[Jewelry making - Article 00987] - Re: [Orchid] Use of Gold Leaf

[James Sweaney]

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    Mark-- From you description, it sounds like you have gold leaf that
    is used for gilding surfaces such as picture frames, sculptures, etc.
    This material is actually karat gold rolled extremely thin for such
    applications, so thin you must handle it with a delicate brush. Gold
    leaf also has many culinary applications, such as frosting
    decorations on cakes, and the golden flakes you have in Goldschlager
    beer. 

    You may be interested to know the traditional way this form of gold
    was made was an ancient process known as gold beating. The craftsman
    first rolled a ribbon on high karat gold to 1/1000 inch thick, and
    then cut 1 inch square pieces. In the first beating called the
    cutch, these were placed between 150 skins made of ox intestine--
    each piece of gold went in the center of each skin. The entire
    assembly was wrapped in parchment, placed on a stable block of marble
    or granite and then the craftsmen proceeded to wail away with a big
    fifteen pound hammer until the gold is 4 inches square. In the second
    step called the shoder, the gold was divided into 4 pieces and placed
    between 1500 skins and then beaten again until each piece is 5 inches
    square. A third step called the briming, again dividing into four and
    placing between 1500 skins, finishes the process. The finished
    product is 1/ 250,000 in thick, so thin you hold it up to the light
    and see thru it. Really illustrates the malleability of gold! 

Jim
Jim Sweaney
www.mardonjewelers.com
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