, and in 1823, a German version finally matched the original. A British inventor also discovered a similar mix around the same time.

Once perfected, nickel silver quickly became popular. It was widely used for dining sets, especially for electroplated nickel silver (EPNS)-silverware made from nickel silver and coated with a thin layer of real silver. Although these pieces have little recycling value today, they're becoming collectible for their history. Interestingly, when the silver coating wears off, the exposed nickel silver often appears brighter and more resistant to tarnish.

Nickel silver has been used in everything from keys, zippers, and musical instruments (like flutes and French horns) to guitar frets, coins, and model train tracks. It's even been used by Native American metalsmiths, including the Kiowa and Pawnee tribes in Oklahoma.

Visually, nickel silver looks much like real silver, though it may have a faint golden tint. It's highly tarnish resistant, only darkens slightly over time, and doesn't react to liver of sulfur the way sterling silver or copper-based metals do. This makes it especially popular for chainmaille jewelry, where its bright color and low maintenance are a big advantage.

After all, imagine having to polish not just a silver bracelet, but an entire chainmail garment!

I should briefly mention aluminum: while this metal can look similar to silver, it can lose its shine and become dull.

While some people enjoy using aluminum jump rings in chainmaille (it is very light, and very inexpensive), for traditional wire jewelry uses such as bundle bracelets, cabochon pendants, and prong rings, aluminum is too soft to stay in place, and is very difficult to work-harden.

Although you can find aluminum wire online, we are proud to provide you with the 3 most-loved base metals - brass, copper, and nickel silver - in the gauges and shapes wire artists love.

I hope you've enjoyed these articles about base metal wire - Happy Jewelry Making!

Both bronze and brass are alloys of copper. The amount of copper and the other metals that it is mixed with are what determines the color and properties of the resulting metal.

The difference between bronze and brass, to many people, is irrelevant or not worth distinguishing. Since metal content varies throughout history, many museums simply describe possible bronze or brass artifacts as "copper alloy" pieces.

However, in the jewelry world, the traditional terms still have important meaning.

Another place where the distinction is important is the world of coin collecting, which has its own rich history of the metals and tokens used to create currency through time - a fascinating subject for another day, perhaps!

In the jewelry world, bronze is traditionally a warm, tan gold color, and will gradually acquire a brownish patina.

On the other hand, brass is a vibrant color, and when it tarnishes, it develops the green verdigris seen on copper statues.

Bronze is commonly patinaed and associated with Steampunk and Victorian jewelry, while brass is used in place of gold in many online jewelry storefronts.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that is stronger than copper, though not as strong as steel. Sometimes lead or tin is added to make it more workable. By 300 AD, Germany and the Netherlands were famous for their brass production. By 1852, brass cartridges were being made; the metal expanded when fired and contracted afterward, enabling the development of automatic weapons.

Brass comes in two main varieties: yellow and red. Red brass, with about 85% copper and 15% zinc, has a warm reddish color and sits between bronze and traditional brass. Yellow brass, with roughly 67% copper and 33% zinc, has a bright, almost fluorescent yellow hue often used in place of gold. You can spot yellow brass in everyday items like door hinges, and it is shinier and brighter than red brass.

In household items such as taps and lamps, brass is usually lacquered for protection. When cleaning brass, avoid abrasives and use a polish and light buffing. The same protective methods you use for silver or copper jewelry, such as wax, sealants, or sprays, can also be applied to brass pieces.

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, typically an 88% copper to 12% tin mix (although it doesn't always contain tin), and can contain elements such as manganese, silicone, aluminum, and phosphorous.

Early bronze contained arsenic, which was replaced with tin, a nontoxic alternative.

Bronze is hard yet brittle, used in weapons, tools, and armor dating back to 3000 BC (one source I read noted that bronze swords were more for stabbing than slicing!).

The Iron Age replaced the Bronze Age, but wrought iron is actually weaker than bronze; the big difference is that iron was more economical, so it replaced bronze everywhere strength was needed.

Tin was particularly hard to find, which is why bronze fell out of favor. (After Iron came Steel).

As a point of interest: we already know that when a coat of gold is applied to silver, the result is called vermeil, also called gold vermeil. When gold is applied to bronze, it is called ormolu (or gilt bronze). When gold is applied to brass, it is called doré (or gild brass).

However, this is a rare effect to find nowadays, because it required the use of mercury.

The mercury-firing process was outlawed by France in the 19th century due to the grievous toll on gilders' health.

However, some locations continued the mercury process, producing gilt bronze as late as 1960.

The gilt brass and gilt bronze effect was extremely popular for jewelry, chandeliers, clocks, candelabras, ceramics, and sculptures in the Rococo and Neoclassical periods in Europe and in some Chinese areas as well. In fact, there was even some ormolu work on the Grand Staircase of the Titanic, which was decorated to recall the culture of King Louis XIV.

The allure of ormolu was that as time weathered the metal, the gold would not tarnish or fade (excellent in households).

It also served as a contrast to nearby raw bronze (such as in sculptures - just the hair would be gilded, for example).

To care for gilded brass, gilded bronze, or vermeil for that matter, avoid the polishing cloth.

Simply wash with mild soap and water to clean the piece and reduce the risk of flaking or rubbing the gilded layer off.