A copper bracelet is a cuff, bangle or string of beads made from copper, the warm reddish metal. People have worked copper for about ten thousand years, and wearing it on the wrist is tied to a well-known folk belief about aching joints.
One of the first metals people worked
Copper turns up in nature as pure metal, so Stone Age people could pick it up and hammer it into shape. That began around 8000 BCE. At Çayönü, in what is now Turkey, people hammered it into beads, pins and fishhooks in the eighth millennium BCE.
Around the Great Lakes, Native peoples worked Lake Superior copper from at least 4000 BCE. By about 1500 BCE their copper work had shifted from tools toward personal ornaments.
The name comes from Cyprus, the island that supplied Rome with copper. Romans called it aes Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus," later shortened to cuprum. That gave English the word copper and chemistry the symbol Cu. Copper is also what colors turquoise blue.
Copper in folk belief
Cyprus was sacred to Aphrodite, and the ancients linked copper with her and with Venus, her Roman counterpart. In alchemy, copper shared its symbol with the goddess and the planet Venus: ♀.
The best-known belief holds that a copper bracelet eases the pain and stiffness of arthritis. University of York researchers count copper and magnets on the skin among folklore remedies for rheumatoid arthritis, and note that copper bracelets for rheumatism have been popular since the 1970s.
What controlled trials found
In a double-blind trial published in PLOS ONE in 2013, 70 people with rheumatoid arthritis were each assigned four devices to wear for five weeks apiece, in random order: a standard magnetic wrist strap, a weak one, a demagnetized one and a copper bracelet. Sixty-five of them completed all four. The researchers found no statistically significant differences between the four in pain, inflammation, physical function, disease activity or medication use. They concluded that neither the copper bracelet nor the magnetic strap had any meaningful effect beyond that of a placebo. Seven participants reported skin irritation from the copper bracelet.
An earlier trial by the same team, with 45 people with osteoarthritis, found magnetic and copper bracelets generally ineffective for pain, stiffness and physical function, and found no major side effects. The lead researcher urged anyone who suspects rheumatoid arthritis to see a doctor early.
Why copper turns skin green
Copper reacts with oxygen in the air and with the salt and acids in sweat. The result is a thin film of green copper compounds, the same kind of patina that slowly turned the copper skin of the Statue of Liberty from red to green with help from sea air and city pollution. The film is loose, so some of it rubs off onto the wrist. A Nebraska Medicine dermatologist notes that this green residue is not harmful and washes off with soap and water.
Cleaning tarnish
Over time copper darkens and dulls in the air. The University of Georgia Extension suggests a paste of lemon juice with equal parts salt and cornstarch. Rub it on gently with a soft rag, rinse with warm water and mild dish soap, and dry with a soft cloth. It is not for lacquered finishes. On a corded or red string bracelet, clean only the metal and keep the cord dry. More styles are in our bracelets.
Copper Bracelets at Buddha.store
- Magnetic Copper Adjustable Cuff Bracelet
- Dragon Phoenix Solid Copper Cuff Bracelet
- Rustic Copper Balance Cuff Bracelet
- Adjustable Magnetic Copper Braided Bracelet, Ring or Set
- Braided Copper Bead String Bracelet
- Copper Bead Bracelet with Adjustable Cord
See every piece in our Copper collection.
