[Jewelry making - Article 00857] - Re: [Orchid] Edwardian Lace Jewelry

[leonid Surpin]

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Greg,

    The technique of piercing, to achieve the results one can observe in
    Edwardian Jewellery, was not easy to master and pieces do exist where
    attempts were made to imitate the effect using wires, but they dated
    to later periods. There are also pieces which were cast from the 
molds
    made from Edwardian pieces, they also look like they were made from
    wires. 

    First you should be aware that Hallmarking in England was very
    strictly enforced. In the Edwardian Period jewellers were using
    silver solder to joint platinum. The piece constructed of wire would
    have never have made through the hallmarking. Even if a jeweller had
    superior soldering skills, still the risk was to great, because
    pieces that were sub-par were destroyed. 

    Second to make platinum wire in that period was extremely difficult.
    Wire making required frequent annealing. Platinum should be brought
    to bright orange to remove work hardening. Since most of the heat
    sources at that time were carbon based and platinum is easily
    contaminated with carbon at high temperatures, the technological
    limitations were difficult to overcome and platinum wire was used
    very infrequently. It is for that reason, the pieces constructed of
    platinum wire should be a suspect for dating errors. 

    The third reason is that wire due to its round cross-section, even
    when it is flattened, does not have the required strength. To insure
    strength, the pieces were pierced in such a way that it looked like
    thin wire from the top, but was much thicker on the inside; the
    cross-section of every element was triangular, so the pieces were
    looking very light, but also were very strong. When inner walls were
    polished, so the thickness on the bottom was invisible. Polishing was
    done with coarse thread also held in a saw frame. The technique was
    very pain-staking and that is why many attempts were made to replace
    the whole process with something else at later time. 

    That is why the term "Edwardian Jewellery" has a very precise
    meaning for jewellers and it is that meaning that I was referring to. 


Leonid Surpin.
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