Copper Jewelry – Characteristics, Care, Reaction with Skin and Health Benefits

Copper Characteristics

Copper is a pure elemental metal, CU on the periodic table. It is reddish brown and is soft enough so that it is malleable which means you can shape and bend it fairly easily.

Copper oxidizes and darkens when it comes in contact with the air in the environment. It tends to get to a certain dark color but then it doesn’t get any darker.

If you’ve ever seen copper roofs that have turned green, that is what is called copper patina. The copper has reacted with the environment and rain, especially if it is acidic rain.

The same sort of thing can happen when copper comes in contact with your skin if your skin is acidic. The acids in your skin combine with copper and make copper salts which are green. They are harmless and can simply be washed off.

Copper Care

Copper develops a patina, much like sterling silver, but faster and darker, especially in the presence of heat, sunlight, sweat, swimming pools and chlorine water, chemicals and cosmetics. Remove copper jewelry before bathing, swimming, doing dishes, putting on lotion or makeup.

Some people love the deep rich look of vintage copper while others like the bright shiny bronze look of clean copper.

Storage
Keep cooper in a cool, dry place. If possible, store in an anti-tarnish pouch, box or cloth. If you have none of these, use a tightly sealing plastic bag to keep air from contacting the copper items. Adding a strip of anti-tarnish paper can also slow down tarnish.

Cleaning
Effective cleaning products for copper are highly acidic. Here are some methods for cleaning a solid copper item with no stones or gems.

Lemon Juice

• Lay a cloth on your kitchen counter, one that you don’t mind getting dirty.
• Place your copper item in a glass or ceramic bowl on the cloth.
• Squirt lemon juice over the item.
• Move the item in the liquid so that all surfaces have a chance to react with the lemon juice.
• Use a toothbrush to scrub the lemon juice in the crevices.
• Rinse.
• Wash with warm water and soap, using your toothbrush again if necessary.
• Dry

Salt and Vinegar Soak

• Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup of vinegar to 2 quarts of boiling water.
• Remove the pot from the heat.
• Dip the copper item in the liquid, rinse and dry.

Lemon Juice Salt Paste

• Mix lemon juice and salt together until you have a paste which you can use for deep cleaning.
• Apply with a cloth or toothbrush as appropriate.
• Rinse
• Dry

To make a paste that you can apply and leave on an item for a deeper cleanse, you can make a thicker paste by adding some flour to the above lemon-salt paste.

Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce have been noted to be excellent copper cleaners but more expensive than the home preparations above.

To maintain the shine, you can buff a copper piece with an anti-tarnish cloth.

Reaction between copper and your skin

If you have ever had a copper bracelet that started to turn green or even turn your skin green, you might have been turned off by copper.

The green color results from an individual’s body chemistry at a particular time. Two people can wear the same bracelet and one person’s wrist will turn green and the other’s will not. A person can wear a copper bracelet one day with no green marks and the next day green marks might appear.

What does the green tell you? The green color means that your skin has become more acidic and has dissolved copper from the bracelet faster than the body can absorb it. This usually happens when we sweat, when we are stressed, when we experience dietary changes, mainly a poor diet (think junk food).
Green marks might also appear when the body is deficient in copper so is trying to obtain it a rate faster than it can absorb.

When the body is in a state of homeostasis, the copper is absorbed through the skin at the same rate it is dissolved from the bracelet so there are no green marks.

Some makers of copper jewelry, put a coating (sealer) on the copper item to preserve it and prevent the copper from interacting with the wearer’s skin. But then, the purported health benefits of wearing copper would not be achieved.

Is there a health benefit to wearing copper?

There are many who swear by the health benefits of wearing copper (copper bracelet manufacturers) while others have the opposite viewpoint.

Most everyone agrees that wearing copper jewelry does no harm.

Proponents of the benefits say copper does some or all of the following and more:

• Provide necessary copper by absorption through the skin.
• Relive arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome pain etc.
• Clear the body of toxins.
• Aid in healing.

To decide for yourself, here are some interesting articles on copper:

Copper and Your Health from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Beneficial Therapeutic Effect of Copper Bracelets – Life Extension

Medical View of Effectiveness of Copper Bracelets – Creighton University

Health Benefits of Copper Bracelets – eHow Health

Medicinal Effects of Copper Bracelets – Scientia Press

Visit our Copper Shop to find all kinds of vintage copper treasures !

Bell Trading Company History and Hallmarks

The Bell Trading Company was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1935 by Jack Michelson and his wife Mildred. They sold Native American Indian jewelry at various tourist locations in the southwestern United States until the late 1980s.

