I recently got engaged (squeal!!) and the boy purchased my ring from Jorgensen Studio on Etsy! I am absolutely in love with it's vintage style and design. It is sterling silver and the stone is white topaz, which is the perfect size.
Unfortunately, when it got here it was too small! Impatient as I am, I was really hesitant to send it back and have to wait again for it to get here to be able to wear it. I went down to one of the small local jewelers here in town to have it re-sized. When I got it back they had polished all of the wonderful oxidation! I didn't say anything, just came home feeling slightly discouraged. I knew it would probably return but I was anxious! After doing a bit of reading on the internet I found a way to oxidize it myself -- with eggs! Here is a little explanation of the process.
Before oxidation - they made it so... polished!
First things first, I needed some eggs! After running to the store (just moved... no food in this house, hehe) and hurrying back home I plopped them all into a pot to hard-boil them. Of course I couldn't boil just one. Egg salad anyone?
Twelve minutes later I scooped out an egg and while still hot I threw it into a sandwich baggie, shell and all. Squish it all up and toss in the ring!
And now we wait! After about twenty minutes I checked on it and was shocked to see it was already turning copper. Now, I don't make jewelry so this is all very new to me. I'm sure some jewelry makers would be laughing and teasing me but it was so exciting!
Look how dark it's getting! I left it in the baggie four about three hours before pulling it out and examining. Of course it is all egg-y and a teeny bit gross. A quick scrub with a sponge and dish soap and WAH LAH!
Look how nice and dark it is! In my hastiness I didn't realize I didn't have any steel wool in my house... doh! I rubbed it up as much as possible with a pair of jeans and slipped it over my finger. So much better! Tomorrow I will scurry to the store and get some steel wool to polish it up. The flower pattern will really stand out after that!
