The Private Book of Useful Alloys and Memoranda for Goldsmiths, Jewellers by James Collins, 1871

This 1916 book (republished in 1921) teaches the core skills of soft and hard soldering (brazing) and introduces basic principles of welding metals. It is a book derived from many articles by different authors in the magazine 'Work', an illustrated weekly of the time. Oxy-acetylene was a new process at this time and this kind of brazing with brass, and welding metals other than steel were new possibilities for metal workers. The excellent descriptions, definitions and pictures are very clear and understandable. There are some really interesting recipes and divisions of types of soft soldering. The section on soft soldering has way more information than any current book on the subject. The detail and images is very good [read more]....

This 1899 book is one of the most important early books on enameling. It is quoted and cited by all its contemporary books and many later books. At 168 pages it is a remarkable book very important for any person interested in enameling. The technical information and detail is absolutely amazing... [read more...]

This 1899 (republished 1905) book outlines the knowledge at the time of gems and precious stones. It is surprisingly accurate and most is still current. It is a completely revised version of the 1882 book "Handbook of Precious Stones". It covers the science, the origins, the use, and meaning and more of gems. A very thorough book. Any gemologist can benefit from reading this book - and it should be mandatory for anyone studying gemology. It also deals with issues of design and artistic use of gems which sets it apart from any other gemology book I know of [read more]....

Subtitled: "A manual for the use of Watchmakers, jewelers and Other Metal Engravers". This 182 page book, published in 1898, covers letter engraving in exhaustive and thorough detail. If you are learning engraving this is another essential for your library. Every goldsmith, too, should consider it for your collection. The book is intended as a self study course in letter engraving. It begins with graver preparation instructions and basic polishing and finishing tools for it. The author makes a case for an unpolished but sharpened graver leaving textured cuts that can be used in design terms.... [read more...]

This book, originally published in England in 1913 covers repousse, fine chasing, silversmithing, jewellery and enamelling. It is part of Longman's technical handicraft series of books. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement it details the practical ways that are not touched on as deeply in most texts since. The drawings are excellent, clear and insightful. Like, really excellent. Along with exceptional chasing and repousse information there are surprises, like the many pages of wire and sheet metal strip twisting examples for borders and decoration. The section on enameling is unusual in its early viewpoint, grinding lump enamel being the only option, and firing trivet designs of interest. It has over 378 illustrations, beautifully hand drawn and carried out. File Size: 22MB, 227 pages.

The subtitle of this book is "Chasing and Repousse for Home Art Workers". It was published in 1903. This book deals mostly with chasing and repousse information. Really great engravings and drawings to show tools, exercises and pieces. One of the few to show tool holding positions in the hand. Lots of drawings of chasing tool ends and shapes. There are a number of specific projects described, some hardware oriented. This book is an essential reference for the serious chaser. File Size: 19MB, 62 pages. [read more]....

Published in 1894. This heavily illustrated book, many photographs and line drawings which cover chasing and repousse in depth and with subtlety. The hundreds of excellent line drawings of tools, stamps, and more are excellent. The tool end images are especially clear. There are many photographs of complex chased trays and other objects. This is a great book, and essential for a serious jeweler and chaser. File Size: 68MB, 164 pages.

This is a book of bench tricks, recipes and tricks written in 1892 compiled and published by the Hazlitt company in Chicago. Called 'A workshop companion' it is full of rare, forgotten recipes and arcane jeweler's knowledge. The front page says "compiled from Private Formulae" by the Hazlitt Company in Chicago. It covers "Practical formulae and directions for solders and soldering, cleaning, pickling, polishing, coloring, bronzing, staining, cementing, etching lacquering, varnishing and general finishing of metals as applied to the watch and jewelry trade, together with all the important alloys used by the trade and many miscellaneous recipes" The patination recipes are truly interesting, as are the polishing compounds and alloys including early references to different ways of making blue gold and other odd alloys. A real treat, a book that sells for hundreds of dollars, if you can even find a copy. 128 pages jammed full of information. [read more]....

