Imitation gold leaf or genuine gold leaf?

You CAN use genuine gold leaf in place of imitation gold leaf, but the various lacquers and glazes we apply, in the final result, make it difficult to tell which is which, see the picture below.

There are advantages to using imitation gold leaf. As well as being much cheaper than real gold leaf, it is a little thicker and so is easier to handle, and this makes a BIG difference if you are considering gilding for the first time. YOU CAN ACTUALLY HANDLE IMITATION GOLD LEAF WITH YOUR FINGERS.

All the finishes we are going to look at change the appearance of the leaf, subtly so that you cannot tell genuine gold leaf from imitation gold leaf.

Below are two examples of gilded wood both with a crackle glaze and two separate antique glazes applied to them. One was gilded with 23 carat gold leaf, the other with imitation gold leaf. As you can see it is difficult to tell them apart.

The next page tells you all about  imitation gold leaf  

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