SHOW: Flatware 13
Title: Flatware.
General: This is a pair of Ebony and Sterling Silver Chopsticks. They
are hinged and sprung at one end so that they are easy to use
for a friend who suffers from arthritis. The tips are lined
with ridged Ivory salvaged from old Piano keys. The little
Sterling ring at the tips holds them together for storage. A
Japanese friend of mine saw them, and said I should export them
to Japan, because "those modern Japanese kids dont know how to
use the old style chopsticks anymore".
Material: Sterling Silver, Ebony, Ivory.
Gem:
Method: Constructed.
Finish: Polished.
Mechanics: The hinge is constructed as a three part flanged type.
The flanges are close fitted and glued into the Ebony.
Designer: Walraven van Heeckeren.
Craftsman: Walraven van Heeckeren.
Price: AUS $ 400.00.
STERLING SILVER is a binary Silver alloy consisting of:
925 parts/1000 Pure Silver and
75 parts/1000 Pure Copper.
Annealing temperature: 750 degrees Celsius.
Melting Temperature: 950 degrees Celsius.
Wal.
Ebony is a tropical hardwood. There are two types,
the African, which is very black, and the Ceylon or
Macassar, which is a dark brown with black grain.
The one I use is macassar, because the trees grow
to a larger diameter, and therefore allow larger
single pieces of work to be made.
Wal.
Ivory used to be obtained from elephant tusks and
walrus tusks. The Walrus tusk was deemed to be the
best Ivory, but Elephant was much larger. Today it
is illegal to trade in Ivory in many countries
around the world, because of the killing of the
creatures whose tusks they are. So in order to use
Ivory, I use old piano keys, or as in the case of
Walrus tusk, it may be found washed up on the
shores of Alaska, from Walruses that have died
naturally. I sometimes purchase old ivory
sculptures for the Elephant Ivory.
Wal.