A Brief History of Copper (The 30 Second Version)
How about some information on copper, since someone I know is making cute pendants out of copper wire, and I didn't do much of anything today, anyway, having had the Rainy Day Blahs...closely related, as you know, to the Monday Blahs. :)
The oldest known metal, copper is believed to be the first metal used by man, approximately 10,000 years ago, and was associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart, Venus. Copper pendants have been found dating back to 8700 BC, and both Incan and Aztec warriors wore copper into battle, as they believed it increased their agility and skill. In addition to its use in jewelry, Egyptian craftsmen used copper to fashion mirrors for the dead, and the metal has also been used to make crowns, coins, tools, and household items such as candlesticks. It is used in ceramic glazes and to color glass, and even serves as a roofing medium, prized for its green and blue tarnish. (I can vouch for how pretty a roof it makes, having spent an entire month in France, summer of 2003!) Copper mixed with zinc makes brass, and by 2000 BC, both the Chinese and Egyptians had discovered mixing copper with tin produced bronze, leading the Chinese to have mastered the art of bronze sculpture by 1200 BC. Indigenous peoples in America began mining copper in the Great Lakes region 7,000 years ago, and the Michigan peninsula is one of the richest sources of natural copper ore in the world today. Copper is softer than silver, having a rating of 2.5-3 on the Mohs scale. If kept from moisture and water, the metal holds its finish well and is slow to tarnish. It is often attributed healing properties, is inexpensive and plentiful, can be purchased in a wide variety of coated colors, and develops a beautiful green to blue patina as it ages, all of which makes copper a popular metal among many handcrafted jewelry makers.
Ciao,
Jenie
The oldest known metal, copper is believed to be the first metal used by man, approximately 10,000 years ago, and was associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and her Roman counterpart, Venus. Copper pendants have been found dating back to 8700 BC, and both Incan and Aztec warriors wore copper into battle, as they believed it increased their agility and skill. In addition to its use in jewelry, Egyptian craftsmen used copper to fashion mirrors for the dead, and the metal has also been used to make crowns, coins, tools, and household items such as candlesticks. It is used in ceramic glazes and to color glass, and even serves as a roofing medium, prized for its green and blue tarnish. (I can vouch for how pretty a roof it makes, having spent an entire month in France, summer of 2003!) Copper mixed with zinc makes brass, and by 2000 BC, both the Chinese and Egyptians had discovered mixing copper with tin produced bronze, leading the Chinese to have mastered the art of bronze sculpture by 1200 BC. Indigenous peoples in America began mining copper in the Great Lakes region 7,000 years ago, and the Michigan peninsula is one of the richest sources of natural copper ore in the world today. Copper is softer than silver, having a rating of 2.5-3 on the Mohs scale. If kept from moisture and water, the metal holds its finish well and is slow to tarnish. It is often attributed healing properties, is inexpensive and plentiful, can be purchased in a wide variety of coated colors, and develops a beautiful green to blue patina as it ages, all of which makes copper a popular metal among many handcrafted jewelry makers.
Ciao,
Jenie
posted by Jenie at 2:45 AM
2 Comments:
Oh no...you outed my pendants LOL! Thanks for the free advert ;-) KJ
you are welcome :)
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