Russian
gold plate, sometimes referred to as RGP, is that famous rich looking gold plating used extensively
by the Miriam Haskell Company in their vintage jewelry pieces as part of their
signature look. My resource for all the following
information is the book Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila
Pamfiloff, an essential resource for learning about Miriam Haskell jewelry.
Gordon and Pamfiloff say: “…stamped
filigrees. They were purchased from suppliers in France and Rhode Island…and
sent to Unida Plating of Providence, Rhode Island, which used a process
invented by James Brady for coating the metal parts. Parts went through six to
seven preparatory steps and then the special dipping process, which created the
Russian gold look. The dipping solution contained 24-karat gold, among other
(secret) ingredients. It was made by hand with the formula kept locked in a
safe, known only to the company manager and his foreman. The process was
primitive, according to Sandy Moss, with the dipping timed by hand. As more and
more filigrees were dipped in the solution, gold content got lower and lower,
causing variations in the coating depth and color on the filigrees…After
dipping, filigrees were lacquered.” (page 45).
Because
the plating was “primitive”, Haskell Russian gold plate can take a variety of
hues. Also, the plating was done over
brass filigrees and other brass findings. Since the plating was thicker or
thinner depending on when in the batch the metal was plated, durability and
patina can vary over time, as shown above.
While Russian gold plate is what many people think of when they think of vintage Miriam Haskell pieces, the
Haskell Company also used other finishes in their vintage designs, including
light silver (see the silver leaf charms above), rhodium-look silver and Russian silver, a dark antique
silver. Some designs were also made
using black metal parts (Gordon and Pamfiloff, page 45). Contemporary Haskell designs include gold,
light silver, antique silver, imitation rhodium, pot black and oxidized gold,
silver and copper colors (Gordon and Pamfiloff, page 45). Today, Russian gold plating ala Miriam Haskell
is no longer available, although you can find companies that attempt to
recreate this effect.
So,
it is with great excitement we are able to offer vintage RGP filigrees and
other components from the Miriam Haskell warehouse. The photographs through this post show just a
few of the items we have been able to purchase for Bumbershoot Supplies. See this post for more details about our
exciting find.
To
see many examples of beautiful vintage Miriam Haskell designs, you can visit
the authors of Miriam Haskell Jewelry: Cathy
Gordon is here. Sheila
Pamfiloff is here.
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