Their main competitor was Maisel’s Indian Trading Post.

The Bell company got its name from Jack’s wife, whose maiden name was Bell. In 1972 the company name was changed to Sunbell Corp. and items including giftware and moccasins were added to the jewelry inventory.

The types of jewelry sold by Bell Trading included sterling silver, nickel silver, gold, and copper.

Over the years numerous hallmarks were used on items sold by Bell Trading. The hallmarks typically included the image of a bell or that of an arrow sign post with a bell sign hanging from it. Shown here a just a few of Bell Trading Company’s hallmarks.

        

        

Vintage Native American Thunderbird Pin Wanted

Dear Paula,
Is it possible to get another thunderbird like the vintage P133?  the new thunderbirds do not look like this one.  Thank you very much.
Navajo Sterling Silver Vintage Thunderbird Pendant #P133

John

Dear John,

Thanks for writing. The items in our pawn shop are older items and we get them in, usually in a lot such as from somebody’s collection or an estate lot, so there would be no way of predicting when we might get something similar to that Thunderbird pendant in. It looks a little more Pacific Northwest to me rather than Southwest.

You could keep an eye on our NEW page which is where we list something new each day – and that means pawn items as well as new contemporary.

I’ve just listed a few new Thunderbirds which I think you might like……….

Native American Pins

These wonderful old style pins are made from heavy gauge sterling silver plate; hand cut, deeply hand-stamped, smoothed and polished leaving some areas intentionally oxidized or darkened. A polished turquoise stone is set in a handcut smooth bezel. A twisted sterling silver rope encircles the bezel. Albert Cleveland typically uses King Manassas turquoise, known for its brilliant greens with gold or brown matrix. They have a locking pin finding. Very retro.

Albert Cleveland is of the Dashchanii clan and was born on the Navajo reservation near Mt. Taylor. He and his wife live near Gallup, New Mexico. His brother is Bobby Cleveland and his parents Etta and Philip Cleveland. Cleveland signs his pieces AC if he works on them alone or AJC when his wife Jacqualine works with him. Albert Cleveland works in a retro style, reminiscent of the 1940′s curio shop work which featured Native American symbols such as Eagles, Thunderbirds, Bears, Waterbirds and other animals.

Our Bargain Barn is like an Online Garage Sale

Hi!

I ordered two items yesterday, a needlepoint bracelet and barrette – are the turquoise stones mined turquoise or are they man-made?  Looking at other online sites, I see a distinction being made and didn’t see a specific reference on your site.  Thanks. Pat

Hi Pat,

The bracelet on the way to you is made from mined, clear Sleeping Beauty stones.

The needlepoint barrette made by the Nez family is made with mined turquoise stone and stones used for small needlepoint work are usually treated (stabilized) to prevent breakage of the tiny pieces.

So both pieces are made from mined turquoise stones.

We don’t state on each page that all of our new Native American jewelry items are made from mined turquoise because we only buy from artists who use real turquoise.  You can read All About Turquoise and Mines here.

We never sell anything made from man-made stones unless it is so noted and they would usually be in our Bargain Barn where we list Non-Native American items or items we are not sure about.

We often purchase estate lots which include some non-Native American items or things we can’t authenticate. I’ll include some examples of those types of items below the Bargain Barn logo just to give you an idea.

Bargain Barn Pin

Bargain Barn Ring

Bargain Barn Earrings

 

 

Bargain Barn Belt Buckle

 

Bargain Barn Bracelet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bargain Barn Bone Choker

 

So, just as a reminder:

All of the items in our New Native American Jewelry Store are sterling silver with shells and mined stones and are made by Native American Artists.

All of the items in our Pawn Shop are used Native American pieces.

The items in our Bargain Barn are a mixed bag. Some could be Native American, some definitely are not, and some are costume jewelry.

Have fun browsing !

Native American Sterling Silver and Inlay Pins

Ways to Wear a Pin

Native American Pin Sampler

The Native American pin is a traditional piece of jewelry worn with great pride on a broadcloth or heavy velvet shirt.

Zuni Cluster Pin

The cluster pins are probably one of the oldest Native American stone pin styles.

Customary places to wear a pin include: on the lapel of a jacket or blazer, on a larger shirt collar, at the neck over the top of the top button or on a turtleneck, on the front of a shirt on one side or the other above the breast, on a sash, and in conjunction with a scarf at the neck.

But there are many other ways to use pins.

To make pins more versatile, many Native American artists add a loop or Shepherd’s Hook on the back so the pin can double as a pendant. The beauty of a Shepherd’s Hook is that it can be opened up to fit over large beads while a loop has a fixed size.

