​The other day my friend, Lee, messaged me with 4 pictures she had taken of herself. She was on a weekend trip near the ocean to attend a wedding. Lee was looking hot in a slinky dress and sunglasses. Best or all, she was wearing a necklace that I had made and, boy, did it look good on her! The necklace was one of poppies painted with alcohol inks on yupo paper and fitted into a copper, square tray. Lee’s dress was a forest green and the red poppies with the light green background popped against that dress. Lee looked beautiful wearing her necklace! It was sweet of her to surprise me with those pictures and I love her for it. She made my day!

I love using copper, silver and other metals to make my jewelry. I don’t, however, like the way it tarnishes. Tarnish occurs when the metal is exposed to the air and oxidation takes place. Customers have asked me how to clean their jewelry, especially the copper. My answer has been to apply some commercial metal cleaner like Tarn-X, or use a natural alternative such as a mixture of vinegar, flour and salt. After that, keep the jewelry in a plastic bag when not wearing it.

Then there is the problem that some people have with a skin reaction to the metal, such as  turning their skin green or black.

I recently decided to search the internet and see if there were some other solutions to metal tarnishing and skin reactions.

That’s when I stumbled across ProtectaClear by Everbrite.
ProtectaClear is a skin-safe, anti-tarnish clear coating that is practically invisible and will protect jewelry from tarnish, oxidation and fading.

Everbrite claims that its product will:

• Stop tarnish and oxidation on jewelry.
  
• Preserve Patinas from discoloring and wearing off.
  
• Protect plated metals from wearing off.
  
• Seal metal and stop skin discoloration
  

Amazon carries ProtectaClear and the reviews on it were 91% positive. The main complaints were that the can was hard to open and the steps to cleaning the metal and then applying the coating were a bit involved. A few people said ProtectaClear didn’t work, but I suspect that may have come from a failure to follow directions carefully.

In any case, I ordered the product. I will read the instructions carefully and apply it to some of my jewelry. After several weeks, I will share the results. Stay tuned…