An Alchemical Ornament

Silver goblet etched with a placid illustration of a refinery

One step removed from the sweltering heat of the forge, smoke billows from a chimney between towering trees. Small figures are at work around the refinery – surveying, shoving, and squatting. Steep slopes of earth disappear into the distance of a spotless sky. This sterling silver goblet was made by William Edwards (1819-1899) and retailed […]

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Weighty Ideas

Along with the forge, the anvil was the most important tool in the blacksmith’s kit.  Using the anvil, hot metal was ‘worked’. It was repeatedly hammered and shaped around its angled and conical edges. Imagine the loud clanging blow of a hammer forming the metal, while the whoosh of bellows pumped air into the forge […]

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