Copper & Shine Jewelry

It all started when…

I found a love for crystals and couldn’t stop collecting them. Two of my favorite things are creating something from nothing and working with stones. When starting to explore crystals I wanted to have a way to carry them with me always, so the idea of jewelry came pretty naturally.
I started with crystal beads, and evolved into wire wrapping and now I mostly enjoy the art of Electroforming.

What is Electroforming?

Electroforming is the intricate alchemy process of fusing metal onto another medium using a low voltage electrical charge. The scientific process was discovered by Professor Moritz von Jacobi in the Academy of Science, St Petersburg, Russia. Thomas Edison used electroforming in his work, as did Michael Faraday, a famous 19th century physicist and chemist.

The process involves coating an organic object in conductive paint. The piece is then suspended in an electrolytic solution comprised of copper sulfate and sulfuric acid. The electrical charge breaks down a positively charged copper anode and deposits it onto the piece, which is suspended from the negatively charged cathode. A layer of copper slowly forms over the piece. After many hours of moving copper ions onto the organic piece, it is removed from the bath and goes on to the polish, patina, and sealing processes.

The piece is then ready to become jewelry! It is hardy and durable, while the original organic material remains encased in the copper.