Native American Pin Pendant Sampler

Pin Pendant with Shepherd's Hook

Pin Pendant with Loop

But even if a pin does not have a pendant loop or hook, if the pin in mounted vertically on the back of the pin so the pin would hang upright, you may be able to loop a chain or collar through the pin or fasten the pin to a sterling silver bead or stone necklace.

Navajo Dragonfly Pin with vertical pin that can be fastened on Navajo Pearls

Beyond that, the larger pins make wonderful winter coat pins and they can be used to fasten a winter scarf in place or as an embellishment any where along the scarf including at the very bottom of the scarf kind of as an small anchor weight !

Many designer purses have fobs and dangles as their signature so why not fasten a pin on a strip of leather or cloth to make your own personal statement.

Native American Pawn Pin Sampler

If your bag is fabric, you could attach a pin right onto the front of your purse.

If you are a hat wearer, a pin can change the look of a hat in an instant. This works just as nicely on a felt fedora or western hat as it does on you winter knit cap.

Native American Horse Pin Sampler

What other great ideas do you have for wearing pins?

Native American Materials – Spiny Oyster

Spiny Oyster and Turquoise Naja with 3 Strand Necklace

Sometimes people describe a Native American piece as having spiny oyster stones – similar to saying erroneously that a piece has “coral stones”.

About Coral

Coral History

Although spiny oyster is is durable, it is not a stone. It is a shell.

Navajo Spiny Oyster Pendant

Spiny oyster, not surprisingly, is an oyster that is covered with spines. It is found along the Atlantic coast of Baja California and Baja Mexico. It varies from vibrant red shading into oranges and purples, with definite striations and variation of the colors. Red spiny oyster has been used as a substitute for coral.

Santo Domingo Spiny Oyster Necklace

Santo Domingo Rouge Spiny Oyster Necklace

Right now the orange spiny oyster beads and inlays are hot, hot, hot, so I thought you’d enjoy seeing some of the many variations of this beautiful natural material.

Sterling Silver Navajo Spiny Oyster Cross

Inlay with spiny oyster can be smooth and sleek or chunky cobblestone. Here is one example of each.

Navajo Sterling Silver Inlay Horse Head

Spiny Oyster Cobblestone Inlay Navajo Bear

As if the orange wasn’t beautiful enough, spiny oyster comes in all shades or reds and purples – something for everyone’s taste! Here are a few examples.

Purple Spiny Oyster Treasure Necklace by Navajo Tommy Singer

Santo Domingo Red Spiny Oyster Necklace

Watch our new page where you will see some other beautiful spiny oyster items added later this week.

Native American Jewelry – Paula’s Pawn

As you can imagine, working here at Horsekeeping could be budgetarily fatal for a girl like me who loves Native American jewelry. Every time we go on a shopping trip, I tuck too many things into a box labeled “Paula’s Stuff”. And when we get an estate lot in, I’m really in trouble – I set too many things aside for myself.

How many bracelets can a girl wear??!!   I ask you !

So……..my personal collection has outgrown my jewelry box(es)…..so much so that I had to make a rule. Maybe some of you have done this with the clothes or shoes or purses in your closet. For every new item I bring into my personal collection, I must trade out at least one item. I now have quite a box of items that I have started listing in the Pawn Shop as my own “Paula’s Collection”. When you see this logo associated with an item in the Pawn Shop, it is from my collection.

Vintage Native American Jewelry - Paula's Collection

Have fun browsing the entire pawn shop.

Native American Symbol – Thunderbird

I was appreciating your art pictures and comments on the symbology, just wondering if you know of more about the Thunderbird symbol.
Thanks for sharing!
Colleen

Legend of the Thunderbird

The Native American Thunderbird legend has been recorded through drawings, cave paintings, oral history, totem poles, and as a design element in many Native American artifacts and pieces of art for hundreds if not thousands of years.

Native American Thunderbird

Whether the symbol is specific to the Pacific Northwest Tribes and Plains Indians or is a cross-tribal symbol is debated.

At least 3 tribes have words for Thunderbird:

(From Wikipedia)

“The Thunderbird’s name comes from the common belief that the beating of its enormous wings causes thunder and stirs the wind. The Lakota name for the Thunderbird is Wakį́yą, a word formed from kįyą́, meaning “winged”, and wakhą́, “sacred”. The Kwakwaka’wakw have many names for the Thunderbird and the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) called him Kw-Uhnx-Wa. The Ojibwa word for a thunderbird that is closely associated with thunder is animikii, while large thunderous birds are known as binesi.”

