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Our products are gilded with real 24-carate Gold and with real pure Platinum. Let’s have a look on the process of precious metal application a little bit closer.
This ugly substance is liquid gold. Well… it is not the most poetic sight on the “most perfect metal” like in the jewellery, but it is gold. To conjunct beauty of glass and gold we have to “decompose” the gold into "ugly" brown matter.
Gustav Meyrink writes in one of his mystic story, that in the hundred years old sewers of Prague were found in the smelling mass pieces of strange yellow wax or honey-like matter, which smelled very pleasantly and tasted sweetly. After annealing in the oven the substance turned into the gold.
The story symbolizes that decomposition and mystical death is step further to perfection. From ugly matter, which decomposes, emerge strange substance, which is turned into the beautiful gold. No wonder that decomposition (putrefaction) is first basic operation of lapis philosophorum creation. Alchemic decomposition symbolizes that we can achieve beauty and excellence just if we accept ugliness and inferiority. “Putrefactio est omnium rerum mater“ – decomposition is Mother of all the things, tells the alchemic proverb.
Strange Meyrink’s story can have the realistic background. Each organic corpus has a little amount of gold inside. The gold is bounded usually in semi-organic complex substances. These substances can be expelled out of body via excrements. After hundreds years this matter could accumulate in the sewer’s meanders in the noticeable amount. When putted into the oven, the wax-like gold semi-organic matter (real alchemistic amalgam) turns into the gold, because non-gold particles reacted and turned into a gas.
Characteristics of our liquid gold are very similar to Meyrink’s strange matter. The liquid golden amalgam (decomposed gold) we are using is in fact the complex semi-organic gold solution based on golden trichlorid (so no cyanide, no mercury). Liquid platinum is based on chlorides too. Therefore we use for that substance old alchemic term “amalgam” in a way to express that organic substance and metal can perfectly coalescent into “the one” substance.
The result - the organic golden amalgam – finally smells very pleasantly. Like a candy or like some mixture of honey and resin. The color is transparent brown.
The semi-organic golden amalgam, which we use for gilding, is prepared in different gold concentration levels. Usual concentrations are 80-120g of pure gold per 1000g of golden amalgam. Each concentration of gold is used for different purpose because it has a different behavior.
Golden amalgam is then applied on the glass with the brushes. The best brushes for gilding are usually made from the squirrel’s hair.
Painting of the glass with brushes isn’t easy. Painters have to guide their tools to provide uniform layer of golden amalgam. All the brush pulls have to be made in ways to prevent microscopic air bubbles or layers creation. Whole golden amalgam layer has to merge into one smooth monolith.
Golden layer on the glass has color of honey (see picture on the left). It has to be evaluated in the oven into pure 24-carate metal. “Gold is purified in the fire”, tells the alchemic proverb. Glass covered with the golden or platinum substance needs to be closed into the oven and burned.
Burning process is 16 hour operation. Gilded glass has to slowly go through all the points of burning temperature curve. Burning & Cooling process is exactly controlled by a computer. At lower temperatures are organic components of amalgam evaporated. At higher temperatures is golden chloride transformed into the pure gold. Temperature often crosses 600°C. After reaching the hottest point of the burning curve, slowly cooling process starts. If is glass cooled too quickly, it is full of invisible cracks and pressures. If computer notice a mistake, burn has to be repeated to release the invisible press.
If the gold doesn’t evaluate well, gold is corrected (regilded) by the painters and goes to the oven again and again till it is not excellent. Different gold layers sometimes react each with other in the oven. This creates different golden “maps”, which are undesirable. Correction often needs another corrections. The repairing process is therefore sometimes very demanding. No wonder if you receive your product with many golden layers.
If some hardware mistake occurs during the burning, computer stops the process. But it can be sometimes too late. Then you find something like Dali’s liquid space-time in the oven. Precious material and lots of work is totally destroyed. The material is full of presses and “shoots” – it explodes if touched. Then we have to take special suite, gloves and shield and carefully remove the surrealistic matter.
Competitors often use one layer burning (all relief and golden elements are made, gilded and burned in the one operation). Our manufactory uses multilayer burning (just one operation is made and then burned and then other operation is made and burned again). Gasses, which are developed during the burning process, doesn’t influences evaluation of the other elements with the different chemistry. Goods have to be 3-8 times burned to reach the final form. Our gold is then more pure and bright, enamel more ceramic and relief more consistent.
Each piece of glass has a little bit different chemistry and mass. Evaluation of each item in the oven during burning is always little bit different. Over hundreds of experiment we know what places in the ovens are the best for concrete items and their factoring phases.
Burning also depends on the atmospheric conditions. We have to burn differently on different outer temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Statistically worst burnings are during the “plum season” (middle of September), but nobody knows why. Burning is simply always more the art then the science, more alchemy then chemistry.
Finally, layer of pure metallic gold or platinum rests on the surface of the glass and creates perfect product.
Customers sometimes ask if the layer of Gold or Platinum is toxic. Metallic pure gold (or platinum) is inert and therefore not soluble in body liquids and goes out from the human body together with the excrements. Metallic gold or platinum is therefore recognized as eatable. Leaf of metallic gold is used as edible food decoration and has its food additive number – E175.
But the best answer is that theoretically long term consumption of great amounts of metallic gold or platinum can cause serious chronic diseases. But you have to eat really lots of gold. Symptoms are similar to heavy metals intoxications.
On the other hand, alchemists and homeopaths uses microscopic amount of gold for increase the “potency” of their elixirs. They say that few atoms of perfect metal per liter “spiritually mark” the elixir as perfect.
