Hooks on Native American Necklaces

Dear Paula,

I foolishly went to bed last night with my new coral necklace hooked around my neck.

I woke up in the morning and it was gone.

I could have lost it at the shops as I was in and out of bed trying to get to sleep and then we went to the shops late last night, I have searched all the crevices of my room and all places and it is just gone.

That hook they use at the back, I should have bent it shut if I wanted to leave it on, that’s what I do with my other hooks or I should have just taken it off before I go to bed.

What a shame! I scrimped and saved for that necklace and I so loved it, it was one-of a kind vintage!

Please get back to me any advice you do have about those hooks they use, and please help me for next time!

Thanks, Ruby

PS  My adopted Dad just found it! I am so pleased!  It was in between the doorway of my room and the hall way.

I have bent the hook shut, and can take it off over my head when I shower.

Any advice would still be appreciated.

Thanks

Love Ruby

Hi Ruby, Phew !! That’s good news. Yes, bend the hook shut like you did – that’s what most people do who want to take a necklace on and off over their heads. Traditionally the hooks are left open at first because some people have arthritis or other difficulty with their hands and need a big open hook in order to get it fastened.

Usually when a necklace is hanging straight down it won’t come unfastened. I can see where it would come off if you wore it to bed. But like you found, it is easy to squish the hook closed for more security.

Paula

Necklace Extenders

Paula,

I love my 17 1/2″ silver bead necklace as a choker but sometimes I want to wear it over a collar or longer with a pendant. Do you have something I can use to make it longer?

Kary

Hi Kary,

We have a few sterling silver necklace extenders. Depending on what kind of necklace you have and how long you want to lengthen it, perhaps one of the following would be helpful.

If you have a bench bead necklace that is approximately 9mm, perhaps something like this 8 bead  extender might work. It is 3 3/4″ long.

An 8 bead 9 mm sterling silver bench bead necklace extender

We also have some chain extenders that would work with any necklace.

Sterling silver chain extender for necklaces

Some necklace come with a chain already on them. But having a separate chain extender allows you to use it with any necklace.

AND what is also very good about using a chain extender like this is that  you can make small adjustments in length to get the necklace (or pendant) to hang at just the right spot.

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 !

Necklace Chain Primer – Names and Characteristics of Common Chains

I’ve received several questions from customers recently about the confusion related to the names of various chains, so I thought I’d give some basic information and examples of some of the most common chains out there. Like many things, there are lots of variations out there as to what certain groups of people might call certain chains, but this primer will get you started.

The Chain Name Game

©  2011 Horsekeeping   © Copyright Information

Chains have all kinds of names and some of the names morph, overlap and become hybrids.

Knowing a few main chain names can help you select the perfect chain for your pendant.

A Herringbone chain kind of looks like that herringbone tweed wool jacket you have – you know, sort of like two rows of parallel lines that meet each other at a point.

Here’s the wool.

Here’s the chain.

Herringbone Chain

 

Omega chains are similar to herringbone chains in that they are thick and appear woven.

The segments of an Omega are parallel to each other and run across the width of the necklace. There are round Omegas which are complete circles, dome Omegas which are half circles and flat Omegas which basically a dome Omega that has been flattened. All 3 types look basically the same from the top. Wide Omegas are nice to wear alone as well as with a pendant. All Omega chains hold their shape as a circle or oval, they do not drape like a chain.

Thin Round Omega

Wide Omega

A snake chain is something like a round omega but because of how the segments are put together, a snake chain drapes and moves like a chain….or a snake if you’d rather think of it like that – they are slinky.

 

Snake Chain

A curb chain is what I think of when I think “chain” – it is a series of interconnected links that are twisted so they lay flat. Curb chains range from very fine and elongated to thick and condensed. If you know horse tack and know what a “curb chain” is on a bridle, you are one step closer to having a mental image of what a curb chain is.

Curb Chain on bit for horse's bridle

Heavy Curb Chain Necklace

A fine curb chain with long links is similar to a cable chain – in fact, in some cases, so similar as to be indistinguishable from each other.

Fine, long Curb Chain, also called Cable Chain

A box chain is pretty much what it says. It is shaped like a box. It has four distinct sides making it look almost “mechanical” in style – like something I’ve seen on a piece of farm equipment. A medium to heavy box chain would be a nice choice for a man.

Box Chain

A Rollo chain consists of circular rings that are connected with the next ring at the perpendicular – there are no connecting links between the rings.

Rollo Chain

A Figaro consists of long, oval or teardrop shaped rings that alternate with 3 shorter curb chain links.

Figaro Chain

A Rope chain is made from two strands twisted together in a spiral fashion. Each strand is a series of oval links The thicker the metal used for the links, the more solid and rope-like the chain looks.

Rope Chain

So there you have it. A primer on necklace chains. Remember, any of these chains can be very much thicker or thinner than the examples I’ve used but the basic construction will be the same. Let me know if you have heard some of these chains called by other names.