This 1912 book, 206 pages jam-packed with serious information about manufacturing enamels. It is a second edition from one published in 1900. For a glass, ceramics or enameling person the book is essential for the library and for understanding their field. A goldsmith, or someone interested in how things are made will also want it. If you were working with enamel this is an absolute essential. I suspect it is the most informative on the subject ever written.... [read more...]

This 1871 book was compiled from the in-house notes of "one of the largest and most eminent Manufacturing Goldsmiths and Jewellers in this country" which had gone out of business, thus freeing Mr. Collins to reveal the companie's secrets and experience. Much of the book is alloy recipes for all different purposes, such as enameling gold alloys, gold for making pens, gold and silver solders. There are sections on refining, on 'coloring' the gold (depletion gilding). There are 96 pages of alloying and trade secret information, and 36 pages of intriguing advertisements for books being published in 1872. [read more]....

This 1882 book thoroughly covers hallmarking, and the creation of the hallmarking system in the UK, the issues that drove its creation, and the hallmarks themselves. It's 237 pages have the most information about hallmarking and its history of any book. Any person interested in the history of jewelry, antiques, goldsmithing should have this book.... [read more...]

A Complete Exposition of the Art of Engraving on Metals. If you want to learn how to engrave letters, monograms and writing this great book is an excellent guide. This 1892 book addresses what was then a decline in the education of apprentices, and was intended to give aspiring engravers a way to successfully self educate as a letter engraver [read more...]

This rare book first published in 1905 gives a good explanation and introduction to electroplating, with extensive chapters on polishing and finishing work for plating. There are numerous recipes throughout the text and the writer's 'Voice' is clear and readable. While the descriptions are aimed at an electroplating shop of the late 19th century the information can be scaled down for the small shop. All the tools and equipment for each procedure is described in detail. Along with large tanks the author explains making a small tank using glass plates in a wooden box cemented with gutta percha and pitch.... [read more...]

I've always loved this 1916 book. It informed me at the start of my career and taught me much about the workshop, making chasing tools and more. The book is completely full of excellent drawings, wonderful pen and ink sketches, first of tools, then a bench with all dimensions, then a series of step-by-step projects, 23 of them. This book is Manga for jewelers. It is like watching a video, each step is artfully drawn, a wonderful visual cartoon for goldsmithing. Each sketch is accompanied by distilled, clever, text. The projects chosen contain all the skills one needs for making jewelry and basic silversmithing. There are great tips on riveting, soldering, sawing, and so on. I really can't over-emphasize how wonderful and readable the drawings are. The details of... [read more...]

A wonderful 1902 book full of jeweler's secrets and repair techniques. Chapters include bench design, tools, chemicals, tables and recipes, how to use gold testing acids, making rings, eyeglass frame repair, jewelry repair and, oddly, disposing of unclaimed repair work. Keplinger was a good writer and the text is readable and professionally detailed. This book may cover more repair detail well than any other. It is interesting to see how many of the tools are exactly the same, the main differences have to do with power tools like using a bow drill. There are lots of good descriptions, and of tool making and adapting, many of them, like wax boxes, or clamping tweezers are still hand made today. The chemicals for a workshop are described and how to make them, as well as precise directions for pickle, anti-oxidizer, soft solder remover and many others. ... [read more...]

This 1911 book is a great introduction to enameling, and discussion of definitions and techniques of various kinds of enameling. There is insight into how enamels were prepared and delivered, as chunks or large 'plates' that the enamellist broke up and ground for use. This is really gritty, authentic enameling preparation, with all the hand grinding information one would ever want to know. [read more...]

This antique book on enameling gives a clear window into enameling in the 19th century and the debates on legitimizing craft work as fine art equal to painting, sculpture etc in importance and vitality. This book provides a unique philosophical snapshot of the time, with its deep and impassioned arguments for enameling as high art. Quotes from William Blake, Goethe and others give a context for enameled work. Design principles and the history of enameling are dealt with. There is lots of technical information as well. Plenty of discussion of color, and how it is used and works with different kinds of enamel and techniques. There is a really complete approach to enameling and to the preparation of the metal surfaces under them. There are... [read more...]

