76 
SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
2. “ Gold Embedding .”—In my “ Mediaeval Sinhalese Art,” 
p. 210, I have referred to the characteristic South Indian and 
Sinhalese jewellery called in Sinhalese tahadu kola bemma (gold-leaf 
application), and have figured examples of it on PI. XLVIIL, 5-7 ; 
XLIX., 11.; LI., 1, 8, 18, &c. I am now able to give a short 
description of this very interesting process, which is, I think, 
peculiar to South India and Ceylon. The notes are taken from 
observation of a South Indian kammalan (a Tamil goldsmith) 
working in Colombo. The process is called in Tamil idu 
tarigam, gold-embedding. Having prepared a design, thin strips 
of gold, rather less than J in. in width, are bent into the shape of the 
various parts of the designs, and soldered on to a thin gold plate, 
forming a series of vertical sided cells. The thin strips are previously 
roughened with prick-marks to make the subsequently added gold 
hold more firmly- The prepared framework (called umisam ) is 
then imbedded in melted wax and fastened on to a short piece of 
cane for convenient working ; the framework is then partially 
excavated from the hard wax, until it stands out clearly on a plane 
surface just above the level of the gold plate foundation. The 
separate cells are left about two-thirds filled. This stage is illus¬ 
trated in the accompanying figure. 
Gold embedding framework 
prepared for stones (natural size). 
The stones, usually thin cabochon rubies, are laid in their cells, 
generally with a backing of foil to heighten the colour, and a 
glowing charcoal is held to each to melt them in firmly. When all 
