There are many beautiful natural elements, but copper with its rich reddish-orange color strikes me as a perfect element for fall. It mixes well with the reds, yellows, golds and oranges of the fall season.
Copper is a pure metal found in nature. It was the first metal used by humans circa 8,000 B.C. It has been used in the making of weaponry and jewelry and vessels. In relative recent times, copper is found in such common products as plumbing, roofing, electrical conductors, computers, and currency in the form of our humble penny.
In design, copper has many uses and is selected for its rich “coppery” color. When paired with cool colors on the color wheel, copper is a beautiful accent. It is often used in jewelry and paired with turquoise, a color to which copper naturally turns when exposed to the weather. Some of the most beautiful architectural icons are marked with the rich patina of copper, including cathedrals and our own Statue of Liberty.
Copper as a design element, is more common than you may think. I took a turn through my house and gathered all things copper, just to see what I had. I knew I had a copper bowl that had belonged to my mother-in-law, a small cup like vessel that belonged to my dad, but I was surprised to find lots more items than I originally remembered. There were small things like earrings, a bit of copper wire wrapped around some beach glass, a beautiful vase my husband brought back from Turkey decades ago. I also have several copper kettles. Copper is such a good conductor of heat that it has been manufactured into cooking vessels. My first set of pots and pans were copper bottomed and I loved keeping them gleaming—that is until toddlers came into my life. I also found that I have copper vessels for plants.
It is no wonder that we have such a love of copper. Besides its beauty and usefulness, it is actually an element in our bodies, and is essential to our overall good health.
There many uses of this beautiful metal. In the engraving art, copper was used in print making. Copperplate is the name of a specific handwriting style: Copperplate.. As a calligrapher, in my early days, I used this script with a split pen nib, in order to get the thick and thin stokes of the ancient style. However, I always think of the beautiful color and how it fits into our everyday life.