Raw brass darkens over the years, and that is normal

A raw brass lamp frame (unlacquered, uncoated brass) slowly darkening is normal. It is not a fault and it does not weaken the frame. The copper in the alloy reacts with the air and forms a thin film on the surface. In the Ho Chi Minh City homes where we have fitted lamps, raw brass frames usually turn a honey brown after about one to two years. If you would rather the colour stayed put, choose a matte black or matte white powder-coated frame. All three finishes cost the same.

I am Lộc, and I bend the frames at the workshop. This note covers why brass changes colour, whether you can bring the shine back, and when a painted frame is the better call.

What brass is, and why it changes

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Change the proportions and you change the colour and the hardness.

Wikipedia’s article on brass explains the colour change like this: the copper reacts with sulfur and forms a brown, then darker, layer of copper sulfide. If the surface is regularly wetted by slightly acidic water, such as city rain, that layer can go on to form a green-blue patina. Depending on how it forms, the film can protect the brass underneath.

Indoors, a lamp never sees rain, so what you will see is the first stage: bright yellow, then dull yellow, then honey brown. We have only seen the green stage on brass left outdoors.

How fast it happens varies from home to home. We have no measurements, only what we notice on warranty visits:

• A damp room, or one near the stove: faster.
• An air-conditioned room kept closed: slower.
• The spot you grip when adjusting the lamp: darkens first, sometimes in the shape of fingerprints.

How we make the frames

Every frame starts as a straight brass rod. I soften it with a torch, then bend it on a wooden jig. A frame for a 45 cm Hạ Chí (Summer Solstice) shade takes about half a day, including brazing and cooling. The jig is what keeps the four frames of a Xuân Phân (Spring Equinox) set on exactly the same curve.

When a frame is done I clean off the torch marks and the oil from my hands. I do not polish raw brass back to a mirror, and I do not put a clear lacquer on it. The reason is simple. Lacquer holds the colour for a while, but wherever it gets scratched the brass underneath darkens and the rest does not, and the frame ends up blotchy. Letting the brass darken evenly from the start looks better.

If you want a fixed colour, choose matte black or matte white powder coat. Underneath it is the same hand-bent brass frame.

A 48 cm Đông Chí (Winter Solstice) bell, for example, is VND 2,400,000 before VAT in raw brass, black or white.

Can you make it shine again?

Yes. Brass polish from a hardware shop will bring darkened brass back. I still would not do it on one of our lamps, for three reasons:

1. The frame sits right against the shade. Polish that gets on rattan, seagrass or dó paper does not come off.
2. Uneven polishing leaves bright and dark patches, which looks worse than an even brown.
3. Once polished, the brass starts darkening all over again. You will be doing it again.

If you really want a frame bright again, call us first. We look at a photo and tell you honestly whether it is worth doing.

When black or white makes more sense

• You want the colour to stay put. Black and white do not change with time.
• You are adding to an existing set. A new raw brass frame next to an older one will look much brighter at first. If that would bother you, choose a painted finish for the whole set from the start.
• A white ceiling, and you want the lamp to blend in. Matte white makes the frame and canopy almost disappear.
• A room with a lot of black metal. Iron table legs, black window frames: matte black goes with them.

And if you like things that show their age, raw brass is the one.

Where people go wrong

• Thinking dark brass is fake or faulty. Real brass is exactly what changes colour like this. Darkening is not covered by the warranty because it is not a defect. A cracked joint or a frame that bends on its own is, and the frame is covered for 24 months.
• Scrubbing with sandpaper or a kitchen scourer. It leaves deep scratches, and the brass then darkens along them.
• Cleaning with vinegar or lime. The acid leaves blotches. A dry cloth is enough.
• Hanging a raw brass lamp on a rainy balcony. Our lamps are made for indoors only. Outside, rain blotches the brass and can turn it green, and rattan and paper shades will not survive it either.

Choosing your finish

The configurator on each lamp page offers all three finishes, and the price does not change when you switch. Our brass materials page has close-ups of frames and how we bend them. My profile is at Lâm Văn Lộc, and the shades are covered in our rattan pendant guide.

Not sure which finish suits your room? Send a photo through the light mock-up page. Within 48 hours Hà sends back the lamp drawn into your own photo; if you want to compare raw brass with black, she draws both.

Sources and update

Brass as an alloy of copper and zinc; copper reacting with sulfur to form a brown, then darker copper sulfide layer, which with slightly acidic water can become a green-blue patina that may protect the metal beneath: Wikipedia, Brass (a secondary source, not yet checked against a copper industry body’s own material). The one to two years is what we have seen in homes in Ho Chi Minh City, not a measurement. Prices from our 2026 price list, before 8% VAT. Last checked 4 October 2026.