Natural brass is left untreated and raw. After it’s initial cleaning, which gives it a softened brushed look, the brass will begin to patina over time. As the brass is exposed to the atmosphere it will gradually change from the bright “new brass” tone to a darker brown over time, possibly with some areas of green appearing. How quickly this happens depends greatly on the environment and happens faster in areas nearer to salt sea air. The oils on hands will also hasten the patina process along, and if the natural brass is touched you may see fingerprints show up in a darker color than the surrounding metal. Nature can either be left to take its course and even out the patina over time, or if desired, the brass may be cleaned with a dry ScotchBrite pad, steel wool, or any brass polish metal cleaner to remove the darker areas and return the bright “new” brass color.

Lacquered brass is simply the same natural brass sprayed with a sealer. We first clean the brass, giving it an even brushed look, and then coat the brass with a satin or semi-gloss lacquer sealer. While the sealer does dull the shine of a freshly cleaned natural brass finish a bit, it protects the metal from exposure to the atmosphere, keeping it mostly in its “new” brass state. With the addition of the lacquer, your brass sconce will remain the bright “new” brass color. Please note that while the lacquer sealer does keep the brass from turning, you may still see small darker areas appear over time. The nature of brass is to darken, and even with the lacquer applied minimal patination may still occur.