It’s Great To Be A Scotsman
Since we are in an area where there are many people of Scottish descent, we often get the pleasure of restoring and re-plating many unique types of ceremonial regalia and badges. Here is an example of an “heraldic badge” sent to us for restoration and re-plating. This type of badge is typically worn with great pride while participating in important highland festivals, ceremonies and parades.
Scottish Heraldry Badges
This example of a “heraldic badge” is cast in sterling silver. In this case the customer went to a great deal of effort to design, build and publicly register an updated family crest. Worn proudly at numerous highland events, it is a striking piece. Unfortunately the sterling silver began to darken and lose its original luster.
While silver can be readily cleaned, the customer grew tired of constantly maintaining its appearance by periodic cleaning. Silver cleaner gets lodged into the intricate contours of the design. Over time the chemical cleaning can also degrade the silver casting as well. As a result, this customer decided to send this distinctive piece to us for cleaning and plating.
Bright for the ages
Once we received the badge, we carefully evaluated the surface quality of the silver casting to identify any porosity or areas needing remediation. We reviewed specific areas of the casting to ensure that we could adequately plate a homogenous protective layer over the entire badge. After careful cleaning and a gentle re-polish to remove any minor scratches, rhodium plating was selected as the final decorative coating.
The advantage of rhodium plating is that it is extremely bright in appearance and resembles polished silver. This type of plating does not tarnish and is ten times harder than silver. Rhodium is also extremely resistant to abrasion and scratches. Once we rhodium plated the entire badge, the entire surface was once again bright and scratch free. No surface details or contours were altered by our processes.
The motto located below the “Arms” on this badge is in Gaelic and has a wonderful quote that reads “With bravery and faith nothing is too difficult”. A heavy plated layer of rhodium ensures that the timeless truth of this message will shine forth well into the future.
Metal Arts Specialties
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