Hashur "Golden Apple" 22K Hollow-Form Bead Necklace

Hashur in Sumerian means "apple."  Ancient "apples" like these were found in the tomb of Queen Puabi and symbolized eternal life.  Hollow-form bead making has been revived by Jewelry Arts in NYC, breathing new life into another ancient technique. 

The 22K bead is finished with granulation and a slightly textured finish, then placed on an 18 inch gold chain with lobster clasp.

Granulation is an ancient decorative technique where tiny spheres of pure gold are held in place with a temporary  organic glue. These granules are attached permanently with heating (which evaporates the glue), not soldering. However, granulation is a tricky and difficult process because the temperature has to be hot enough to fuse the ball to the surface, but not enough to melt the ball into an amorphous puddle. It only works with pure silver or 22k gold, which doesn’t oxidize when heated. Oxidation would interfere with the fusing process.