LYNN COBB - FINE SILVER JEWELRY
A word about patinas.
Many of my fine silver pieces are finished with a patina after firing. Patinas can vary from a pale gold color through browns, pinks, purples, blues and black. The value of patina is its ability to accentuate the patterns that appear in the silver and add some lovely color. No two patina applications yield exactly the same results, however, which is both pleasing and frustrating. If you are ordering a piece that is similar, but not exactly the pictured piece, I can either come close to duplicating the patina color that you see in the photo or, if you prefer, make a lighter or darker patina. See the pine bough earrings and the castle and hut series rings which show a variety of finishes that result from using the same patina.
If you like the patina on a piece, store in a soft cloth after wearing, and do not polish. Silver polish will remove the patina. When storing silver between wearings, never store shiny pieces with pieces with patina...the patina will "migrate" to the shiny piece and it will appear tarnished. To restore the brilliant shine of raised areas that do not have patina, just lightly rub across the top with a silver polishing cloth.
By the way, shiny pieces of fine silver will remain shiny much longer than sterling silver when stored in a soft cloth. Fine silver is much slower to tarnish as it is pure silver unlike sterling which has 7.5% copper, which contributes to fast tarnish and allergies for some. As with all silver, buffing with silver polishing cloth or cream will restore brilliance which may fade over time.