Copper & Brass

What is Copper Jewelry?

Copper is a very popular metal because of its history in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  The first people to mine and work copper were the Native Americans. They worked and collected copper from the shorelines of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula between 5000 BCE and 1200 BCE. Copper Four Seasons Trees Handmade by Beth Millner Jewelry

We are proud to offer our customers authentic Upper Peninsula copper in most of our copper and mixed metal jewelry.  This copper is from the former White Pine Mine near Ontonagon, Michigan.  Pieces made of solid Upper Peninsula Copper will be stamped with a tiny UP on the back to signify that they are made from U.P. Copper.  If the pieces are not made from U.P. Copper, the majority are made from recycled copper, which is important to our eco-friendly business model.

What is Brass?

Some of our handmade jewelry incorporates brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. A very small amount of zinc is added to copper which then creates its yellow color. Brass acts very similar to copper in its likelihood to oxidize and darken.

Metal Properties 

Copper oxidizes and changes color over time.  When wearing your copper jewelry, you will see it change from bright copper to a dark rich brown.  We feel that this is one of the unique features of copper jewelry because the patina is always changing as you wear it.

 Shop for copper and mixed metal jewelry from our Shop By Metals page.