Book review

Theory & Practise of Goldsmithing

Author: Prof. Dr. Erhard Brepohl

536 pages. 425 DKR

Sold exclusively in Scandinavia by Aktiv Guld A/S

This massive text has long been the standard reference for European jewelers and is now available for the first time to English-speaking craftspeople.

It is a comprehensive collection of information about materials, tools and techniques of metalsmithing with unique emphasis on the science and calculations behind familiar studio practice. When the new edition came out last in Germany, it sold 30,000 copies in six months in Germany alone.

The translation and publication has been a labour of love for the distinguished goldsmiths and educators Charles Lewton-Brain and Tim McCreight, and brings into the English language a dominant text in the German education system.

At long last, the definitive text for goldsmiths. Until now, the art of making jewelry has overshadowed its science. Unlike most other technologies, old or new, that of goldsmithing has eluded the English language until this book was translated from German.

Without such a resource, jewelers have had to rely on a mixed bag of books and experience to understand what they do. But here is a readable, comprehensive reference for those who want to know more about what really happens when they solder, file, saw, and create jewels in precious metals.

Although jewelry making has remained largely unchanged for centuries, this volume, originally published in 1961 as Theorie und Praxis des Goldschmieds, has the potential to raise the standards and understanding of English-speaking bench jewelers worldwide.

To clarify the terminology, according to the author, Erhard Brepohl, who in addition to being a master goldsmith and professor, holds degrees in mechanical engineering and industrial design, a goldsmith is "a metalworker concerned especially with pieces of jewelry and fine decorative utensils of gold, silver, copper, bronze and iron."

In the German definition, goldsmiths make jewelry while silversmiths make larger items.

With more than 500 pages and loaded with charts and illustrations, this publication answers questions that have perplexed goldsmiths forever: What happens inside the metal when a rolling mill reduces the gauge of sheet? Why does a shear cut and how should it be sharpened? What is it about the internal structure of precious metals that makes them workable? What is age hardening and how is it accomplished? What is the difference between sinking, raising and stretching? In a nutshell, what is the scientific basis for the way tools and materials behave at the jeweler's bench?

Organized into sections on metals, other materials, chemistry, handworking skills, silversmithing, machining, joining, finishing, special techniques, plating, settings, findings and repair, the book presents the information logically and succinctly in a form that will satisfy serious inquirers yet not intimidate novices.

The visuals clarify and expand on the text, which can serve as both a manual during raining and a technical reference work. Encyclopedic, it offers a complete course of study for students at all levels, covering just about any way metal can be manipulated by a jeweler at the bench.

The publication in this country of "the Brepohl" (as the book is referred to by its German audience) is cause for rejoicing among English-speaking jewelers (not to mention others for whom English is a comfortable second language). Charles Lewton-Brain, Roy Ysla and Tim McCreight deserve credit for the monumental achievement in delivering this essential text to a wider audience.

This massive text has long been the standard reference for European jewelers and is now available for the first time to English-speaking craftspeople. It is a comprehensive collection of information about materials, tools and techniques of metalsmithing with unique emphasis on the science and calculations behind familiar studio practice.

When the new edition came out last in Germany, it sold 30,000 copies in six months in Germany alone.