Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1866-12-14

especially the smaller sorts, aroused largely,
while the pearl oyster shell, or mother-o'-
pearl, is worked up extensively by the but
ton makers A few years ago a small par
eel of shells was brought to Birmingham
which by mistake had not been cleaned
Of the pearls at the fishery one Of the
pearls thus found sold for Gao, was resold
for eI50, and afterwards held for sale in
Paris at ES00.
The manufactured gold and silver guard
chains, though not more than forty years
old, employs fifteen hundred or sixteen
hundred persons. The gil: toy trade sig
Eifes the manufacture Of personal orRa-
ments Of al descriptions, in which metals,
gilt, or simply colored, are used in combi-
nation with real or imitation stones, ca
meos, mosaics, etc. This business has re-
ceived a wonderful developement since the
discovery Of electro-gilding, and has dis
placed many French and German impor-
tations. The low price at which such ar
ticles are produced il extraordinary. A
locket which in gold would be worth from
fifteen shiIlinge TO thirty shilling is pro-
duced in guilt metal for penny.
PLATED-wARE.
Some interesting reminiEeences are given
OF the plated-ware trade which is now
nearly extinguished by the electric pro-
cess. The first mandatory Of plated goods
was established nearly one hundred years
ago by the celebrated Matthew Boulton at
the Soho works. Excellence was his aim
in every branch of manufacture, andthe ar
ticles made at Soho were 50 richly plated,
that the daily use Of them for forty years
has scarcely made them bleed" This,
however, is partly due to ignorance, for it
was not then known how small guam
titv Of silver was needed in plating
Under the old process Of plating Chat
IL, before galyanic agency was used) a
strip Of silver vas laid on q correspond
ing slice Of copper. They we're "bedded"
together on an avil with a sledge-hammer,
and then heated in an oven till complete
union was effected. The article to be man.
ufactured, whether it was a candlestick, a
pair Of snufiers, or a soup ladle, was made
afterwards from piece of composite metal,
either by forcing it with a hammer into an
ornamental die Of steel, or BY direct ham
mering, as in yepO,Sse work. Electro plating
has reversed the order Of processes. The
article 10 be plated is cast in German silver,
far harder and more intractable metal
than pure copper, and is then plunged into
the silVering vat. As soon at it has re
ceived its coating of silver, and has been
FURNISHED, il is ready for sale 70
Electro plating was first brought into use
by Messrs Ellington in l84G More than
forty years before, DIR. Woollaston had
pointed ont that if a piece of silver in con
nection with a more positive metal, were
placed in a solution Of copper the silver
would be coated over with the copper, and
that this coating would stand the operation
Of Furnishing; but a long time elapsed be-
fore mode was discovered of depositing a
coating of serviceable silver in this man
ner. The difficulty was at length solved
by Mr. Wright, Birmingham surgeon,
who obtained deposit Of firm white silver
by aiding cyanide Of potassium to a soIl-
ton Of nitrate Of silver. The best electro
plated goods are far better than the best
goods made on the old plaD, but poor
electro article Is inferior TO the worst class
of goods made under the old system