Quality sinks come in more than stainless steel and solid surface materials

Copper!  What else? www.coppersinksonline.com has a great website showing tons of gorgeous copper sinks, all shapes and sizes.

Farmhouse copper kitchen sink

Copper sink on stone pedestal

Is this bathroom lav cool or what?  It reminds me of a luxurious Roman bath. This model is Redondo Grueso thick single wall vessel in the Dark Smoke finish. 

This one combines old with new, with a large oval self-rimming copper sink set into a sold surface lav top.  The copper finish mirror and faucet set off the sink.

Selecting a copper sink requires knowledge about the material and the methods of manufacture. I recommend that you go to the website listed here to fully inform yourself about these beautiful sinks and what to look for in a product. Here is a portion of the article from www.coppersinksonline.com/store/pc/Copper-Sinks-101-d4.htm:

“There are three primary differences determining quality of copper sinks – construction technique & quality, copper thickness and the company you are buying from.

“Construction technique is made up of several factors – how corners are constructed, welding technique and proper dimensions for ease of installation. When considering sinks with welded seams (generally larger kitchen sinks require some seams), make sure they are TIG welded using copper rod (“copper welded”). If not, the seams will eventually turn “grey” and possibly leak. We have seen copper sinks that have improper drain holes resulting in a gap between the drain escutcheon and the sink bevel. Another potential problem is if the sink is “out of square”. This can result in big problems at the time of installation. Some bending of flat rims is OK and quite common (and easy to rectify at the time of installation) but square or rectangular sinks that are uneven will generally require a replacement. The company you are buying from should offer a warranty against such defects and stand behind their product.

“The quality of the copper sink is made up of several factors – some aesthetic and some potentially harmful. Quality can vary even when considering sinks made in the same town such as many of the sinks from Mexico. Insiders refer to different quality levels as “firsts”, “seconds” and “defective”. Remember, these sinks are handmade one at a time by artisans with varying levels of skills and experience. Like any artisan crafted product, there can be varying levels of quality. At Copper Sinks Online, we offer no seconds – only first quality sinks that have passed our rigid inspection program. We recognize that this might mean a potential price difference, but we prefer to protect our reputation and ship only product we would be proud to install in our own homes.

“Copper sinks should be made out of pure copper. Pure copper naturally posses antimicrobial properties to prevent germs and bacteria from surviving on the surface of raw, unsealed copper. At Copper Sinks Online, our sinks are made of pure reclaimed or ASTM 187 B copper laminate. A growing concern of ours is the use of copper alloy containing lead – specifically in sinks from the Middle East and China – to reduce the costs of manufacture. “Lead has similar workability properties as copper and is quite inexpensive, but it is not meant for human consumption! We can assure our customers that our genuine hand hammered copper sinks from Mexico are not made of these lead containing alloys.”

Consider copper for your next sink!