If your hope is to make the entire piece stay dark longer you can add a clear coat. You can even rub the piece with fine steel wool to bring the highlights out faster. This may be desired to accentuate a texture, such as the image below. Now the patina is going to wear off as it is rubbed against hard surfaces. When it reaches the desired tone just take the jewelry out and rinse it off. You can take it out at any point when you like the finish, or leave it in for hours to see just how dark you can get it. In about 10-15 minutes it should have a nice gray tone.

Sometime the colors start with reds, then blues and gradually get darker. In about 5 minutes you will notice the piece changing. You can just place it right on top of the crushed egg. Then take your jewelry and place it inside the bag with the egg. Place the entire egg into the plastic baggie and break it up into small pieces. Next take a hard boiled egg and peel off the shell. It works for both sterling silver and copper.įirst you will want to make sure your jewelry has been cleaned of all dirt and oils by washing it with warm soapy water, then dry. This method is a simple solution requiring just one hard boiled egg and a small ziplock baggie. However, you can always apply a clear coat to make it last longer. Keep in mind the patina is just a reaction on the surface of the metal, so it will wear off when rubbed against hard surfaces. I am going to cover a couple methods to give your bright silver jewelry (or copper) a nice dark finish. While silver naturally has a bright finish, a dark gray/black finish can be equally desirable.

Black patina solution