A series of Twenty-four autotype reproductions of original designs for vases, ewers, salvers, etc. Selected from the collection in the national art library, South Kensington Museum This significant 1871 book has wonderful drawn (etchings) images of major silversmithing objects. It is primarily a book of images for teaching, learning and reference. File Size: 16MB, 32 Pages [read more]....

(subtitled "Being the Art of Ornamenting Thin Metal with Raised Figures") Another book essential for the serious chaser. This one concentrates on details of chasing, tools, working methods. Includes a number of metal working techniques as well, sawing finishing etc. It is 103 pages (and a number of further pages of fascinating advertisements) [read more]....

This 1902 book is the third edition. It is 98 jam packed pages of great chasing and repousse information. The author taught many people (including royalty) to do repousse and chasing as a hobby pastime, a recreation. It is clear that at the turn of the century the upper and middle classes pursued hobbies such as painting, drawing and repoussee work (today people watch TV)..... [read more...]

This 1883 book is intended for the jewelry store owner and staff, and for interested amateurs, and pointedly, for the consumer. This seemed to be a new approach for that era. Redman consulted with the top authors of his time (many of them represented in the Ganoksin Antique Books Project) and includes extracts from their books. Any jeweler or gemologist would benefit from reading this book, and its stories are unique and numerous. It is full of history, and chemistry and really great detail. A very interesting book. 109 pages, a number of illustrations. File Size: 3.82MB, [read more]....

This 1885 book (republished in 1921) was written by George Gee, a real hero of the trade for decades, a pioneer in writing for the jeweler, the goldsmith and silversmith. You can tell that the author ran an excellent working shop - the voice of experience is abundant. The book begins with a discussion of the silver price between 1870 and the end of the century, its effects on society and working silversmiths. This book is intended as a thorough, complete reference for practical workers in the trade and those learning. It is to introduce science and and overall understanding of working with silver to the workman. It is very readable. 258 pages. File Size: 8.43MB, [read more]....

This 1918 book covers the gilding and silvering of wood and other materials using silver and gold leaf, chemical gilding of metals, the gilding and silvering of metal and glass as well as an excellent section on metal coloring and patination recipes. Edited by Jones the work is compiled from multiple authors and experts in the 'Work' magazine. This is the most thorough book I've come across when it comes to applying gold and silver leaf, but it goes far beyond that into the chemical application of gold and silver to metals, glass, silk, cloth, making bronze paint, gilding books, lacquer and laquering techniques.. The chapter on coloring metals is worth the whole book, with unusual and hard to find recipes. It is very readable. 166 Pages. File Size: 8.60MB [read more...]

This book is an essential for anyone interested in chasing and repousse designs and details. This 173 page 1881 book is intended for silversmiths to work from as well as to educate the public. The images are of electroformed reproductions of what was considered the best of English silversmithing at that time. The reproductions are exact and painstakingly made. It reveals what, in 1881, was considered the best silversmithing in the world. The works were assembled from many colleges at Oxford, Cambridge and Ireland, as well as from numerous city collections and corporate collections. It is a pretty exhaustive list, and shows what was considered valuable and treasure in the culture at that time. [Click to read more...]

Practical Engraving on Metal, (Including hints on saw-piercing, carving, inlaying, etc.) The 1899, 117 page book is intended for the amateur, the learner. As with many books of this time it begins with a history, placing engraving in a context, and the Old Testament, proving the ancient origins of the technique and its uses. Egypt is addressed. Then leaps into medieval times. Grave brasses are extensively discussed. Picture engraving for books, printmaking (1423) as well. As niello workers are credited with the development of printing plates there are detail of how niello is made and used by goldsmiths. Printmaking history is addressed in terms of different ways working printing plates, mezzotint and more. Steel engraving and gun engraving is discussed. [read more]....