Handmade by Amber Yearwood

I bring two brass components together-one old, one newly made by me- to create this lovely and elegant brooch. A spectacularly detailed vintage brass oval with a  wispy nouveau floral motif and a brass pinback are securely soldered together. Tumbled in steel shot for a long time to add strength and shine, then heavily oxidized to a dark black brown. Finally, a good sanding brings out even the smallest detail of this amazing motif. Buffed gently with museum wax to help preserve the finish. Keep in mind that brass will tarnish quicker than sterling, but care is pretty simple. If you wish a soft matte finish, use the finest sandpaper you can get your hands on. Or, you can use a polishing cloth to give the high points some shine instead.

I’m not sure of the exact age, but this brass is quite old. The man I bought them from said that they were discovered in the storage room of an old factory 20-some odd years ago (and were old then!). They had been sitting in a dusty old box in his garage, along with glass marbles and various junk since then!

I was so lucky to have been able to rescue these beauties and give them new life, but unfortunately I now have a very limited (and ever dwindling) supply of these gorgeous pieces. I will not be able to get more when I run out, but I have had a mold made. Please look at all 3 pictures in order to get an idea of just how wonderfully detailed these are…

Measures approx. 1.25″ long.

Look for the matching cuff as well as earrings!

*PLEASE NOTE that I only use solder that does NOT contain lead or cadmium in my soldered pieces, and a natural non-toxic “pickle” to clean the metal after using the torch. All of my raw metals (wire, sheet, etc.) are recycled/reclaimed metal. When oxidizing, I also use liver of sulfur. No harsh chemicals.*

$18 USD plus s&h

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