Updated: Jan 10
Brass is a beautifully versatile and hard wearing material. For those of us who enjoy the more muted, aged appearance of Brass that has been allowed to develop a patina, Brass is ultra low-maintenance and completely unique in appearance. And if ever we decide we want a change, or for the magpies among us, tarnished Brass is surprisingly quick & easy to polish and bring back to a gleaming shine.
Follow this simple step to get your brass jewellery sparkling again.
These Brass birch leaf earrings have begun to develop a beautiful (though not to everyone's taste) patina.
This can be a result of being left unworn, or from handling and transferring sweat, oils, sun lotion etc onto to the surface of the brass, which speeds up the oxidation (tarnishing) process.
With distinctive darker golden tones, aged brass has a matte appearance which in time will deepen and develop into a beautiful and characterful patina.
What it may lack in sparkle, it certainly makes up for in character and depth.
To remove a light patina, simply rub with a polishing cloth (silver polishing cloth is fine).
You can be quite firm when rubbing, but do be mindful of the more delicate parts of the jewellery, eg. earwires which could be easily bent out of shape.
When rubbing between your finger and thumb, you should quite quickly see the patina lift and the sparkle return.
It is normal for the cloth to turn black - do not wash the cloth as that will remove the impregnated polish and therefore prevent it from working again.
If the patina is more established, you might find a dry polishing cloth won't remove it. In this instance, you will need to use a tiny dab of Brasso liquid on a soft cloth (soft yellow duster or microfibre cloth), or a tiny amount of Brasso wadding, and follow the steps below:
Take a tiny piece of Brasso wadding (or a very small dab of Brasso liquid on a soft cloth) and rub it over the Brass to lift the patina.
Be mindful of the more delicate jewellery components, like earwires, so that they are not damaged or bent out of shape.
You will notice a black residue appear - this is normal and means it is working!
Wash off any excess Brasso in warm soapy water
Rinse and dry your jewellery thoroughly with a soft, lint-free cloth, and give a gentle buff
Enjoy your sparkling clean jewellery again!
It is remarkable how quickly & easily - and how satisfying - it is to polish tarnished Brass and restore it to it's original gleam. I urge you to give it a go and marvel at the transformation!
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