Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Bronze can be cast, and can be hammered into thin plates also. Used mostly for jewelry and ship's fittings (corrosion-resistant), though armor and weapons can be made from the metal. True bronzes are rare today; the Copper/Zinc alloy Brass being more commonly produced. Alone, Bronze's two components are fairly weak, but when smelted together became a strong, corrosion resistant alloy that was useful in nearly every field of metalworking, from weapons and armor, to tools, to rings and other jewelry.