September
This month we explore the ancient art of Alchemy.
This practice dates back to Ancient Egypt and the Middle East. It is believed to be founded by Hermes Trismegistus, who was the embodiment of wisdom by the ancient Egyptians. In one of his most famous quotes he describes alchemy as “the art of transmuting the base metal of ignorance into the gold of wisdom.” In layman's terms, alchemy is described as the art of transmuting one substance into another.
The desire of all alchemists was to find the Philosopher’s Stone. Alchemists believed that if they combined the right materials, they were capable of making a substance that turned base metals into precious metals like gold and silver. Ancient lore has it that this substance could also grant immortality. Philosophers like Nicholas Flamel claimed to have discovered the secret of the philosopher's stone. Rulers believed it to grant them wealth and power. This substance was considered the “elixir of life” and alchemists dedicated their lives to discover it's secret.
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Many artisans were able to make materials that looked like, but weren’t actually, gold or silver. Alchemists strove to control the processes of nature and replicated many natural chemical reactions that occur naturally, such as oxidation. They used a variety of trials like burning, heating, and dissolving various elements, metals, and even human blood and hair in their work.
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Alchemists relied on experimentation rather than method and mysticism rather than logic.
Although we do not claim to practice alchemy in our jewelry making, we do do some transmutation of our own by using a technique called The Marriage of Metals. This is a technique where two or more metals are permanently joined by carefully fitting together the pieces like a puzzle, then soldering them in place.
In our shop you can find a collection of beautiful rings that showcase this technique.