Leaf pendants, real silver-plated/gold-plated or bronze-plated leaves.

A hand-picked leaf is stored well and dried for some time. The chlorophyll is removed to leave a "skeleton" leaf. The blade is then painted by hand with a conductive paint. The blade is then coated with a precious metal such as silver or gold using a special process. Gilding is covering an object with a layer of gold. Several ancient civilizations already mastered the art of gilding (Egyptians, Etruscans, Celts, ...). There are many different techniques for gilding. Often used for painting frames, for example, is the inlay of gold leaf in mixtion. For good adhesion and a high gloss, an agate is generally used to brown the surface. Metals can be immersed in molten gold or electroplated. The originally Korean technique Keum Boo, in which fairly thick gold foil is fused to the surface of silver or steel objects, is gradually becoming more popular among Western gold and silversmiths. Fine gold powder in an oily dispersion can be applied to ceramics. When fired, the oil burns and the gold particles fuse together. Instead of gold powder, gold salts are also used, which are converted into pure gold by reduction in the oven. Books can also be gilded: letters and gold leaf decorations are applied to the linen, leather, parchment or paper of book bindings using brass stamps while heating them. In addition, gilding is sometimes applied to the edges of the book, or only to the top edge (the only edge visible in the bookcase). The latter variant is called 'head gilded'. Gilding behind glass has been done since ancient times. Cennino Cennini describes in his book Il Libro dell'Arte how technology should be carried out. In his book he already talks about the unparalleled shine and brilliance of the gold leaf behind glass. Nowadays, due to a lack of knowledge, gilding the back glass is done less and less. Only a few in the Netherlands still master the craft of turning gold leaf into a true work of art using animal glue or varnish.