Hammered Brass Dangle Earrings

Rustic hammered brass earrings with bead dangles of gold plated rounds, wooden donut bead and seed bead. These brass shapes have a fold formed type texture hammered onto them and a bit of fire patina on them to provide more rustic appeal. They are handcrafted from pure brass sheet and coated with a high quality jewelry clear coat to preserve the coloring. The bead dangles give a bit of whimsy to these earrings, and of course a good dangle!

Brass leverback earwires. Brass wire used for wire wrapping the beads.

Handmade in USA.
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What is Brass?

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It is typically 70% copper and 30% zinc. Red brass is 90% copper, and 10% zinc, which gives it a slightly warmer color.

Greek and Roman documents suggest that the intentional production of alloys similar to modern brass, using copper and a zinc oxide-rich ore known as calamine, occurred around the 1st century BC. Calamine brass was produced using a cementation process, whereby copper was melted in a crucible with ground smithsonite (or calamine) ore.

At high temperatures, zinc present in such ore turns to vapor and permeates the copper, thereby producing a relatively pure brass with 17-30% zinc content. This method of brass production was used for nearly 2000 years until the early 19th century. Not long after the Romans had discovered how to produce brass, the alloy was being used for coinage in areas of modern-day Turkey. This soon spread throughout the Roman Empire.