Astra Gold’s golden and platinum layer is covered with protection layer, which prevents precious metal releasing. But we think that few atoms of gold or platinum are in your drink always present.
Tengler's Very High Enamel
During the 20 century was made incredibly large amount of the glass improved with traditional bohemian high enamel technique. Bohemian high enamel spread the whole world. But demand for traditional bohemian enamel products during last 25 years rapidly decreased. Bohemian high enamel glass producers should ask for the reasons of this phenomenon and find the best strategy for the future bohemian high enamel development, like Astra Gold does.
The large demand in the 20. century led to unification of the bohemian high enamel design. Deviation of the design was not accepted. The best producer’s strategy was to make the same goods like the competitors. Because of the stabile demand there was no need for the change and bohemian high enamel ossified in its development. Differentiation as the resource of competitive advantage was therefore not longer achievable. Price war started as the result of lack of tactical space.
Price wars led to adverse selection problem. Producers started to spare resources for their goods. The quality of the goods radically decreased and enamel workshops began to move into China or Vietnam. Prices and quality of high enamel goods started to fall.
Large amount of the mostly identical bohemian high enamel items caused customer’s saturation. The adverse selection problem (falling prices & quality level) caused that customers don’t see bohemian enamel glass as a good investment anymore.
Falling of demand has inner positive feed-back, which is hard to overcome. Traditional bohemian high enamel is inescapably on the retreat and many producers got into serious problems or bankrupted.
Tengler family therefore decided to develop radically new Very High Enamel technology and achieve new competitive position through the differentiation.
Traditional bohemian enamel is based on multilayer application of special dyes. Enamel elements are sculptured directly on the glass. This fact limits the possibilities of sculpturing. Tengler family uses for it's Very High Enamel radically different (and secret) substances and techniques. This opened new sculpturing possibilities.
With our new Very High Enamel technology we are able to make glass ornaments really massive and rich. Some of our products are similar to a rococo design. In a combination with oriental and modern motives we are able to make unique pieces, which our customers very appreciate. You can see the differencies between Traditional Bohemian Enamel and our Tengler's Very High Enamel here:
Traditional Bohemian High Enamel
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Tengler's Very High Enamel
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The traditional rose enamel motive held out Czech production over sixty years. The times are ready for the change. You can buy traditional bohemian enamel glass, one from the hundred million one the world, or you can buy unique Astra Gold's Very High Enamel product. Uniqueness and unequivocal identifiability of our products can bring to our customers interesting value.
Tengler’s Very High Enamel is available in the Roses product line. To give to our customers the possibility to choose between tradition and innovation, we are still developing also traditional high enamel glass items in the Bohemia High Enamel line
Tengler's Luminescent Enamel
Luminescent enamel is original Tengler’s technology. No other company from Bohemia used it before Tengler's Astra Gold for decoration of the glass.
Tengler’s luminescent enamel is based on combination of special additions to enamel and on the unique style of ornamentation. It offers very interesting possibilities of decorating. With the usage of different colors of emitted light, we are able to create (secret) decors, which emerge just in the darkness! You don’t have to enjoy bohemia glassware and chandeliers just under the light! We have discovered natural beauty of the bohemia glass in the darkness!
This technology was inspired by the alchemic aspect of elemental (Sun – Lunar) metamorphosis. Our products are different in the daylight, and different in the night. The “change” is caused by quintessence, which is represented by the “small fire” – the shine of the luminescent enamel.
The main substance of luminescent enamel is luminescent pigment, which contains luminofor Europium oxide. Europium is chemical element from the lanthanoid group. Pure metallic Europium quickly oxidises into stabile oxide form. Europium cation is then able to absorb and safe the energy (the light) and reversely emit it back (in the form of the light). This ability is influenced by other addiction, like Aluminium oxide or Molybdaneum, which determines the time of the delay between the absorption and emission. The spectrum (color) of emitted light can by changed by the addiction of Ytterbium oxide. The Europium substance can theoretically shine after few minutes of daylight “charging” other few days!!! Tengler’s luminescent enamel usually shines into the darkness “just” for the other 2-4 hours to reach the greater flow of the light, but we are able to mix the enamel also for the longer times.
Europium is metal, which is more precious then Gold. The concentration of this element in the space is one atom of Europium per 400bilion atoms of Hydrogen. Scarcity of Gold is “just” 1:300 bilion. Imagine what a collection of the most precious ingredients our products are. They can be decorated with all the Gold, Platinum and Europium at once.
Our customers often ask if the luminescent substance is poisonous or even radioactive. The Europium oxide is very stabile, neither reactive nor radioctive. Official studies say that "no toxic effect on humans were detected". Download and read our Material Card, which consist the test of the harmful substances of the luminescent pigment here. But you should not positively eat the luminous pigment. It hasn't got any nutrition value and tastes like a plaster. Because of the scarcity and nonsense of such a research no one knows the exact long-term effects of the daily consumption of Europium oxide. Anyway, Aluminium oxide is recognized as potentionaly harmful substance. Long-term consumption can cause serious diseases.
If you would like to buy just the luminous pigment for your own purposes, write us on the info@astragold.com. We can also make some very unique product using this technology according to your wishes.
Few pictures from the factoring process (autumn 2009)
Sasha is going to burn glasses.
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Someone is wasting the gold.
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Sasha is preparing the burn.
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Stock of finished goods.
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Gilding of the relief on the chandeliers.
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Relief making on the glasses.
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