In a world where most of our daily objects are mass produced, Katy Beh Jewelry is made one piece at a time by hand - mine that is.I also use thecenturies old techniques of classical goldsmithing.I don't have assistantsand only a fewmachines - a hand-held electric rotary tool and a simmering crock pot of sulfuric acid. If the powershould goout during a tropical storm here in New Orleans, I'd still be happily at my bench.
Jewelry is one of our earliest forms of adornments. Not humans but Neanderthalspoked holes innassarius shells making beads over 100,000 years ago.
As for gold, flakes ofhigh purity gold have been found in Paleolithic caves from 40,000 B.C.Alluvial gold (gold found by panningin rivers) dates to the Old Stone Age along with the invention of the wheel and the domestication of animals.
The history of jewelry partnered up with the developmentof metallurgy in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Gold foundoften containedsilver (electrum). Gold and silver wereseparated by heating the metal in a ceramic pot withcommon table salt. Silver was converted into silver chloride, leaving a purified gold.
It didn't take long before we were alloying gold with silver and copper to strengthenand expand it's supply.That said, gold used to make ancient jewelry (rather than coinage) was remarkablypure compared to gold we use today. In fact,ancient goldsmithing techniques such as fusing, filigree and granulation can only be accomplished using high-puritygold and silver.
We have classical goldsmithingthanks to 6th-5th century BC Etruscans. By 200-300 AD, the techniques had beenadopted by the Roman Empire, which in turnspreadthe Hellenistic Greek style. But the Golden Age of Greece was itself preceded by the great civilizations of the East, specifically, 3500 BC Babylonia.
So what makes jewelry classical goldsmithing? There are several techniques that makeclassical goldsmithing different from other jewelry making methods:
- All of the elements are made entirely by hand - even the gold sheet and wire used is made from scratch. It is an extremely time consuming and exacting hands-on craft.
- The almost exclusive use of 22k yellow gold or fine silver
- Techniques such as fusing, filigree and granulation, chasing and repousse - these can only be achieved in high purity metals.
Classically made jewelry is usually gold and builtfrom numerous hand fabricated components. Think architecture orhouse building ratherthan sculpture.Rather than making multiples by casting or machines to create their designs, they relied on time and skill to produce their wares.
Ancient goldsmithsworkedin small home based shops, passing down the trade to children or apprentice. They worked with a repertoire of miniature tools. Attached to their narrow workbenchwould be a fabric drape to catch filings and nearby afootbellow oil lamp torch. Not too different from today, huh?
- Gold jewelry was usually formed from hammered out sheet.
- The sheet was cut intosmallerpieces with a small chisel.
- The sheet was shaped with hard tools ranging from wooden sticks to bronze punches and dies.
- Wire was formedby rolling thin strips of gold between two hard blocks.
Three-dimensional forms could be made in several ways:
- forged (using the plasticity of the metal; shaped with a hammer) from an ingot.
- constructedby solderingtogether the edges of separate sheets of gold
- repousse(d) (sheet shaped by pushing with tools from the back side) gold sheet soldered together.
In classical goldsmithing, the individual parts of each jewelry component were each separately constructed and then the componentsweresoldered or fastened with cold connections like rivets, tabs or links.
Once assembled and soldered, the piece would be finished with a fine abrasive or burnished (rubbed with ahard tool). For pieces featuring fine details like granulation and filigree, a slightly corrosive solution like alum, salt and urine were used to clean and brighten the gold. Ultimately, the goldtook on itsrenowned rich patina from being worn.
Classical goldsmithing techniques can only be achievedwith the purest of metals. That is whytoday's classical goldsmiths alloy the gold they use. Controlled environments and exacting recipes make for a gold alloy suitable for high temperature techniques.
Filigree - twisted, curled or braided threads of gold fused together in a pattern using the flame from a blowpipe.
Granulation - tiny, spherical gold beads fused into a patterned onto a flat gold surface
Bezel - ametal rim or collar that emcompasses andholds a gemstone into place when the top edge of the strip is evenly pushed over a thin edge of the stone.
Repoussé-metalis ornamented or shaped byhammeringfrom the reverse side to create a design inlow relief on the front.
The techniques of repoussé and chasing use theplasticityof metal, forming a little bit at a time.There is no loss of metal in the process as it is stretched in place and the surface remains continuous. It a very slow process but it ultimatelycreates a formof onecontinuous piece of metal. The artist's' hand - tool marks - are usually visible in thefinished piece.
Chasing- refinesthe repousse design on the front by sinking the metal.The term chasing is derived from the noun "chase", which refers to a groove, furrow, channel, or indentation.
Casting (liquidmetal poured into a mold) was rarely used. It was impossible to design for a predetermined weight of gold, and in any case, high-puritygold tends not to produce sharp, clean castings. Superb detail is the hallmark of ancient gold jewelry.
The role in whichthe physicalproperties of goldimpact making ancient jewelry cannot be overemphasized. Think chicken and the egg.You can't have one without the other.
Raw (dead soft), high-karat goldis malleable. The hammering and forging used while shaping the gold compacts the moleculesand makes it dense and strong. However, worked past it's malleability, the gold will flake, crack and eventually break.
When making apiece of jewelry, separate components are frequently wrought to the brink of this "work-hardened" state and are then "annealed," returning the metal to its original plasticity, yet maintaining its pre-annealed form.
Finding the sweet spot of flexibility and strength is essential to creating a structurally soundformfromsupple gold. All techniques must be mastered and successful aseachstep is the foundation of the next. There's no room for fudging or the piecefalls apart.
Pure gold (100% AU) is referred to as 24 karat gold. The term karat is an ancient term for purity and weight based on the Carob bean found in the Middle East.
Fun fact,Greece is not naturally rich in gold. Theamount of gold jewelry produced in Greeceat the time reflects foreign trade and influence. Funnyisn't it, Alexander the Great's conquests after 331 BCpassed through all the main gold-supplying regions of the former Persian Empire.
When you hear the terms 22K or 18K gold, its referringto theamount of pure gold in the piece of jewellery. For example; a 22 karat gold ring has:
- 22/24 parts gold.
- 2/24 parts of silver and copper.
- 22k gold is 91.67% pure gold.
Read here for more about22k gold.
