RERAMIC STUDIO 
By a variation of temperature the depth of the inlay 
can be regulated, and at the same time one metal can be 
considerably raised above the other, at the will of the oper- 
ator. Very pleasing effects can be obtained by the process. 
— Jewelers Circular. 
ARTISTIC FORGERIES 
In the particular trades in which our readers are 
interested the path of the artistic forger is beset with many 
pitfalls. It is extremely dangerous, for example, to 
tamper with hall marks, as some have found to their cost. 
Yet even that has been done. Ancient jewelry, especially 
Greek and Etruscan, is a favorite field for the skilful 
goldsmith. Italy is a fruitful producer of Etruscan gold 
jewelry and spurious Renaissance jewels, the latter, at 
any rate, of a sufficiently high artistic character to have 
found their way into some well-known collections. There 
is said to be a regular factory of antique goldwork in 
Roumania, where the jewelry is pretended to have been 
found at Olbia. It is carefully stage-managed with frag- 
ments of glass and a little soil to give character to its 
pretensions. Syria is also said to produce a great quan- 
tity of forged goldwork. The best known center in Europe 
at the present day is Odessa. The Russian goldsmiths 
are the modern representatives of the old Byzantine 
craftsmen, and still produce the bulk of their work on the 
ancient lines. It is apparently natural that from time to 
time discoveries of antique goldwork should be made on 
the shores of the Black Sea, where many, Greek towns 
formerly existed. Doubtless there is occasionally a gen- 
uine find. The modern artistic forger does not wait on 
circumstances. It is for the Russian goldsmith hardly 
a departure from his everyday work to produce antique 
Greek or Egyptian jewelry, and he does it with remark- 
able success. It is not so long ago that the artistic world 
was hotly divided on the question of the authenticity of 
the Tiara of Saitapharnes, which was acquired for the 
Musee du Louvre for ;!^4,ooo. It is now admitted to 
have been produced by M. Koukhomorski, of Odessa, 
but portions are stated to be genuine. That may or may 
not be correct, but what an object lesson it is for the col- 
lector! The experts of a great national museum com- 
pletely gulled in this way, and presumably only the assur- 
ance of the perpetrator of the fraud that any portion of 
the piece is genuine. 
Some of these imitations are copied from genuine 
antique pieces, stamped up from dies and tooled over 
to give the appearance of being really repousse. Where 
reproductions of this sort are offered other than singly, 
sa}^, for example, as a brooch and pair of earrings, it is 
often possible with a magnifying glass to detect similari- 
ties or defects common to each, thus proving them 
to have been mechanically reproduced. 
Particularly clever are the imitations of the old 
Renaissance jewels — those grotesquely quaint pieces in 
which gold, enamel, and gems are massed together to pro- 
duce the most curious effects. Many are only good 
enough to deceive the ordinary collector. The expert has 
nothing to go by except the remaining Avork of other 
ancient craftsmen. Even the deficiencies of the piece 
he has to report on decide nothing as to its age. They 
can only prove that a particular workman was not possessed, 
say, of the average skill of his age or did not show it in 
that particular piece. If a modern workman of good 
ability carries out a well-designed piece of Renaissance 
jewelry I maintain that he will do it so successfully that 
it cannot be proved to be a modern piece. Some of the 
German houses are producing silver jewelry, cast and 
enameled, in designs which immediately remind one of 
Renaissance ornaments. A very little development on 
these lines would produce "antiques" in no way differ- 
ing from genuine ones, and the authenticity of which 
could not be disproved. 
Sometimes portions of genuine antiques arc worked 
into these reproductions, and naturally complicate the 
question, and add considerably to the difficulty of ex- 
pressing an opinion. — Jeweler, Silversmith ojid Optician, 
London. 
■^ -f 
THE MARBLES FROM ANCIENT QUARRIES 
The report that a Swedish company has leased the 
old quarries in lona Island, and that their famous white 
and serpentine marble will soon be placed on the market, 
calls to mind that the quarries were wrought ages ago. 
Their output, however, says the Westminster Gazette, has 
long been limited to a few occasional stones for the pur- 
poses of charm and local jewelr}' manufacture. 
The altar in the old cathedral was made entirely of 
white marble, quarried and cut in the island, and, although 
there is no record of the material being exported,, it is 
surmised that a similiar use had been found for the stone 
in ecclesiastical buildings elsewhere, both in this country 
and on the continent. 
The marble of which the lona charms and jewelry 
are mostly manufactured is of a fine pale greenish hue. 
STUDIO NOTE 
Mrs. K. E. Cherry sailed, on the 19th of December, 
for a year's study in Europe. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Mrs. D. — We arc not acquainted with any relialile lustrt! colors for 
cliiiia which come in powder. Powder lustre.^ are usually applied without 
tiring to various objects and a liquid is used similar to that for gold paint. 
Albert Yellow is used frequently in pink roses with good effect. 
Mrs. F. N. R. — The first Class Room on "A color palette" should help 
you in laying color. We do not know of any other printed instructions in 
laying flat color but you might write to the person you mention. 
M. M. L. — Lustres take an ordinary hard fire (see next class Room.) 
The iron pot is said to affect pinks, better try broken hits for samples Yel- 
low lustre applied over other lustres affects the color somewhat but usually 
in an agreeable way. We do not know anything that will remove fired color 
except Hydro-fluoric Acid. For line work in conventional work, we prefer 
to use the powder color mixed with a thin syrup of sugar and water, it does 
not then run into color or lustre, touching it, and the latter may be re- 
moved with turpentine if necessary without injury to the outlines, other- 
wise mix powder black with medium only to a thick paste, thin with spirits 
of turpentine. The last Class Room subject was Enamels, that will give 
you the desired information. The Class Room in this issue will inform 
you about raised paste; both enamels and paste will stand a good hard fire. 
Any good Roman gold may be used under lustre with a bronze effect. 
Anthony — Nothing that is applied to the outside of a kiln, can affect 
the interior; if your kiln shows signs of rusting it must be in a damp place. 
Kerosene would be quite as valuable as olive oil to remove the rust, and 
less expensive. The inside should be whitewashed with ordinary white 
wash as often as necessary. The next subject in the Keramic Studio Class 
Room will be "Lustres," we trust you will find there all necessary instruc- 
tions. You will find the desired information in regard to "Raised Paste" 
in the present number under the head of "Gold Work." 
G. W. M. — Roman gold is used over lustre, it can be put on before 
firing if care is taken not to have it so thin that it will spread. It is safer 
however, to wait till a second firing. Colors may be used over lustre also 
Isefore firing, but more safely in a second fire. For pink roses shading to yel- 
low, use Pompadour and Albert Yellow for first fire, rose in second fire. 
