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Gold Leaf Experiments

 Gold Leaf
Imitation vs. Genuine
12K gold leaf on handmade paper
Growing up in NYC there were a lot of art stores, and it
was easy to get art supplies.  So when I was younger, 
I always bought what was in stock (at my price range),
imitation gold.

 When I began traveling 
 I had to shop in other 
places for gold leaf.

I came across a new world of 
of gold leaf, the real stuff:
Genuine 12K Gold leaf
Genuine 18K Gold leaf
Genuine 22K Gold leaf
Genuine 24K Gold leaf
Genuine 24 double Karat Gold leaf

And they work great!

Amazingly great!
12K gold is a very light yellow hue and 
works well with dark colored papers.
As you increase the karats, the golden hue
becomes richer and deeper.

So what is the difference besides the richer colors?

Imitation gold is a mixture of copper, brass and zinc
and tarnishes and oxidizes (turns
greenish) if it isn't properly sealed.

 Imitation silver, which is aluminum
doesn't tarnish as much, but you must seal it too.

With real gold and silver leaf
you don't have to seal them.
They don't tarnish.

You can find really good prices of 
genuine gold and silver leaf online.

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