Brass Ox and Brass Findings and Beads

Brass Ox is the trade term for "Oxidized Brass." Now, those of you with a slightly more technical bent will realize that oxidized brass actually goes green, which is not what the term means! It means a dark, blackened effect in the crevices and creases, and an overall darker look.

We have put our shiny brass and "Brass Ox" stuff on the one page for now - and the findings and beads together, until they get to be too big for one page!

Generally speaking, these are a plated metal, with a non-tarnish finish. We have not experienced a problem with the colour wearing off, or with them tarnishing, but if you do, please do let us know, as we prefer to know about these things. You do not need to clean these, and do not use abrasive cleaning methods if you do - as you will remove the protective barrier.

Brass as it is known today is an alloy of Copper and Zinc, in varying proportions. (Bronze is an alloy of Copper and Tin, but when we use it - it is only as a colour - not as reference to the differences between the two metals. - Interestingly, brass, as we know it today is closer to the alloy known as bronze in the "old times" - meaning that what we refer to as brass is closer to the "bronze" of the period in time known as the "bronze-age." This, folks, is the ancient metal that started us on the slippery slope to superior tool-making, the invention of weapons, the industrial era, and inevitably, email, SUV's, instant coffee, and a great many other mixed blessings. A double-edged sword indeed!)