Postby oel » Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:56 am
eBay sells a lot of crap; like in 1770 Electro plating has not been invented.
Italian chemist, Luigi Brugnatelli invented electroplating in 1805. Brugnatelli performed electrodeposition of gold using the Voltaic Pile, discovered by his college Alessandro Volta in 1800. Luigi Brugnatelli's work was rebuffed by the dictator Napoleon Bonaparte, which caused Brugnatelli to suppress any further publication of his work.
However, Luigi Brugnatelli did write about electroplating in the Belgian Journal of Physics and Chemistry, "I have lately gilt in a complete manner two large silver medals, by bringing them into communication by means of a steel wire, with a negative pole of a voltaic pile, and keeping them one after the other immersed in ammoniuret of gold newly made and well saturated".
John Wright
Forty years later in 1845, John Wright of Birmingham, England discovered that potassium cyanide was a suitable electrolyte for gold and silver electroplating. According to the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, "It was a Birmingham doctor, John Wright, who first showed that items could be electroplated by immersing them in a tank of silver held in solution, through which an electric current was passed."
The Elkingtons
Others inventors were also carrying on similar work. Several patents for electroplating processes were issued in 1840. However, cousins Henry and George Richard Elkington patented the electroplating process first. It should be noted that the Elkington's bought the patent rights to John Wright's process. The Elkington's held a monopoly on electroplating for many years due to their patent for an inexpensive method of electroplating.Early electroplating was on nickel and produced many fine objects, which are now becoming more and more sought after by collectors. Many pieces were struck with pseudo-hallmarks and, to avoid confusion, this was made illegal in 1896 and pieces had to be marked EPNS for 'electroplated nickel silver'. There was no legal requirement to mark electroplated goods. So it is often quite difficult to precisely date an electroplated item. However some makers, such as Elkington & Co., actually marked their pieces with a date letter which is very helpful when deciding on their age. Most of the time electroplated pieces are dated based on their style and the way they are made, and this can lead to a fairly accurate circa date within 5 to 10 years either side.
If the base metal of your fruit basket is a nickel alloy it appears and looks like 'silver' called nickel silver.
Please do not damage your set with ‘brillo’ but have it looked at and tested in Sheffield.
Oel
