Unusual colored silver finishes?

Hi I have seen a finish on silver that i have never seen, it is in
the area of an umber and called oxidized silver, in the picture,
very uniform throughout the bracelet, and polished. Is it possible to
polish “oxidized silver”, so that it is very shiney, doesn’t
polishing oxidized silver, turn it silver color? isn’t that what
polishing is, the elimination of oxidation, or is it a coat of clear
gloss paint, or something A little stupid over here with a mainstay
in wood jewelry, but finishes, unusual colors, on metal excite me
deeply!

dp

I’ve gotten a wonderful deep brownish color I suppose you could call
umber, as well as a lighter version of that color that looks like
"antique gold" on sterling pieces by using quick dips into weak liver
of sulphur solutions. If the piece is highly polished to start with,
this dulls it down a little bit, but you could (if you chose to) coat
it with a high-gloss Krylon clear coat to make it shiny again. Or
you could go with a wax to give it a satiny “glow.” However, if you
polish it, pickle it, or heat it you will lose the patina and have to
reapply it.

You can patina a piece multiple times, using heat, polish, or pickle
to remove the patina and try again until you get it just the way you
want it.

Using silver, you can also get a really neat range of colors using
quick, repeated dips into liver of sulphur. Just make sure that your
solution isn’t TOO strong or too hot or it will go black too quickly
to take you through that range of colors and shades.

Have fun!

Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller

Dear dp, I usually don’t go for high polish myself, however, my guess
would be that they polished it well before then ran a burnisher over
it, oxidized it, and ran a burnisher over it again. I would only
bother if the area was well protected since wear takes off both
oxidation and high polish.

Good luck,
Pauline