[Jewelry making - Article 00106] - [Orchid] Goldsmithing Research Question from a Fiction Writer

[Katherine Palochak]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

    Well, this is intriguing. Lots of possibilities. I will say most
    people would write from the angle that the original idol is gold,
    while the fake is made of inferior materials. Why? Because to get
    enough gold, for a figurine 8"-12" high, will be quite
    costly--probably in the tens of thousands of dollars, possibly in
    the 6 figure range, depending on the thickness of the gold to hold
    up under its own weight and the art work (technique) involved. Will
    your story be plausible if the fake is made from real gold? Will the
    cost of the fake justify the risk that must surely be involved? That
    much money will have to have a huge motivator. 

    If I were to explain to a customer how I would approach making this
    replica, and presuming it is to made entirely of gold and they're
    willing to pay for the gold and the labor, it would go something
    like this: 

    There are two methods to accomplish this. The presumption there is a
    fair amount of detail to form a 3-D figurine that will be
    identifiable as a "thing" rather than just an amorphous lump. It can
    be made from gold sheet and repousseed to give it form, or it can be
    cast. 

    Gold is heavy. Gold is malleable. Alloying gold so that it has the
    strength to hold its form, and not collapse under its own weight, is
    suitable for casting, but it will have a thick wall. Also, there
    will be seams on the inside where the parting lines of the shell
    mold will come together, and are inaccessible. If it is a solid
    casting, then it will be so heavy, a single person will not be able
    to carry it easily and it will break a toe quite easily if it should
    slip from the grasp. Go get yourself a sizeable lump of lead (since
    lead and gold weigh close to the same for the same mass) that will
    represent the 8"-12" high figurine and you'll see what I mean. 

    The repousse method will be more feasible. It requires considerably
    less gold, but it will require a master craftsman to execute the
    design and solder it together. I'm not talking someone who is just
    good, but a world class craftsman, in order to make the two halves
    match, know the gauge of the gold needed for a figurine of that size
    so it will not collapse or dent easily from rough handling. It will
    require hundreds of hours of labor. Valentin, jump in on this one. 

    To get someone of this caliber to do this type of work, and be
    entrusted with that much gold, first has to be of high integrity,
    and would not compromise a lifetime of work and trust to take on
    such a project. They have to know just how much the metal can take,
    in terms of annealing (softening) and tempering (hardening) the
    metal, so it doesn't crack under stress, doesn't collapse from lack
    of strength and too much weight. So, secondly they must have
    knowledge of this particular type of material. Someone who works in
    aluminum, or another metal, will not be able to replicate the
    results in gold. 

    Add to this that it is difficult to replicate someone else's style
    when it comes to highly artistic form, especially in a 3-D form, and
    many complications arise. They will have made their own tools, which
    automatically will cause differences, in both style and execution,
    to arise. 

    I think as you get more responses, you'll find you might have to
    change a few things in your story to make it plausible. I'm one of
    those people that tend to pick apart fictitious stories because it
    hasn't had basic research done, so you've got off on the right foot
    by asking people how it can be accomplished. You might also contact
    the members of the Society of American Silversmiths, since they tend
    to do large hollow forms. 

Good luck on your story.

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________