
A goldsmith is a
metalworker who specializes in working with
gold and other
precious metal
Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value.
Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lustre. ...
s. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made
silverware
Silverware may refer to:
* Household silver including
**Tableware
**Cutlery
**Candlesticks
*The work of a silversmith
* Silverware is also a slang term for a collection of trophies
A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achieveme ...
,
platters,
goblets, decorative and serviceable utensils, and
ceremonial or
religious items.
Goldsmiths must be skilled in forming metal through
filing,
soldering,
sawing,
forging
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which i ...
,
casting, and
polishing
Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or by applying a chemical treatment, leaving a clean surface with a significant specular reflection (still limited by the index of refraction of the material accordin ...
. The trade has very often included
jewelry-making skills, as well as the very similar skills of the
silversmith. Traditionally, these skills had been passed along through
apprenticeships; more recently jewelry arts schools, specializing in teaching goldsmithing and a multitude of skills falling under the jewelry arts umbrella, are available. Many universities and junior colleges also offer goldsmithing, silversmithing, and metal arts fabrication as a part of their fine arts curriculum.
Gold

Compared to other metals, gold is
malleable,
ductile, rare, and it is the only solid metallic
element with a
yellow color. It may easily be melted, fused, and cast without the problems of oxides and gas that are problematic with other metals such as
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
s, for example. It is fairly easy to "pressure weld", wherein, similarly to clay, two small pieces may be pounded together to make one larger piece. Gold is classified as a
noble metal—because it does not react with most elements. It usually is found in its
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
form, lasting indefinitely without oxidization and tarnishing.
History

Gold has been worked by humans in all
cultures where the metal is available, either indigenously or imported, and the history of these activities is extensive. Superbly made objects from the ancient cultures of
Africa,
Asia,
Europe,
India,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
Mesoamerica, and
South America grace museums and collections throughout the world. The
Copper Age
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
Varna culture (
Bulgaria) from the 5th millennium BC is credited with inventing goldsmith (gold metallurgy). The associated
Varna Necropolis treasure contains the oldest golden
jewellery in the world with an approximate age of over 6,000 years.
Some pieces date back thousands of years and were made using many techniques that still are used by modern goldsmiths. Techniques developed by some of those goldsmiths achieved a skill level that was lost and remained beyond the skills of those who followed, even to modern times. Researchers attempting to uncover the chemical techniques used by ancient artisans have remarked that their findings confirm that "the high level of competence reached by the artists and craftsmen of these ancient periods who produced objects of an artistic quality that could not be bettered in ancient times and has not yet been reached in modern ones."
In
medieval Europe goldsmiths were organized into
guilds and usually were one of the most important and wealthiest of the guilds in a city. The guild kept records of members and the marks they used on their products. These records, when they survive, are very useful to historians. Goldsmiths often acted as
bankers, since they dealt in gold and had sufficient security for the safe storage of valuable items, though they were usually restrained from lending at interest, which was regarded as
usury. In the
Middle Ages, goldsmithing normally included silversmithing as well, but the brass workers and workers in other
base metals normally were members of a separate guild, since the trades were not allowed to overlap. Many
jewelers also were goldsmiths.

The
Sunar caste is one of the oldest communities in goldsmithing in India, whose superb gold artworks were displayed at
The Great Exhibition of 1851
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...
in London. In India, '
Daivadnya Brahmin
The Daivadnyas, (also known as Daivadnya Brahmins or Daivadnya Sonars or Konkanastha Rathakara), are a Konkani Gold-smith community, who claim to have descended from Vishwakarma, Hindu architect god and part of larger Vishwakarma community. ...
s',Vishwakarma (Viswabrahmins,Acharis)'
Sunar' are the goldsmith castes.
The
printmaking
Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...
technique of
engraving developed among goldsmiths in Germany around 1430, who had long used the technique on their metal pieces. The notable
engravers of the fifteenth century were either goldsmiths, such as
Master E. S.
Master E. S. (c. 1420 – c. 1468; previously known as the ''Master of 1466'') is an unidentified German engraver, goldsmith, and printmaker of the late Gothic period. He was the first major German artist of old master prints and was gre ...
, or the sons of goldsmiths, such as
Martin Schongauer and
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...
.
Contemporary goldsmithing

A goldsmith might have a wide array of skills and knowledge at their disposal.
Gold, being the most
malleable metal of all, offers unique opportunities for the worker. In today's world a wide variety of other metals, especially
platinum alloys, also may be used frequently. 24
karat is pure gold and historically, was known as
fine gold
The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hard ...
.
Because it is so soft, however, 24 karat gold is rarely used. It is usually
alloyed to make it stronger and to create different colors. Depending on the metals used to create the alloy, the color can change.
The goldsmith will use a variety of tools and machinery, including the
rolling mill, the
drawplate
A draw plate is type of die consisting of a hardened steel plate with one or more holes through which wire is drawn to make it thinner. A typical plate will have twenty to thirty holes so a wide range of diameters can be drawn.
With a mandrel, ...
, and perhaps,
swage blocks and other forming tools to make the metal into shapes needed to build the intended piece. Then parts are fabricated through a wide variety of processes and assembled by
soldering. It is a testament to the history and evolution of the trade that those skills have reached an extremely high level of attainment and skill over time. A fine goldsmith can and will work to a tolerance approaching that of precision machinery, but largely using only his eyes and hand tools. Quite often the goldsmith's job involves the making of mountings for
gemstone
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...
s, in which case they often are referred to as ''jewelers''.
'Jeweller', however, is a term mostly reserved for a person who deals in jewellery (buys and sells) and not to be confused with a goldsmith, silversmith, gemologist, diamond cutter, and diamond setters. A 'jobbing jeweller' is the term for a jeweller who undertakes a small basic amount of jewellery repair and alteration.
Notable goldsmiths
Historical

