Brass and Bronze are authentic materials go back right back to before the Roman period (obviously bronze is historically linked to the Bronze age!)
I use Brass and Bronze primarily as decoration for armour, although I have made brass Jewellery.
Brass looks very similar to gold and is frequently used as a gold replacement.
Bronze has a much richer, dark brown colour.
Both Brass and Bronze are shiny, but they do tarnish. This can be easily removed by dipping the item in a weak acid (such as lemon juice) for about 5 minutes and then drying off.