How To Clean A Copper Trollbeads Bangle
Trollbeads Copper Bangles
We love the Trollbeads Copper Bangles, both the plain and the twisted. They look great worn with or without beads, mixed with other metal bangles, like the silver and gold, and with different stoppers.
If you need help choosing which size bangle to purchase, read our blog here.
Copper is a beautiful metal and has been used in jewellery making for hundreds of years. The colour of copper deepens over time and reacts with your body chemistry when you wear it, enhancing the patina.
Copper can look particularly striking used in silver jewellery as the contrast accentuates both metals. The same is true when it’s used with silver marcasite.
The patina is a thin layer which forms on the surface of copper and similar metals on exposure or from age. This can add to the beauty of the piece.
It also means that each person’s bangle will look unique which just adds to its beauty.
But, just like with silver jewellery, there may be times when you want to clean your bangle and remove the tarnish which happens naturally with contact with air.
This is done easily and quickly.
In this blog, we will show you how, in three simple steps, you can bring that gleam back to your copper bangle again. This could also apply to cleaning copper jewellery, for instance a copper bracelet – including any copper bracelets and bangles purchased for arthritis pain relief (just be careful of getting them wet if a magnet has been glued into the item).
Trollbeads suggest cleaning your copper bangle with salt and lemon juice or salt and vinegar, but we use vinegar and lemon juice with brilliant results.
What You’ll Need
In order to clean your copper jewellery you’ll need the following:
- Lemon Juice
- Vinegar
- A shallow bowl
- A old toothbrush
- Lukewarm water
- A dry, soft towel
- A Copper Polishing Cloth (or normal jewellery polishing cloth)
Ready? Great!
How to clean copper jewellery
1. Let's Get Cleaning!
Any beads or stoppers that are on the bangle will need to be removed and put to one side.
Take the bowl and pour in enough lemon juice to just cover the bangle, then add a little vinegar. We use 2/3 lemon juice and 1/3 vinegar (this way it smells better too!).
Submerge the copper bangle (or your copper jewellery) into the liquid and leave for around a minute.
You will begin to see the effects immediately!
2. A Gentle Rub
When you remove the bangle from the solution, you will see that it will have already vastly improved.
However there may be some slight tarnish marks remaining where the stoppers have been on the bangle.
This is where the soft toothbrush comes in!
Dip the toothbrush into the vinegar/lemon juice mix and gently wipe over the bangle.
You will see the marks miraculously disappear.
3. Rinse
Next, dip the bangle into the lukewarm water.
Gently rub dry with a clean towel.
To finish, give the bangle a gentle buff with your Copper Polishing Cloth or Jewellery Cleaning Cloth.
You can see the difference in just a few minutes!
We are sure you will agree that your cleaning your Trollbeads copper bangle makes it look heaps better!
Maybe you use something else which is equally effective? Do let us know what you use. As always, we’d love to hear from you.
When you are not wearing it, store your bangle in a plastic zip-lock bag. This will prevent it from reacting with the environment and changing colour (tarnishing), although remember this is just temporary.
- Denise
- March 26, 2023
- 2 Comments
2 comments
Hi, I can’t wait to clean my bracelet. It is really tarnished. Can you clean the stoppers the same way? Thanks for the article. Brenda
Hi Brenda,
The stoppers should be absolutely fine as the inner part is silicone rubber (pretty sturdy stuff) and will only be in the solution quickly anyway. Quite often we hold the stopper and “paint” the solution all the way around the copper part of the stopper with the toothbrush we use to clean the bangle, then rinse and dry. I’m sure, like us, you will find it incredibly satisfying to clean your bangle – you will be amazed at how well they clean up! Do let us know how you get on 🙂