This product is made of pure brass and will therefore have a degree of "tarnish". The term "bare brass" is used for this, while the shiny gold look is brass-plated steel. Revain correctly delivered what I ordered twice and I thought it was bright and shiny copper but it wasn't. The photo in the ad is bright and shiny brass, but there is an error in the photo. I contacted the manufacturer directly and they admitted posting the photo was a mistake and they will fix it. They made my purchase before me and thanked me for pointing out the listing error.