I first saw the beautiful art that could be achieved with electroplating leaves years ago at an art show.
I was astonished at the beauty and delicate nature of the lace like leaves could be strong enough to be worn as jewelery.
You can see a variety of electroplated leaves as jewelry here at Jeunebugs Preserving Nature Etsy Shop.
Over 100 years ago – a system was devised for electroplating flowers.
The old (which was new in 1877) process for electroplating delicate organic things, such as flowers and insects, and so preserving matter.
They are then placed in a vessel containing distilled water, and are left in it a sufficient time to enable them to give off the albuminous matter they secrete.
This matter is then filtered and boiled for about an hour.
After boiling, a quantity of distilled water, sufficient to replace that lost by the boiling, is added, with about 3 per cent, of nitrate of silver.
This solution is then placed in bottles, which are sealed, and kept in the dark.
To use this liquid for the preparation of specimens to be electroplated, about 30 grams of it are dissolved in about loo grams ot distilled water, and the objects are immersed in this solution for a few moments.
They are then placed in a bath consisting of distilled water with about 20 per cent, of nitrate of silver in solution, and afterwards submitted to the action of sulphuretted hydrogen gas, which decomposes the nitrate of silver adhering to the albumen-coated surface of the object.
The silver reduced fits the object to receive the metallic deposit produced by galvano-plasty.
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