It does occur to me that the people who might be best and most easily able to tell you about the cores of passing threads turning pink might be the zardozi embroiderers in India, themselves. I think it's easy for us to think of them as uneducated, and in terms of formal academic instruction they may well be, but they're not necessarily uninformed or unaware of their craft's and their trade's own history. Perhaps they already know the answer to "What element in the metal wrapping the thread would have turned that core thread pink, over time?"
"f they've got 62 people working at once for 12 hour days, 7 days a week for three weeks (I hope there are shifts and everyone is not working 12/7)...... and I was going to work 4 hour days every weekday for 30 years, that means they're working at least twice as fast as me - their total hours would be 15,624 to my 31,200."Concerning the cost effectiveness of the price and the efficiency of time, recognizing that $8000 is a chunk of change, granting that your estimate of the man-/woman-hours to
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I agree with asking either the people who work with this stuff, the manufacturer(s) you have obtained your supplies from, or perhaps some jewelry makers whether they have any idea what can be causing the pink discolouration
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Thinking of high humidity and silver-plated copper, I can't help but wonder if the thread had already begun to react and tarnish, but perhaps not to the degree currently visible on the dress. Maybe it was like silk dupioni - today we see the slubs as interesting, but they were historically a sign of lower quality. The partially tarnished threads were just differently enough colored to create interest, without being a completely different material. And since it was destined for one wearing, perhaps they weren't concerned about how far the reaction would progress.
Yes, that was my (after)thought as well, actually: that the silver-plated copper somehow DID look different -- be it through oxidation already in progress or for some other reason -- different enough to be of visual interest, anyway.
This amazing project continues to get more and more amazing. I love your approach--to take your time, to savor it, to meet the embroiderers and see some of the places relevant to the original dress's history.
I'm really looking forward to the next installment!
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I think it's easy for us to think of them as uneducated, and in terms of formal academic instruction they may well be, but they're not necessarily uninformed or unaware of their craft's and their trade's own history.
Perhaps they already know the answer to "What element in the metal wrapping the thread would have turned that core thread pink, over time?"
"f they've got 62 people working at once for 12 hour days, 7 days a week for three weeks (I hope there are shifts and everyone is not working 12/7)...... and I was going to work 4 hour days every weekday for 30 years, that means they're working at least twice as fast as me - their total hours would be 15,624 to my 31,200."Concerning the cost effectiveness of the price and the efficiency of time, recognizing that $8000 is a chunk of change, granting that your estimate of the man-/woman-hours to ( ... )
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I'm really looking forward to the next installment!
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