*
Kalogjera family[Vinicije B. Lupis, ''Zlatarska bilježnica obitelji Kalogjera iz Blata na otoku Korčuli'' (Goldsmith's Book of the Kalogjera Family from Blato on the Island of Korčula) in ''Peristil : zbornik radova za povijest umjetnosti'', Vol. 52, No. 1, translated from Croatian, Institut društvenih znanosti "Ivo Pilar", Područni centar Dubrovnik, 2009.]
*
Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...
*
House of Fabergé
*
Lorenzo Ghiberti
*
Johannes Gutenberg
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and Artisan, craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable type, movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its ki ...
*
George Heriot
*
Gaspard van der Heyden
*
Paul de Lamerie
Paul de Lamerie (9 April 1688 – 1 August 1751) was a London-based silversmith. The Victoria and Albert Museum describes him as the "greatest silversmith working in England in the 18th century". He was being referred to as the ‘King’s silv ...
*
Arnold Lulls Arnold Lulls (floruit 1580–1625) was a Flemish goldsmith and jeweller in London. He served the court and made several pieces intended as diplomatic gifts.
Career
He was born in Antwerp, and settled in London before 1585, and became a denizen of E ...
*
Jean-Valentin Morel
*
Paul Storr
*
Adrien Vachette
Contemporary
*
Lois Betteridge
Lois Etherington Betteridge was a Canadian silversmith, goldsmith, designer and educator, and a major figure in the Canadian studio craft movement. Betteridge entered Canadian silversmithing in the 1950s, at a time when the field was dominated ...
*
Jocelyn Burton
Sara Jocelyn Margarita Elissa Burton (10 January 1946 - 5 April 2020) was an award-winning British silver and goldsmith. Burton was the first woman to receive the City and Guilds of London Institute top award, the Prince Philip Medal.
Life an ...
*
Andrea Cagnetti – Akelo
*
Cartier Cartier may refer to:
People
* Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player
Places
* Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...
*
William Claude Harper
William C. Harper (born 1944) is an American jewelry artist known for studio craft jewelry.
Biography
Born in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1944. He received a BS in 1966 and an MS in education in 1967, both from Case Western Reserve University in Clevelan ...
*
Mary Lee Hu
Mary Lee Hu (born 1943 in Lakewood, Ohio) is an American artist, goldsmith, and college level educator known for using textile techniques to create intricate woven wire jewelry.
Career
Hu first became fascinated with metalwork during high scho ...
*
Linda MacNeil
Linda MacNeil (born April 14, 1954) is an American abstract artist, sculptor, and jeweler. She works with glass and metal specializing in contemporary jewelry that combines metalwork with glass to create wearable sculpture. Her focus since 1975 ...
*
Mazlo
Mazlo is a jewellery house of Lebanese origin, established in Paris, France, since 1977.
Its origins date back to the fifteenth century, when the founder of the dynasty,
Georgius Sayegh el-Mazloum, left Lebanon to settle in Venice.
Since the e ...
*
John Paul Miller (1918–2013)
*
Gary Noffke
*
Christoph Steidl Porenta
Gallery
File:Christus saint eloi orfèvre.jpg, Renaissance goldsmith shop
File:Codice Casanatense Brahmin Goldsmiths.jpg, A Brahmin goldsmith from Goa, India, 16th century
File:Taller orfebrería Museo artes y costumbres populares Sevilla.jpg, Goldsmith's workshop in Museum of Arts and Popular Customs of Seville
The Museum of Arts and Popular Customs of Seville ( es, Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares) is a museum in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, located in the María Luisa Park, across the Plaza de América from the Provincial Archeological Museum. The ...
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een goudsmid aan het werk in de Karolanden TMnr 10014301.jpg, A Karo people (Indonesia)
The Karo, or Karonese, are a people of the ''Tanah Karo'' (Karo lands) and part one of Batak people sub-ethnic group from North Sumatera, Indonesia. The Karo lands consist of Karo Regency, plus neighboring areas in East Aceh Regency, Langkat Rege ...
goldsmith in Sumatra (circa 1918)
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Goudsmeden aan het werk in goudsmidwinkel Atjeh TMnr 10014478.jpg, Goldsmith shop in Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
, Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, Indonesia during the early-20th century. The man in the middle may be a "Klingalees" (orang Keling), someone from South India
See also
*
Bench jeweler
A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmith, Goldsmith, stone setting, engraving, fabrica ...
*
Jewelers' Row
Jewelers' Row, located in the Center City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is composed of more than 300 retailers, wholesalers, and craftsmen located on Sansom Street between Seventh and Eighth Streets, and on Eighth Street between Chestnu ...
*
Old master print
An old master print is a work of art produced by a printing process within the Western tradition. The term remains current in the art trade, and there is no easy alternative in English to distinguish the works of "fine art" produced in printmakin ...
,
engraving, and
niello – goldsmith's techniques or related trades in the Middle Ages
*
Persian-Sassanide art patterns
Persian- Sassanide art patterns have similarities with the art of the Bulgars, Khazars, and Saka-Scythians, and have recurred in Asia. They predominantly feature motifs of fighting animals. Gold was frequently used as a base for their art creat ...
*
Household silver
*
Sunar
*
Toreutics
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
History of banking
Jewellery making
Metalworking occupations