Ancient Jewelry, 5 



this process, and the work does not depend for its strength 

 upon its connected parts. The setting of their gems is 

 invariably effected in this way, and with a little force may be 

 lifted off bodily. 



Borax is the immemorial flux of the jeweler all over the 

 world, and it is not at all improbable that the Egyptians 

 possessed this valuable medium ; especially as, although now 

 an artificial compound of its element, boracic acid and soda, 

 manufactured to meet the demands of commerce, it is found, 

 and was to be found doubtless in that remote time, as a natural 

 production. But given the borax, the solder, the shears, or 

 the file, we still require the charcoal, or some equivalent for it; 

 and what is more, we still require the blow-pipe. His inflated 

 pig-skin would not serve the Assyrian here ; something more 

 manageable was necessary — something which possessed both 

 force and precision. It is held by scholars that Pliny (the 

 younger) speaks of borax under the title of chrysocolla, and it 

 is not at all unreasonable to suppose that borax, under this or 

 some other name, was known at a much earlier date than his 

 time. If the Egyptians had not discovered charcoal — and it is 

 very possible they had, considering their necessarily constant 

 use of wood — it would not be difficult to find some light 

 porous stone to answer its purpose ;* and the origin of the 

 blow-pipe is so involved in obscurity, that there is scarcely any 

 date too early to fix for its discovery. Moreover, although the 

 blow-pipe of the modern chemist is a very scientific implement, 

 it must be remembered that the jeweler's blow-pipe to this 

 day is simply a piece of bent tubing, smaller at one end than 

 the other. It is at least certain, then, that to solder, the 

 ancients must have possessed some knowledge of alloy, and 

 had for tools the blow-pipe, shears, or files, charcoal, or some 

 analogous non- conductive substance, and must have known 

 the valuable uses of borax as a flux.. 



This question of alloys is of more consequence than may at 

 first sight appear; for, as a rule, the gold used in these ancient 

 ornaments was in nearly a pure state ; and it is not unreason- 

 able to suppose that a knowledge of the ready fusion of certain 

 other metals therewith might have tempted the workmen of 

 antiquity to deteriorate the precious metal, as is systematically 

 done in modern times. The universal use of fine gold suggests 

 also one other solution of the solder difficulty : it is that 

 fine gold, and fine gold alone, may, by the help of a flux, be 

 '• sweated/' or brazed together instead of soldered ; but it is 

 a careful process, and can only be done with heavy pieces of 

 work. It is true there are some examples of framework for 



* Lava is an excellent substitute, but not likely to be found among the sands of 

 Egjpt. 



