The secret to shiny copper jewelry

I love the subtle gleam of copper and like to use genuine, non-coated copper when I create my earrings and other jewelry.  It's super easy (and very forgiving) to work with. It shapes fairly easily and hammers beautifully. But since it is not coated with a protective sealant, no matter how you store it, uncoated copper jewelry will weather over time, achieving a rich patina. Some people prefer their copper jewelry to look a little rustic, a little aged and weathered. I, however, prefer that my earrings retain their penny-bright shininess. Fortunately, keeping copper jewelry shiny is incredibly easy. After much trial and error using polishing cloths and messy pastes,  I stumbled upon the absolute best way to clean and restore copper to its original, shiny luster. Submerge your jewelry in about 1/2 C of lemon juice to which about a Tablespoon of coarse sea salt has been added (it's not an exact measurement). Swish the jewelry around a bit or just let it sit there for a couple of minutes, then rinse and dry. That's it...no rubbing or polishing required. It's pretty amazing how quickly this works. Sometimes all it takes is a quick dip! I store the mixture in a covered glass jar in the fridge for a couple of months or until it darkens. And that's it, the very cheap, very easy secret to shiny copper jewelry.

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