Horse Head Ring Sterling Silver or Antique Bronze

This a handmade horse head ring in solid .925 sterling silver or antique bronze I created during my apprenticeship in 2003. The top is 2 cm long and sits 0.8mm high on your hand. The underside is hollowed out to make it lighter and the shank is 6mm wide at the bottom.

I created this horse head ring while on apprenticeship with a wax modeler in 2003, and I found it quite fun to make, though long to create the original(18 hours!) I tried to make it as simple as possible, but of course, that never happens when I get started on a project! :P

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

Bronze is an alloy that consists of a mixture of approximately 90% copper and 10% tin. Producing bronze is a less toxic process than producing brass as brass is a combination of copper and zinc, and the manufacturing process often produces zinc oxide which is toxic.

Because bronze contains copper, it can turn your skin green whether you have an allergy or not. Bronze and copper turn your skin green because when the copper reacts with your sweat and the acids from your skin, it produces copper chloride. Copper chloride is a green substance that then rubs off on your skin. If you are prone to sweating, your bronze jewelry will definitely turn your skin green. This chemical reaction can also be prevented by painting any part of the jewelry that comes in contact with your skin with clear nail polish or clear acrylic enamel.