Your choice of metal for your overlays and personalizations transforms a beautiful piece into a personal statement. We're pleased to offer you options in copper, brass, nickel, and sterling silver, each with its own unique charm and character.
This guide is designed to help you understand these metals better, so you can choose the one that truly reflects your style. Your style is unique, and your choice of metal should mirror that. Whether you prefer the warm tones of copper, the bright allure of brass, the sleekness of nickel, or the elegance of sterling silver, we're here to create a piece that is distinctly yours. Check out our gallery to see how these metals transform into stunning personalized jewelry, buckles, and accessories.
Metal Overviews
STERLING SILVER
- Color and Appearance: A precious metal, sterling silver shines with an exquisite, pristine brilliance. Its radiant luminosity and elegant silver tone embody timeless luxury, making it a perennial favorite for classic, high-end jewelry designs.
- Properties: Composed of 92.5% fine silver, and typically 7.5% copper or other metal, providing durability while maintaining luster, it's ideal for sculpting detailed and luxurious designs. The addition of other metals improves the metal's hardness, making it suitable for intricate craftsmanship. It is the most reflective metal, used in mirrors, solar panels, and telescopes.
- Uses: A staple in fine jewelry due to its lustrous finish and workability, it's the epitome of sophistication, perfect for creating a statement piece. Sterling silver is also highly valued in high-end belt buckles and accessories, known for its elegance and timeless appeal. Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals, making it highly valued in electronics.
- Care: Silver reacts with sulfur compounds in the air, causing it to tarnish and form a surface layer of silver sulfide. Regular polishing and proper storage are key to deterring tarnish. Keep in a dark, dry storage location, and do not exposure to harsh chemicals, lotions, perfumes, etc. Do not wear in the shower or swimming.
- Price Category: Premium
COPPER
- Color and Appearance: Copper boasts a warm, reddish-brown glow, reminiscent of a sunset hue. Its deep, warm tones convey an earthy elegance, perfect for adding a touch of natural sophistication to any piece.
- Properties: Known for its malleability and ductility, copper is also naturally antimicrobial, killing a variety of microorganisms. The antimicrobial properties of copper are well-documented. Copper surfaces can reduce the presence of harmful microbes, which is why it's used in medical settings and public places. It can react with certain body chemistry and elements in the air, and may develop a harmless green patina (verdigris) over time. Copper is a naturally occurring element found in the earth's crust. It exists in both free metallic form and in minerals like chalcopyrite, bornite, and malachite.
- Uses: It's perfect for vintage-inspired designs and adds a touch of earthiness to your piece. Widely used in jewelry for its distinctive reddish-brown color. It's also popular in engraved buckles and accessories, especially designs that seek a vintage or rustic aesthetic. Some people believe that wearing copper jewelry can help with arthritis and improve circulation. However, scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited and more research is needed. Copper's unique blend of properties makes it invaluable in various applications, from electronics to health. However, it's important to distinguish between well-supported facts and anecdotal or traditional beliefs when considering its health benefits.
- Recyclability: Copper is 100% recyclable without any loss of quality, whether in raw state or contained in a product.
- Care: To maintain its luster, occasionally clean with a soft cloth and avoid exposure to harsh chemicals. Consider using a cleaner specifically for copper, such as Wright's Copper Cream.
- Price Category: Standard.
NICKEL
- Color and Appearance: Nickel is a lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. It is hard, ductile, and can be highly polished, resistance to corrosion and only slowly oxidizes at room temperature. It is found in the earth's crust, often in combination with other elements. It commonly occurs in ores such as pentlandite and phyrrhotite.
- Properties: Celebrated for its durability and polish-ability, nickel is also corrosion-resistant, making it ideal for plating and alloying with other metals.
- Uses: Nickel's use in jewelry is widespread, favored for its durability and silvery appearance. It's also used in buckles and accessories. *Some people have an allergy to nickel, and we don't use it in any of our jewelry products, but only as a material for buckles, overlays, and other accessories that are not in close or prolonged contact with skin.
- Care: Wipe with a polishing cloth occasionally for long-lasting shine. Keep dry, especially when used as an overlay on steel.
- Price Category: Standard.
BRASS
- Color and Appearance: Brass shines with a bright, gold-like sheen, comparable to 14K gold, exuding elegance and is ideal for statement pieces that command attention.
- Properties: A robust alloy of copper and zinc, the proportions of zinc and copper can vary to create a range of brasses with varying properties. It typically exhibits a bright, gold-like appearance. Like copper, its primary component, brass exhibits antimicrobial properties. This is due to the oligodynamic effect of copper, making brass surfaces naturally inhospitable to a wide range of microorganisms.
- Uses: Ideal for intricate engraving and detailed work, giving a luxurious feel. The acoustic properties of brass are valued in the manufacture of musical instruments like trumpets, trombones, and French horns.
- Care: Keep it tarnish-free with regular polishing and store it in a dry place.
- Price Category: Standard
