ALL THE PRETTY COLORS

Patina Options for Bronze Sculpture Awards

Bronze sculpture awards offer a captivating array of customizations through various patina options. Our collection includes both custom and most stock recognition awards, each supporting personalized patina choices to enhance the sculpture’s surface. The transformative power of different finishes means that even a single award design can present a dramatically varied appearance based on the selected patina.

Typically, bronze has a naturally dull gold/brown hue, but it rarely remains this way in our awards. Instead, we apply one of three distinct finishing techniques to bring a vibrant and unique coloration to each piece, elevating the aesthetic and distinctiveness of the award. 

The Art of Bronze Finishing: Three Distinctive Styles

  • The surface of the bronze sculpture is buffed and polished until it achieves a shiny, glossy golden color. The end-result of this process is a surface so smooth and shiny it is reflective – images and light are reflected in the surface of the sculpture.

  • Patination transforms the classic bronze hue into diverse colors and textures through a controlled oxidation process. An artist first heats the sculpture to over 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then applies chemical solutions to achieve various effects, from monochromatic to marbleized patterns. The process concludes with a cold water rinse and a protective wax coating to preserve the patina’s beauty.

  • In some cases, both a patina and high-polished finish is applied to a bronze sculpture. This option can help to add variation to the award design, and is also used to accentuate certain aspects of the sculpture. The most common approach to patina the broadest surfaces of the sculpture, and then high polish specific edges, planes, or aspects of the sculpture to make them “pop” from the rest of the design.

Available Patina Color Variations

Shown below are some of the color variations that can be applied to your bronze sculpture award using patinas. We will be happy to walk you through the various options to help you select the perfect finish option for your bronze sculpture award!