Products... Gold & Silver Leaf

Gold and Silver Leaf

Gold leaf

Pure gold is the oldest form of beaten metal with the technique dating back to the ancient Egyptians. The craft of the gold beater involves converting precious metals, such as gold and silver, into extremely thin leaves. Manually, it was a slow and arduous task requiring total control of the hammer and great precision of the eye. Today, modern beating is done by machine which guarantees quality and product consistency. All the other phases of the production process are done by hand by skilled and experienced workers.

We supply gold leaf in a variety of shades from 12ct white gold to 24ct pure gold leaf. The different shade effects are created by the addition of alloys in the production process. The most common alloy components are copper and silver.

Gold leaf is sold in booklets ( 80 x 80mm) of 25 leaves, separated by tissue paper, in both loose leaf and transfer leaf.

Loose leaf is literally extremely thin leaves of gold sitting between thin rouged paper. This leaf cannot be handled directly as it tears easily and sticks to the skin. It has to be picked up with a special thin,flat brush made of soft squirrel hair called a Gilders Tip

Transfer leaf is the same gold as loose leaf but it is lightly pressed onto the backing paper allowing easier handling. With transfer leaf, we offer a loose press, a standard press and have the facility to press the leaf tighter should you require.

Booklets are generally sold in standard packs of 20 books but can be purchased in any quantity desired. We operate a sliding scale of charges for quantities purchased. 23.75ct loose and transfer leaf is also available in 5 leaf booklets which is particularly useful if running gilding courses.

Genuine gold leaf is also sold in rolls. These are 20m in length and available up to 100mm wide. Rolls are available as 22ct or 23.5ct. Standard stock sizes are 6mm, 12.5mm, 19mm, 25mm.enuine Shell Gold and Silver ( bound in gum arabic ), Genuine Gold and Silver Powder and Gold Flake are also available.

As gold is subject to the vagaries of the bullion and exchange markets it is difficult to produce a set price list. We would be pleased to quote you for supplies based on current stocks or projected bullion and exchange rates.

Silver leaf

Silver leaf is sold in booklet form ( 95 x 95mm ) 25 leaves per book separated by tissue paper. This is available as both loose and transfer leaf.

Silver leaf tarnishes very easily and should always be protected with a lacquer.

Imitation Gold leaf (also known as Dutch Metal leaf or Shlag Metal )

Imitation leaf is exactly as it sounds. A considerably cheaper version of genuine gold and silver leaf imitating the same metallic qualities. However , as reflected in the price it is no substitute for genuine gold leaf in the majority of restoration techniques and is mainly used for less prestigious projects.

The metals used to create the imitation gold leaf are an alloy of copper and zinc. Aluminum leaf is an alternative to silver leaf and whereas imitation gold leaf has to be varnished to prevent it from tarnishing, aluminum leaf needs no protection at all.

Imitation leaf is used mainly for framing and furniture and quite widely used nowadays for use in interiors as wall decoration or on decorative items thanks to popularity of the many home improvements TV programmes.

Metal leaf is thicker than genuine gold leaf and therefore a lot easier to handle.

Metal leaf is available in booklet form (140 x 140mm) 25 leaves per book in loose leaf and transfer leaf.

Colours available:

Orange Gold (available only as loose leaf)
Standard Gold 2.5
Copper
Aluminum (silver)
Variegated Blue
Variegated Red
Variegated Green

Also available as loose leaf only in bundles of 500 leaves ( 160 x 160mm )

Colours available:

Orange Gold
Standard Gold 2.5
Copper
Aluminum

Metal leaf in rolls.

Used extensively in the picture framing trade. Rolls are available in 50m lengths and in widths up to 156mm. These are available in Standard Gold 2.5 and Silver colour.

Our standard stock sizes are 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, 40mm,45mm, 50mm.

Metal leaf in Flake

Leaf in flake is available in 250gm bags in both 2.5 gold colour and Aluminum
Prices for all imitation leaf can be found on our pricelist.