It’s defined as the process of growing copper onto a conductive surface through electrolysis. Basically, a thick “skin” of metal is built up onto a surface. To start, I begin by fixing a gemstone onto the appropriate base; a jump ring, a ring band, posts for earrings, or any other base. Stones are glued in the desired position and once dry, a 2-part epoxy is applied to fill in any gaps and strengthen the piece.
After hardening for many hours, I sand and shape the epoxy down to the minimum (so the jewelry wont be too bulky). I then paint 3 coats of conductive paint everywhere I want copper to form and drying 12+ hours between each coat. Once the paint is fully dry, I will seal the stones and crystals with latex to keep them protected. All gemstones are scaled by their hardness and often softer stones can end up damaged if not properly sealed.
Then the magic happens! I suspend pieces into an electrolyte solution or “bath” where a DC current of electricity passes through the solution converting metallic ions into atoms. Through a continuous deposit, atom by atom, copper will build up onto the jewelry surface. The metal will slowly deposit onto the paint over a 24 hour period. When finished, I rinse, tumble, and hand polish each piece.
It is now formed in pure copper! You have the option to plate in other metals; 14K gold, rose gold, or rhodium. The plating is applied extremely thick (3 microns) with state-of-the-art x-ray fluorescence thickness testing. I choose this thickness so your jewelry can be worn daily through all your busy activities and to prevent numerous re-plating like those from a typical jeweler (to gauge, most jewelers at your big stores use .5 - 1 micron).
♥ My hope for you is to love them and wear them daily!
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