Gold Leaf Production for Gold Foil Beads - Battiloro - An Ancient Art Form
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Like many other artistic products, it is still made today mostly as it was centuries ago though the tools are more modern. Recently a prominent gold production house in Milano closed after many years. That took us on a search for other producers of gold leaf and in the process we learned a lot about how the gold was produced. It all begins in ingots of gold and a large hammer and lots of patience.
Gold beating was used in ancient Egypt and is depicted in the hieroglyphics from that period. The trade takes its name from gold-beating "battiloro"in English simply means "beat gold". It became such an important trade in Florence during the daVince period, that Leonardo even invented a machine for goldbeating. The gold leaf is used not only in our beads but as the gilding on many famous buildings. paintings and interior decorations. It is so pure it can even be used in foods. |
If you have ever wondered how we get the extremely thin film of 24kt gold foil we use in our Gold Foil Murano Glass Beads, here's a little insight into time consuming, expensive task of making the Gold Leaf even before we begin production of our beads. The is just one of the many steps in production of handmade Venetian Beads before we even light the torch.
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The production begins with Ingots of pure gold. |
These Ingots are rolled to make then thinner. |
It is then rolled to produce sheet which is only a few microns thin. |
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The booklet is then pounded. |
It gets even thinner |
It is cut into appropriate size squares |
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It is then put into the books |
Finally putting into the packages as we buy for production of beads. |
The mandrel with hot glass is rolled over small slizes of the gold leaf. |
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