Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c14.s2.t7.3

v1.c14.s2.t7.3

Thus the high degree of precision, uniformity and control noticed in fashioning gold jewellery reveal a mastery over the technique comparable only with that of Sumer. The minute barrel-shaped and circular beads reveal the unerring control, the jewellers had in fashioning minute objects. An example of expertise in applied decoration is seen in jasper beads bordered with a gold cap at both the ends. The great economy excercised in using the precious metal is attested by the process of laying thin foils of gold over lac, as is even now the practice in India. Hollow-cones or conical caps of varying sizes in gold were found at Lothal. Another important find from Lothal is a gold-ring with a corrugated surface produced from a gold-sheet. (Rao, 633-34)