Native American Thunderbird

Now whether the legend was borne from the sighting of a very large prehistoric bird or whether it is completely mythological is also unclear.

There have been some claimed sightings of large Thunderbirds in this century.

But some things seem to be common in all accounts of the Thunderbird legend.

The Thunderbird is large – his wing feathers are said to be 5 feet long giving the bird a wingspan (tip to tip) of 12 feet or more. Some reports say up to a 20 feet wingspan.

The Thunderbird is said to be involved in whipping up weather – thunderstorms, rain, wind, hail, snow and tornados and is capable of flashing lightning from its eyes.

Native American Thunderbird

Excellent articles:

Thunderbird and Trickster by Steve Mizrach

Quillayute and the Thunderbird

Native American Tribes – Zuni

Zuni is the popular name of a Pueblo Indian tribe that now live in western New Mexico. The word “pueblo” has many meanings and does not refer to a particular tribe. It can mean people, race, nation, town, or village. It is said Zunis are direct descendants of the Anasazi who first inhabited the area 1300 years ago.

The Zuni Indian reservation is about 150 miles west of Albuquerque. It comprises 450,000 acres of land and is surrounded by the Painted Cliffs, the Zuni Mountains and the Cibola National Forest. The largest town on the reservation is Zuni Pueblo.

The Zuni speak a unique language, Zunian, and, to this day, maintain a somewhat isolated community life. Religion is of deep significance to Zuni life and many Zuni artifacts relate to religious ceremonies and prayers for rain, fertile soil, abundant harvest and life’s marker event.

The Zuni are known for their beautiful hand carved fetishes, jewelry (particularly stone inlay), needlepoint, artwork and pottery.

Native American Symbols – Yei

Yei is a shortened version of *YeiBiChi, a holy figure in the Navajo culture. Yeis are the supernatural beings that allow communication between the Navajo people and their Gods. One Navajo artist told me, “They are the keepers of the door to the other world.”

YeiBiChi are the masked human dancers impersonating the Yei deities for ceremonial purposes.

©  2010 Horsekeeping © Copyright Information

Sterling Silver Navajo Yei

The yei is a mythical figure that symbolizes various healing powers. There are various yeis, one of which is Rainbow Man (a separate post coming). Yeis have wisdom to share with man to help him live in harmony, survive and behave in the right way.

Appearing as Petroglyphs (Rock Art) in North America, Yei figures are often used in healing ceremonies to restore a person’s balance or hozho.

Navajo Yei Naja Sterling Silver Pendant

Hozho is a Navajo word that depicts the quality of harmony but it means so much more. It is not only gaining harmony but maintaining it. It is a sense of walking in beauty, something that is achievable by all because there is a sense of rightness in the core of each person. To be in true hozho, one must embrace the world and the environment and be a part of it while still striking a clear tone of one’s own existence and being.

Sometimes to restore a person’s hozho, a hataalii (Navajo healer) also known as a Singer or a Medicine Man is called in. the hataalii incorporates the appropriate yei figure into the sand painting (dry painting) near the person’s home that needs healing. The painting is made of sand and other colored materials such as pollen, crushed stones and flowers. Once the sand painting is completed, the ailing person sits on the sand painting and the illness is drawn out of the person into the sand. That night the healer gathers up all of the material used in the painting and scatters it to the Four Directions. The ceremony can last up to 9 days. This type of healing sand painting is a private ceremony, not viewed by those outside the family.

The other type of sand painting is created for the sake of representing Native American art. It is put together on a board to remain as a permanent piece of art – the materials are sprinkled on the glued surface. Any symbols incorporated are, hopefully, used in a manner that is not disrespectful. It is said that sand painting art is not “completed” like a healing sand painting is, but it does give a close representation.

Yeis were also often woven into rug designs most notably from the Shiprock New Mexico area and northeast Arizona. Since the use of yeis in sand paintings is meant to be a sacred, temporary use and discarded when the healing has taken place, when yeis were first woven into rugs in the 1920’s, they were taboo. To have a sacred figure that is used for healing to be used in a permanent way on display was just not right. Today’s woven rugs are justified in a similar way as is the sand painting art – they are for display only for their artistic merit, they are not used for worship or as prayer rugs.

There are male and female yei figures. Female yei have square heads and male yei are depicted with round heads.

Navajo Sterling Silver Yei Square Head

Navajo Yei Round Head

The figures can be found depicted standing upright, curved, angled and in a three-sided square.

Navajo Sterling Silver and Turquoise Yei

*spelling variations also seen: Yeii, YeiBiChei, YeiBeiChai, YeiBeChai, YeBiChai)