We love patina.  A vintage mottled grey kitchen knife, a fiery red and orange copper pan, or mottled chocolate and gold-colored brass, like the pattern on a tortoise shell....a pattern that changes with your contribution of good food and memories, a mark of character.  Many of my designs are inspired by antiques, and many of my items are raw materials without plastic coatings and will continue to age and take on subtle color changes with more love and use.  Brasses and coppers will mottle and darken with general use, and both will brighten considerably in acidic foods like tomato and lemon-based foods*.

All pieces can be safely used with food with certain care (see the last paragraph), and should be washed BY HAND - no dishwasher please, and then soon dried with a soft towel, much like your heirloom silverware.  Hand washing is another opportunity to spend quality time with your unique item!  I send items out with a wax finish that will slow down the subtle color changes, and make them emerge more evenly.  If you want to brighten and even it back up (do not do the following on darkened stainless or darkened copper), instead of using traditional chemical-based silver or brass polish, you can use a mixture of equal parts lemon and fine salt, and massage it with the scouring side of a sponge, in a circular motion, with even pressure in a consistent pattern up and down over the whole item. Do not work a single darker spot, 'massage' the whole piece evenly.

*NOTE: For items with copper, brass, or bronze, please do not use for long periods (several hours) with foods that tend to be acidic (tomato/lemon/etc). For long-term immersion, they are best used for anything else (coffee, tea, spices, chocolate...).  If a greenish 'verdigris' tarnish occurs, it is important to scour it off with the above directions (lemon & salt).

Please contact us with any other questions or concerns.