Use a clear lacquer finish to protect your handmade earrings and handmade bracelets with their new patina finish. Liver of sulfur produces a patina finish on metal handmade jewelry, but if not treated the effects will wear over time. Repeat these steps until you reach the desired color.įinally, rinse the piece in soapy baking soda solution to remove any liver of sulfur residue that could continue to change the color of the patina.ĭo not rub the handcrafted jewelry piece with the baking soda mixture as any abrasive will damage the patina finish you have worked hard to create. Let the color develop for a couple of seconds on the handmade jewelry piece, then put in the cold water to stop the patina forming. Liver of sulfur will begin to react the instant you put handmade bracelets or handmade earrings into it. Wearing gloves throughout the process is preferable. They roughly go from gold, pink, blue, purple, gray and finally black.īefore you begin, your metal handcrafted jewelry piece should be clean and free from dirt or oils from your hands. The hotter solution will react more quickly and the colors will move faster from one color to the next. It's easy to be intimidated or baffled by the surprising results that can be achieved. And they range from subtle gold to magenta, purple, and everything in between. The secret to control the process is the solution strength and the temperature. This mysterious solution creates colors as dark as night or as beautiful as an iridescent rainbow. Have a heat source, the liver of sulfur solution, cold water bath and finally a soapy baking soda rinse. Set up your workstation so you can easily go from one step to the next. The color of the solution should be a very pale yellow.Ī strong solution will develop the colors too quickly to stop the process at your desired color, while too weak of a solution can take too long and build a thick flaky crust.Įxperiment to find the best concentration for the metal you are working with to get the results you want. For this reason, it is better to buy small amounts of the solid and make your solution mixing only what you need to create the most beautiful handcrafted jewelry.įor your solution, put a 1 cm or 1/4 inch clump of solid liver of sulfur in a glass or plastic container with about 1 cup of water. Solid liver of sulfur is usually sold in small chunks, which are mixed as needed. The liquid form can be used straight from the bottle, but the shelf life is unpredictable even when stored in a cool, dark place. It is easy to be put off by the smell but the results that can be achieved are simply amazing. Here is a quick tutorial on how to oxidize or patina your pendants (or other copper or silver jewelry) using Liver of Sulfur solution. The odor of rotten eggs given off by liver of sulfur can be overwhelming if used in a closed area. Working in a well ventilated area is a definite must, outdoors is preferable. No other chemical can produce such wide-ranging color patterns on the surface of a variety of metals including silver and copper jewelry. The varieties of colors that can be achieved are incredible ranging from gold to black and everything in between. Easily mixed in warm water to make solution.Copper earrings with liver of sulfur patina It is easy to control and will give a variety of colors from light brown to black. It will loose potency with moisture or air so store carefully. "Rio Grande" is a jewelry supply firm and they will ship it to you. Chemical The most commonly used darkening solution is liver of sulfur (potassium sulfide). Hello, Liver of Sulfur is widely available in the states. Note that hydrogen sulfides are also evolved which smell bad in low concentration but are poisonous in higher concentrations. The mixture was stable.Ī dilute solution can be used to tarnish copper and other metals. The mixture was stirred until bubbling ceased and was then allowed to cool. When I last prepared this I melted sulphur and slowly added a measured quantity of potassium carbonate as per the above formulae. General and Inorganic Chemistry page 491)ĦS + 3K 2CO 3 = 2K 2S 2 + K 2S 2O 3 + 3CO 2 We will be teaching you how to use the Liver of Sulfer Method. We’ve certainly tried the ol’ egg in a Tupperware method, and it’s NOT worth the effort, and left us with a multicolored patina. Liver of sulphur is not a chemical compound but is a mixture, prepared as a brown mass by fusing sulphur and potassium carbonate.(P. Mix 50 solution Caustic 1 to 1 with water Bring to a low boil Add 1/2 to 3/4 lbs sulfur per 1 gallon of solution and continue to boil until sulfur is dissolved. Tutorial Written By Meaghan Moran Liver of Sulfur method is really the only way that I would suggest you precede with oxidizing your jewelry.
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