Gold Gilding
The Midas Touch
Gold-gilding is the art of applying a fine sheet of gold to a surface. The gold may be real, an alloy, or a gold-colored metallic substance, which may not include any actual gold at all. This method of decorating and enhancing items is ancient, having been referenced in both Homer's "Odyssey" and the Old Testament of the Bible.
Gold-gilding is primarily important in woodworking, cabinetry, and home decoration. It is also fairly common in bookbinding and button-making. Today, many household objects, from picture frames to your average house sign, are enhanced by the touch of gold.
Gold Throughout History
In the days of Homer, hammering gold leaf onto wood, using tree sap or gum to help adhere it to the surface, was a common decorative practice. The attractive yet rustic gilded wood house sign might have had its origin during this time. Gold foil was developed - thin sheets of gold which, with the help of an adhesive mix of glue and ground chalk, were pressed over surfaces and allowed to dry. This technique produces an entirely gold surface which can then be detailed with cutting tools, such as a golden house number sign with engraved numbers and letters. At the same time, gold was being ground into powder and combined with an adhesive binder to be used as paint. It's at this point, with the ability to paint gold onto any surface, that gilding became truly popular and accessible. Now, that same house sign design could be replicated with a fraction of the effort and infinitely more control!
Throughout history gold has symbolized wealth and nobility. Symbolically, gold is representative of the sun and sunlight. Bringing gold into your home, via a house sign or any number of other common decorations, is akin to announcing your family's purity and value to all who visit. Gold is especially practical as a choice of house sign detail, as it catches the light and can help increase the visibility of your house sign.
Modern Gilding
Modern gilding techniques are more complex yet, at the same time, less time-consuming than the ones used in ancient times. To gild a metal home sign, for example, one could use a mechanical process by which the metal is heated and gold leaf layered on with a burnisher, then sealed by cold burnishing. Chemical gilding processes use the gold at some state of chemical combination, and often combine gold with other metals such as mercury or copper, without reducing the signature luster of gold.
The Value of Gold Today
In modern times, gold is still perceived as representative of great value. Our culture reflects it in phrases such as "the golden rule", the existence of special rewards programs attached to "gold cards", and the attaining of a fifty-year "golden anniversary". A beautiful gilded custom home sign would be an appropriate gift for a valued friend, trusted business associate, or relative celebrating their fifty-year anniversary, showing off their value to all visitors.
The value of gold continues to climb, and its popularity as a household decoration is undergoing a renaissance after many years of being seen as 'too flashy'. Purchasing a gilded house sign is an excellent way to lend your home an air of sophistication and wealth without breaking the bank.