What is White Bronze?
White bronze is a metal that serves two common purposes. It is actually not bronze, but an alloy of varying amounts of copper, tin, and zinc. It is commonly used in jewelry as a substitute for nickel, and was used many years ago as a material for grave markers. Though it is no longer used for the second purpose, it was well-suited to that application at the time. For jewelry, white bronze is an ideal substitute for nickel and silver because of its appearance and chemical properties. It is nonmagnetic, very smooth, and virtually nonporous. It is also highly resistant to corrosion and breakdown. White bronze also offers one advantage that silver does not, namely that it will not tarnish. There are only certain situations in which white bronze can substitute for silver, however. It is not used to replace silver in jewelry made only of silver. Instead, it is used as a buffer between a base metal and gold plating in gold-plated jewelry. Electroplating is used to apply the metal in these sit
White bronze was a name given to zinc. A number of monuments, particularly in northeast Iowa, are of this material. These were popular in the late 1800’s. While they allowed for an intricate design, they are hollow and some tended to collapse over time. Repair has been done on the monuments in Eldora (Hardin County) and Humboldt (Humboldt County). Ones in Mason City (Cerro Gordo County) and Decorah (Winneshiek County) appear to be in good condition. Others use the white bronze or zinc only for the soldier atop a stone base. These do not seem to have the repair problems. Examples include McGregor (Clayton County) and Forest City (Winnebago County).
