Material & care

About the materials we use

Our pieces are handmade in solid materials, they are not cheap, industrial zinc castings with thin bronze or silver plating!
All alloys are of course nickel free!

Bronze

As bronze we use an authentic alloy, which contains 88 to 93% copper, as well as 7 - 12% tin. The material is cast in solid form and then finished, ground and polished by hand. Many replicas and pieces of jewellery are slightly patinated so that the contrasts stand out better, the piece appears antique-authentic and the plasticity is emphasised. If desired, this additional patination can be dispensed with.

Silver

The silver we use in the casting is the highest quality 935 silver, which is stamped with a 925 silver stamp. Casting in this higher quality material guarantees that the fineness is still guaranteed even after soldering work, e.g. for attaching a carrying loop. Here too, recessed ornaments on the jewellery are usually given a darker patina.

Gold

Since 2014, we have been using hard 375 yellow gold alloys as well as 585 and 750 yellow gold. As a special order, we can also work with unusual alloys such as rose gold, red gold or palladium white gold. We can provide you with a separate quotation for this on request.

 

Care

When exposed to air, metals begin to oxidise to a greater or lesser extent. Copper alloys such as bronze or brass (so-called non-ferrous metals) turn black or form a surface of verdigris. Silver, too, as a precious metal, becomes dull and dark with time, sometimes even black.
This effect is intensified by skin perspiration, as the acidic pH value also attacks the metal. Silver reacts particularly to an environment containing sulphur. The result can be slight discolouration on the skin or even on light-coloured clothing.

Jewellery should therefore be stored in a dry place if possible and protected from moisture. Storage in the bathroom is not ideal, and even after reenactment storage, metal replicas should be well cleaned and stored in a dry place until the next use.

There is no way to prevent the bare polish from accumulating patina over time. For some, this is a desired effect that gives the pieces an even more authentic appearance, others prefer a shiny look.
To restore this, you can use commercially available jewellery polishing pastes, but there are also cheaper alternatives in the form of toothpaste or metal polish from the DIY store.

A chemical trick for cleaning silver even when it is heavily oxidised is to use salt and aluminium. This is done by adding plenty of table salt to hot water in a large glass. Then a piece of aluminium foil is crumpled and also dipped into the solution so that the metal at the bottom of the glass is stuck under the liquid. The object to be cleaned is then dipped into the liquid and placed on the aluminium foil, at least it must have contact with the aluminium foil.
The effect can be enhanced by adding a slight acid (lemon juice or vinegar). The silver oxide dissolves and leaves a bright silver surface. The effect can be checked by the smell, as the sulphurous patina layer dissolves.

If you wish, you can also send your jewellery to us and have it polished and refurbished in our workshop free of charge!

To protect against renewed tarnishing, it is possible to protect metal objects with a varnish, a layer of wax (car polish) or oil (e.g. olive oil). For finger rings, a coating of nail varnish or zapon varnish on the inside has proven effective to protect the finger from staining. However, the sealing must be repeated from time to time as the coating wears off.

In the jewellery trade there are also numerous rening agents, polishing cloths and sealants that can also be used with our solid jewellery without any problems.