Copper in ancient times
Copper and the various copper alloys were important in jewelry materials throughout ancient times and antiquity. Bangles, torcs, beads, pins and rings are all common.
Native copper, which tends to be in the top layers of most copper deposits, was being used for the production of simple ornamental items like beads and pins by the 7th millennium BC in Anatolia, Iran and maybe Eastern Europe, and about 200 years later in Egypt. At that time items likely were simply hammered into shape.
Smelting techniques were used for copper in Iran and Egypt by about 4000 BC. Tin was added to give copper greater hardness. Tin was preferred over arsenic because it became easier to cast. Most ancient copper/tin alloys, named bronzes, have a tin content of between 7 and 10%. Lead was also added, yielding softer metal, but meaning it became less useful as a tool. In general, very few copper/zinc alloys predate the first century BC, when it was termed orichalcum and was highly esteemed. Copper zinc alloys are easy to cast and has an attractive gold color. The alloys are also very ductile - important for the development of simple jewelry items containing wire and thin sheet.
Our copper jewelry is made with high grade copper and either bent or hammered to shape using simple hand tools. Check below for copper rings made with ancient beads about 2000 years old.
