Copper’s anti-infection properties have been known since the days of scalpel-wielding ancient Egyptians, but modern medicine has not fully exploited these benefits until now.

Antimicrobial copper surfaces in intensive care units (ICU) kill 97 percent of bacteria that can cause hospital-acquired infections.

The ancient Egyptians used the disinfecting effect of copper by treating wounds with a mixture of copper filings and honey.

Copper’s anti-infection properties have been known over 4000 years ago by the Ancient Egyptians.  at least since the days of scalpel-wielding ancient Egyptians, but modern medicine has not fully exploited these benefits — until now.

With a desire to teach myself the fabrication technique of wire wrapping, I started using copper approximately 20 years ago, as Sterling silver was an expensive learning material. After a visit to the local hardware store to purchase brass wire, adjacent were coils of copper wire that attracted my attention, thus my adventures with copper began.

Initially I started with wire wrapping beads, but as I began designing more beautiful and complex artwork I became fascinated with copper’s color variations and peacock iridescence.

Wanting to incorporate more copper into my artistic designs, I returned to the hardware store, now in the plumbing department, where I found copper tubing, which integrated into my designs as tubes to freely slide along wire wrapped coils. This became my basic design; a prelude into a myriad of copper jewelry to come.

I initially began to look in traditional places, bead shops, the jewelry district in downtown Los Angeles and online sites.

The items I found were very basic, out of date looking, and not exciting (mostly beads), copper plated items, chains that were not soldered and were structurally weak. The Native American culture utilizes copper however, only finished jewelry is available.

Thus I drew my conclusion, if I wanted to use copper in jewelry, I would have to make my own artwork from raw materials.

I first became acquainted with Copper as a child. My grandmother and I would collect Copper pennies. Grandma told me to look for the pennies with the “wheat” ears on the back because they were all Copper; we even had a coin album to put them in. The mint no longer made “wheat” pennies and my grandmother knew these would someday be a prized possession. She was right! Today pennies are made of zinc coated with Copper.

 In Junior high school I loved mineral chemistry. I was fascinated with the periodic table of elements chart, beakers, test tubes, flasks and how mixing pure elements together would bring about chemical reactions, often colorful.  Subsequently, I  incorporated the “Cu” in my logo.

I did not realize the complexity of issues that would arise working with copper due to the nature and properties of the metal. Unable to use tools for typical metal work because of the small, intricate sizes and shapes, I had to locate small machinery and tools capable of handling industrial copper materials.

 While in the process of making elements for the artwork I was creating, I encountered unforeseen problems such as the metal becoming extremely hot, solder not flowing correctly or matching the color of copper, nasty burrs to remove, breaking drill bits, color consistency, etc.  I would eventually learn how to overcome these obstacles to go on and create beautiful artwork with a purpose.

With an industrial design background, fabrication of parts was just another problem to solve that begins with research. I discovered copper was widely used for industrial applications and household items. I began to locate resources, vendors and acquire raw material utilized by various industries such as electrical, air conditioning, computer, plumbing, refrigeration and heating. Additionally, I went to metal recycling facilities, yard sales, metal scrap bins and reclaimed copper from products such as copper top batteries, cooking pots, speaker wire, obsolete cables, old copper screens, etc.

Ergonomics is the science of designing equipment and the workplace to fit the worker.
Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries related to computer use, writing, playing a musical instrument, sports such as tennis, golf, baseball, long distance runners, etc. that can develop over time.

Copper is a wonderful conductor of electricity, heat and of circulation. Folk wisdom attests to these energy conducting properties in providing relief of arthritic pain.
This remedy and knowledge has been passed down through the generations.

Ergonomic products such as Copper jewelry can help prevent repetitive strain injuries providing circulation and relief to affected areas such as wrists, elbows, back, etc. Each piece of jewelry is designed constructed and contoured for optimal efficiency with the body in mind.

Copper peptide is an active ingredient in cosmetic anti-aging face creams and skin care rejuvenation products. These products are advertised in many of the major beauty and fitness magazines as “a face lift in a bottle.” Although available to spas, salons and professionals since 1989, copper-peptide products for tissue regeneration were first introduced to the mass market in 1997.

Copper is an industrial metal essential to urban modernization.  It is the one commodity that keeps the economy humming. Copper is valuable, and often vital, for nearly every sector, from power generation to construction, sanitation to fine jewelry, minting (most U.S. coins are actually 92% copper) to ship and auto building. While countries such as China and India strive to develop a western lifestyle, the need for copper will likely increase at the expense of a dwindling supply. As alternatives are found to replace copper’s applications, the price of copper will continue to be volatile.

Did you know that at “wheat” penny is worth more than 1 cent? The truth is, some Copper pennies are worth from 3 cents to $2000 each. These coins might be in your pocket, piggy bank, in a penny cup at a convenience store, lying on the ground…consider the return on this effortless investment for just tuning in and paying attention!

Copper is an important dietary trace element that is vital to life. Copper is essential to the proper functioning of organs and metabolic processes. We all need a regular intake of copper in our diet to maintain good health.

Some foods that contain copper are:

• Sea foods
• Beef products
• Honey
• Beans
• Nuts
• Chocolate
• Cereals
• Tomatoes
• Avocados
• Black pepper

We naturally eat copper via consuming foods such as honey, beans, potatoes, chocolate, oatmeal, dark green leafy vegetables

http://www.copperinfo.com/index4.html

Dietary Sources:

Copper is found in these foods:

• Seafood, such as oysters, squid, lobster, mussels, crab, and clams
• Organ meats, such as beef liver, kidneys, and heart
• Nuts and nut butters, such as cashews, filberts, macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds, and pistachios
• Legumes, such as soybeans, lentils, navy beans, and peanuts
• Chocolate, such as unsweetened or semisweet baker’s chocolate and cocoa
• Enriched cereals, such as bran flakes, shredded wheat, and raisin bran
• Fruits and vegetables, such as dried fruits, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, grapes, and avocado
• Blackstrap molasses
• Black pepper

Read more: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/copper-000296.htm#ixzz1kBx7HkgP

The Copper Scroll, found near the Dead Sea in 1952, is a copper metal document approximately seven feet long listing about 60 locations of   very large amounts of hidden and buried gold, silver, and gems from the time of Moses and King Solomon. The scroll, on two rolls of copper, was found at the back of Cave 3 at Qumran. The corroded metal could not be unrolled by conventional means; it was subsequently cut into 23 strips.

Copper is essential to our existence and has been utilized as a “Folk Medicine” to provide relief from ailments such as arthritis for centuries. Today, Copper Jewelry is an integral part of our Wellness lifestyle bringing TLC to our body from the pain and strain of repetitive motion such as texting, computer work, sports, etc.

Copper has been a part of cosmetics since ancient Egyptians utilized it in their eye makeup around 1350 BC. Blue was sometimes obtained from azurite (copper carbonate), which over time becomes green as it changes to malachite, another form of copper carbonate.