Copper is a beautiful metal for jewelry, but it oxidizes (tarnishes) more quickly than silver, so it requires a bit of extra care if you want it to stay shiny.

I recommend cleaning your copper jewelry after every time you wear it. Use a mild soap and water, rinse completely, and dry with a soft cloth. Store your clean jewelry in an air-tight container, such as a plastic ziplock bag, since contact with air and chemicals in the air contribute to oxidation.

Copper Earrings

If your copper is looking dull or tarnished, try soaking it in lemon juice diluted with water. When the tarnish is gone, rinse the jewelry and dry it, and it should be shiny and clean again. I love this method since it’s eco-friendly and doesn’t use any toxic chemicals.

You can also polish copper with a jewelry polishing cloth. Some people like to leave the polishing residue on the jewelry because it can keep it shiny longer, while others prefer to clean it off, since it can irritate sensitive skin.

If you like copper with a little bit of a patina, go ahead and let it oxidize! Just keep earwires and other parts that have a lot of contact with your skin clean.

Copper is a very safe metal for jewelry, but if your skin gets itchy here are a few tips:

• Keep the jewelry very clean.
• Try coating earwires with clear nail polish – I have a friend who does this to all of her metal earwires – when it starts to come off, she removes the rest with nail polish remover & then coats them again.
• Remove earrings at night, rather than sleeping in them. And don’t forget to clean them – a lot of people who think they have a metal allergy are actually reacting to dirt and oils that build up on the jewelry.