Copper jewellery naturally develops tarnish over time as it reacts with air, moisture and the natural oils in your skin. The easiest way to clean copper jewellery is by using a gentle dip cleaner like Copperbrite, which removes tarnish quickly without damaging gemstones or delicate settings.
Copper jewellery has a special kind of magic.
It’s earthy, unique, and alive in a way that few metals are. Copper reacts with the world around it — the air, your skin, the ocean, even the rain — and over time it develops a natural patina.
Sometimes that patina creates beautiful deeper tones and even blue-green hues. It tells the story of where your jewellery has been and how it interacts with everything it touches.
At Down to Earth Jewellery, we love copper for exactly this reason.
It’s a living metal.
But sometimes you simply want that bright copper glow back.
And that’s when people ask us the question we hear all the time:
“How do I clean my copper jewellery?”
Why Copper Jewellery Tarnishes
Copper naturally reacts with oxygen, moisture, lotions and the natural oils in your skin. This reaction creates the darker surface layer we call tarnish or patina.
This is completely normal and one of the reasons copper jewellery feels so connected to nature.
Some people love the vintage character of the patina. Others prefer the warm, glowing copper colour.
The beautiful thing about copper is that you get to choose.
The Challenge With Cleaning Copper Jewellery
Many traditional cleaning methods involve pastes, polishing cloths, or scrubbing.
While these methods can work, they can be tricky when jewellery has gemstones or intricate settings. Scrubbing also takes time and can be difficult to reach small spaces.
Some homemade mixtures like lemon juice or vinegar with baking soda can remove tarnish, but they often require quite a bit of rubbing and care around gemstones.
That’s why we prefer a much simpler method.
The Easiest Way to Clean Copper Jewellery
The easiest way to restore copper jewellery is with a dip-cleaning method.
At Down to Earth Jewellery we use a product called Copperbrite, a copper cleaning liquid made locally in South Africa.
It’s biodegradable, non-poisonous and safe to use on jewellery with gemstones.
And honestly… it feels a little like magic.
Instead of scrubbing or polishing, you simply dip your jewellery into the liquid and let it do the work.
How to Use Copperbrite
Cleaning your jewellery takes just a few minutes.
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Place your jewellery into the Copperbrite liquid.
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Leave it for 1–10 minutes until the copper becomes shiny.
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Rinse with clean water.
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Dry your jewellery thoroughly with a cloth.
If your jewellery is very tarnished, you can gently rub it with a soft cloth or a soft toothbrush while soaking.
Why We Love Copperbrite
Copperbrite has become one of our favourite jewellery care products because it works beautifully with copper jewellery.
• Removes tarnish quickly and effectively
• Non-abrasive and gentle on jewellery
• Safe for gemstones
• Leaves no residue
• Biodegradable and environmentally friendly
• Made in South Africa by a local company
Tarnish or Shine — You Decide
One of the things we love most about copper is that it changes and evolves over time.
From warm browns to deeper patina tones, every phase has its own beauty.
Sometimes you embrace the natural patina.
And sometimes you bring the shine back.
Either way, copper continues to tell the story of where it has been.
✨ If you'd like an easy way to clean your jewellery, you can find Copperbrite Copper Cleaning Liquid in our shop. It comes in a ready-to-use 225 ml glass bottle and makes restoring the shine of your copper jewellery incredibly simple.