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A gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m 2 (5.4 sq ft). The Toi gold mine museum, Japan.. Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 μm thick [1]) by a process known as goldbeating, [2] for use in gilding.
"Overlaying" or folding or hammering on gold foil or gold leaf is the simplest and most ancient method, and is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey [8] and the Old Testament. The Ram in a Thicket (2600–2400 BC) from Ur describes this technique used on wood, with a thin layer of bitumen underneath to help adhesion.
A foil is a very thin sheet of metal, typically made by hammering or rolling. [1] [2] Foils are most easily made with malleable metal, such as aluminium, copper, [3] tin, and gold. Foils usually bend under their own weight and can be torn easily. [2]
Some metal leaves may look like gold leaf but do not contain any real gold. This type of metal leaf is often referred to as imitation leaf. [3] Metal leaves are usually made of gold (including many alloys), silver, copper, aluminium, brass (sometimes called "Dutch metal" typically 85% Copper and 15% zinc) or palladium, as well as platinum.
The leaves are native gold (70–90% pure) and created through a process of annealing and hammering a single sheet of gold. [7] By pounding the sheet in different directions, the craft-smith was able to outline the shape of the leaf and create the leaf's stem that is folded into tubes and connects to the strands of beads. [7]
Unlike the Romans, the Franks, and the Celts, however, Byzantium used light-weight gold leaf rather than solid gold, and more emphasis was placed on stones and gems. As in the West, Byzantine jewellery was worn by wealthier females, with male jewellery apparently restricted to signet rings.
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It is also known by other names such as "composition gold leaf", "Dutch gold", "Schlagmetal" and "Schlag leaf". [1] It is very malleable and ductile and so can be beaten into very thin sheets. These sheets are sold for use as metal leaf or imitation gold leaf. [2] The addition of arsenic produces an alloy with similar properties but coloured white.