galalith green jewelry

In the Thirties, galalith or "milk stone" was used to make jewelry and bathroom or office accessories. Production* was stopped by the appearance of plastic material. However this natural polymer paste has many qualities : it is biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic...After a basic polishing, it becomes smooth and sleek.

galalith curdled

In a glass of skim milk, thin a few drops of white vinegar and warm over low heat for a few minutes. Pour the curds into a strainer. Let drain for one night. Then shape the paste. For making jewelry, you can make your own molds with plastic bottle caps. You can also let dry a whole block of casein paste, then cut out and polish obtained pieces.

galalith shapes

Shape a little paste using spatulas and molds. Don't forget to include holes for the hooks and clasps of your future jewelry.

jewelry polishing

Let dry around 72 hours or put in the oven on very low heat. As it dries, the galalith shrinks. Gently rub fine-grained sandpaper over each shape, then polish by making small concentric circles using a round-tipped instrument. In addition, you can use a little chalk powder, which is an abrasive material. It is best to sand and polish milk stone on a piece of flexible cardboard.

galalith's texture is similar to bone. Its yellowish, slightly translucent color can also be compared to ivory. It's possible to dye the paste, which will give some interesting watered effects when polished. Here, in the example, the earrings were simply covered with a sepia ink, then again lightly sanded to obtain a textured effect.

Visit the following web site, where you will find a lot of ides for galalith jewelry made by one of the last French creative artists: guillemette-lhoir-galalith.com

* galalith industrial production was made with formalin (or formaldehyde) which is now listed as a carcinogen. With the emergence of alternative preservatives, maybe this amazing material could be rediscovered.

April 2007 [pretty things]
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