Reeded 22 kt. Frame Completed

Reeded Frame 22 karat Gold

     After some frustrations and technical problems here is the completed frame.  I have to admit that in spite of my whining there's nothing as exciting as burnishing the gold on a frame and seeing that molten gold look. You just can't get that any other way!  I burnished the leaves, the reeds, and the sight edge.  The panel is left in its matte finish.  I then toned the reeded part only with a mixture of asphaltum and naphtha to warm up that part of the frame.  Design principles say it's good to alternate bands of matte finish with burnished finish for contrast.  I must admit, I really like the way the reeds are contoured down to meet the leaves at the corners.  To me the hand carved reeds are more pleasing to the eye than a machine cut molding.  There's a quote I carry with me but not sure who to credit it to that says: "the beauty of an object made by hand is that it has variations".
    In a previous blog entry I mentioned how we go through all the steps to create a perfect finish and then work to make it look as if it's been around for ever!  I think I accomplished that, here's a close up of one of the corners:

Corner Detail

     I don't mind the faulting in between the reeds, I think it adds to the aged look.  One thing I found interesting are the leaves.  When I scooped out the insides of them there was a undulating texture.  During the burnishing process the lower areas kept the matte finish while the raised areas became bright and burnished.  The matte vs. burnished finish is real evident when you compare the sight edge to the panel.  Now comes the tough part, thinking of putting it on the market and what to price it at.  Anyone on the hunt for a hand carved, 22 karat gold frame?  Size of the sight is 9" x 12" and the molding is 4" wide.  Hope you enjoyed this project and thanks for following along.