Something New - Aluminum Jewelry

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FrugalRefiner

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Our sharp eyed member from the Netherlands, Richard NL, passed these links along. They both link to the same article in slightly different forms. It's an interesting look back in time to an article written by Hoke in 1932.

https://www.docdroid.net/nek7Ee0/something-newaluminum-jewelry.pdf

https://www.docdroid.net/O1iDoWz/something-newaluminum-jewelry.pdf

Thank you for sharing these Richard.

Dave
 
That article was mentioned in http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=20913&p=215180#p215180 but it seems it's been hidden behind a paywall since then.

Thanks for the new link, I've updated the link on my wiki page about Ms Hoke.

Göran
 
In those days aluminum was a very scarce and extremely valuable metal. That's why Hoke never mentioned it as a reduction metal in her classic. Probably also why jewelry made of aluminum was even considered. Things change eh?. :shock:
 
cuchugold said:
In those days aluminum was a very scarce and extremely valuable metal. That's why Hoke never mentioned it as a reduction metal in her classic. Probably also why jewelry made of aluminum was even considered. Things change eh?. :shock:

I think Al became cheap is 1920, with a big improvement in the Hall process, which was invented in 1886. It certainly wasn't very scarce and extremely valuable in 1932. Before the Hall process, it was quite rare and valuable. This was due to the great difficulty and cost in reducing the Al compounds to metal. Back then, some Queen or King even had a crown made of Aluminum.
 
Hey GSP. I believe Hoke wrote the content for the book long before she gathered the courage to publish it. Given that aluminum is a better, faster reducer than iron or zinc, and that she doesn't mention it as a reducer in the book, well... maybe I'm wrong, Who cares really?. Cheers for the info.

edit: Perhaps the price of Al was in a transition from priceless to dirt cheap, so it wasn't an economical option as a reducer, but maybe attractive as jewelry. An hypothesis, that I can't prove or disprove, of course. Maybe I'm going senile sooner than expected. Kind of a blur these days. I don't care much about anything anymore. Surrounded by people I don't trust or love. A struggle really. Thanks for listening. Cheaper than a psycho-the-rapist.
 
I've heard mention of Aluminium being more valuable than gold at one point in history. There are records of state banquets- I believe in France where the top table had Aluminium cutlery whilst the rest of the people had to "make do" with gold cutlery.
 
There is currently decorative chain made of Aluminum, as well.
It can typically be found at craft stores,
often sold from a spool to length by the foot,
or even as finished necklace lengths.
Al_Chain~20190819_064711~sm.jpg


On a similar note of Aluminum for Jewelry,
I found a reference to how expensive it used to be on Google Books

In 1856 Napolean III was the emperor of France.
The emperor ordered a special rattle made.
The rattle was for the emperor's son Prince Louis Napoleon.
The rattle was very expensive.
It was more expensive than a rattle made of pure gold.

Nonfiction Reading Comprehension: Science, Grd 6
By Ruth Foster
pg. 73
 
cuchugold said:
In those days aluminum was a very scarce and extremely valuable metal. That's why Hoke never mentioned it as a reduction metal in her classic. Probably also why jewelry made of aluminum was even considered. Things change eh?. :shock:

This.

Back in the 1850s and 1860s, French emperor Napoleon III had aluminium silverware and plates at his palaces and it was considered as much of a sign of wealth and taste as items made of gold, just because the "easy" process of bauxite refining we use now didn't exist yet.
 
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