Goldwork
Using the technique and the dates to having started using it raise many questions.
Certainly having access to a certain material will effect use as shown when medievel Mameluke metalworkers shifted to a silver overlay as opposed to inlay because of a silver shortage.
Control of trade routes would effect that too, but in the most sumptuos examples made for rulers it would be a moot point. We know that many times technques of craftsmanship were closely guarded secrets by the various guilds and the penalty for disclosure could be death, even in something such as Venetian trade beads for example.
Also, different materials have had different values over time, iron was at one time very valuable as was copper too. Today we look at those tow metals as very affordable.
From my viewpoint for Tibetan metalwork its more one of asthetics. The Tibetan pieces were certainly labor intensive and the end result more important than time of the artisan.
The saddle pictured above has gold attached with a koftgari (cross hatching)
technique with gold sheet or wire applied. There is no evidence of silver between the gold and iron.
Another thing to note is how dark the iron is that has been exposed where the gold overlay is missing, its takes a while for iron to get a hard dark brown rust (oxidation), would estimate 200 -300 years at least.
The color of the gold is another clue, the softer, duller colors attributed to a 22-24K high gold alloy as opposed to a shiney 14K you see in most European modern jewelry.
rand
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