[Jewelry making - Article 00167] - [Orchid] Goldsmithing Research Question from a Fiction Writer

[Tracy Burlison]

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Hi Scott,

    I write a little on the side so I just wanted to say a special
    congrats on your endeavors. 

    Basic smithing techniques haven't changed all that much, especially
    in your 60-year time period, so this indeed is an interesting
    quandary. 

    Does your forger know all the details about the real idol? Maybe he
    went off a picture when he tried to duplicate the object and missed
    some kind of mark or detail of the original. (like he had pictures
    front, back and side, but no bottom). Or maybe he doesn't realize the
    real idol had a secret compartment -- like reliquaries often do --
    and doesn't duplicate that in the fake.[[ If you want to research
    some cool reliquaries, look up buddha statues and you should find
    some interesting material. Some were made with hollow bases to hold
    sacred items.]] 

    As far as having your character know something about the idol that is
    not common knowledge, maybe his uncle helped create the idol in the
    first place so there's some kind of family knowledge / tradition /
    family history that he's passed down. A secret maker's mark for
    instance. 

    Is your forger trying to pass off the idol as real to people who
    would know the difference between the fake/real? That's when it's
    tough going with trying to pass off gold plated for say a solid gold
    object. It would be easy for all most any authenticator or art
    dealer to tell the difference. But it can still be worked into your
    story, you just raise the bar to try to make it believable. 

    Also, as some have pointed out, gold is realllllly expensive. So
    your forger would have to have some ulterior motive to try to pass
    off a real gold "fake" statue for a real gold "real" one. 

    Hope this has given you a few ideas. 
    Good luck and let us know how your story goes. 

Tracy
Tracy's Treasures


 
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