STILE DI PALLANTI Italian Jewelry: Our Blog

Cuttlefish Casting a Ring with Molten Gold

A short video of Fabio preparing molten gold and cuttlefish casting a ring for a commission.

The use of a cuttlefish skeleton as a mould is an ancient technique and is only suitable for simple and small designs. Each cast object is unique as the mould may only be used the one time.

The projections attached to the cast gold ring are of gold that filled the upward vents Fabio made within the cuttlefish pieces to allow for the escape of gases from the mould.

I will post a photograph here of the ring when finished.

Cuttlefish Casting a Ring with Molten Gold

Casting a Gold Ingot

When we have sufficient waste gold from our jewellery creations – filings, cut-off scraps etc – Fabio will melt them down into a gold ingot.

It is quite an amazing thing to see a gold ingot forming in front of you own eyes. They are normally the kind of thing most of us only see on 007 James Bond or action-packed bank heist films!

Pouring the molten gold

gold ingot

Gold dust: forbidden to vacuum in our workshop!

There is only one ‘rule’ in our workshop and it is that I am forbidden from vacuuming or washing the floor because of the gold dust that collects on the floor over time.

Even though (as every gold and silversmith does) we are meticulous in collecting the fine silver and gold dust and particles that collect when we are working with our creations, the quantity of gold and silver that collects on the floor and in the filters of the machinery amongst the general dust and dirt is more than suffient to warrant its collection and safe retention.

Whenever we have around 10kg to 15kg of dirt and dust, this is taken to Florence for burning and processing to separate out the precious and semi-precious metals of gold, silver and copper. In total 200g to 300g of metals may be recovered in this way.

One less room to clean isn’t a problem! Wish I had just as good excuses for the others!!