A JAPANESE company has turned gold into a malleable putty, which could have major implications for the design of exotic jewellery in the future.
Mitsubishi Materials has recently put the product on sale in Britain, following earlier launches in Japan and Germany.
The 鈥渃lay鈥� is the result of a two-year research programme. Mitsubishi has patented its process worldwide. The putty is made from a mixture of a fine powder of gold particles less than 20 micrometres in diameter, water, and a secret organic binder. Mitsubishi has also developed similar products for platinum and silver.
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Designers can work with the putty as if it were potter鈥檚 clay. Once they have achieved the desired shape, the product is fired at 1000 掳C. The water and the binder evaporate to leave the fused gold particles. The end result is filled with microscopic pores invisible to the naked eye.
鈥淭his is a breakthrough,鈥� says Scilla Speet, course director of jewellery design at Central St Martin鈥檚 College of Art and Design in London.
Mitsubishi is still examining a variety of alternative applications for the gold clay, but the main use will be specialised jewellery design. 鈥淚t will not change the face of the mass jewellery market, although it could have some impact at the upper end of the market,鈥� says Bob Fuller, managing director of the workshop at the Queen鈥檚 jeweller, Garrard鈥檚.
