Elizabeth and Jack Gualtieri love to experiment with different metal colors—they developed a 22k rose and a white gold granulation—so it’s not too surprsing that now they’ve created a new purple patina. 

Orchid appeared while the Portland, Ore.–based pair behind Zaffiro Jewelry were playing around at the bench, trying to create a unique finish for their silver jewelry. The proprietary look takes two hours to make, helps differentiate Zaffiro’s silver from other lines, and won’t wear away easily (the Gualtieris have road-tested their original styles for more than a year now and the color hasn’t budged).

“The patina is below the surface level—it’s durable and stable,” explains Jack, who says the color reminds him of 1980s-era electical-current-kissed titanium styles.

Orchid remains in its infancy—Zaffiro sold its first bangles, the only SKUs available to date, at the 2015 Couture show—and retail prices start at $230 for a 4 mm number. To date, four accounts have bought into the looks, which are also forged for effect after being colored. One obstacle: the patina’s reaction to gold, which also turns purple when in contact with Orchid silver. “I’m excited to integrate Orchid with gold so you can see the two metals working together,” Jack says. Expect green and orange patinas to follow.

Bangle in silver is 4 mm with an Orchid purple proprietary finish, $230

Bangle in silver is 8 mm with an Orchid purple proprietary finish, $330

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JCK