You can see what grain is, not only in museums, but also at exhibitions, in art salons. This technique of jewelers, popular to this day, has been used in Russia for at least 12 centuries, since there are finds dating back to the 8th century AD. And abroad, before our era, unique things were created using grains.
It is not at all difficult to determine exactly what grain is - it is a method of artistic processing of metal, in which the smallest balls are made of it. Then these balls are soldered to a metal base, creating a variety of patterns.
Another definition of what grain is: decorating jewelry with small metal balls fastened in the form of an ornament on the basis of metal or complementing an openwork scan (patterns of thin wire).
Russian grain
There is evidence that grain in Russia is perhaps even older than filigree. For example, medieval artifacts found in the Urals dating back to the 8th century contain grain. A scan in this area appears only on objects of the 10th century.
The decor from the grains is on temporal jewelry, pendants, rings, rings, earrings, as well as scabbards and other objects of rich life found in treasures. The patterns made very expressive, with a special play of light and shadow. Complex compositions were created. One of the interesting options is bonding grains in the form of pyramids that adorned the product.
Particular attention to the grain technique that existed in the 10-14 centuries is associated not only with archaeological excavations and the study of ancient artifacts. Of course, the evidence of the skills of our ancestors, who in various regions of the country knew what grain is, is interesting. But modern jewelers, for the sake of creating new works of art, are interested in repeating the unique oldest technologies, thanks to which they managed to create real masterpieces.
How to make jewelry "grain"
Scientists believe that the methods of making grains have not changed over the centuries. Masters knew several methods of creating it.
One of them is to let a stream of molten gold or silver into water through a filter. As a result, the grain is heterogeneous in shape and diameter.
When grain is produced from billets of any kind (cuts, rings, grains), these metal parts are straightened in powder obtained from charcoal. The result is balls of standard size.
Soldering - The Riddle of Grains
A question that is being studied not only by historians, but also specialists in the field of metal science, how grain was attached in a particular case, since the solder technique differed significantly from one master to another.
The connection of balls with each other or the solder of granules to the base is a topic that has been of interest to jewelers for all centuries. There were many special secrets in this technology. In some samples, it is almost not visible how the ball is attached to the base.
Fine solder grains and filigree is a man-made miracle based on the properties of gold, silver and mercury. Jewelers made an amalgam from them, and then applied to the finished pattern of filigree and grains. In a strongly heated object, mercury evaporated - and all parts were firmly connected to each other.
Methods of laying filigree and grains differed in different territories. Historians in detail study not only what grain is, but also the differences in its manufacture.
True and False Grain
Grains are small balls that have been skillfully soldered. But the "grain", which was obtained by casting in a special form made for the whole decoration, is a false grain. Such a false, of course, was cast cast.
Cast ornaments were made in the 12-13th century to simplify and accelerate the process of their manufacture. Masters knew what skan and grain were, they knew how to make them, but, most likely, there was a demand for cast products. Although the pattern, in comparison with the real scan and grain, became somewhat fuzzy.
Researchers studying and reconstructing the technology for making real grain suggest that an ancient master could not make more than one earring with several beads in a week (summer, with a long daylight hours). Such jewelry was very expensive.