Gold leaf "heritage"

[letterman7]

Ok gang, with the price of gold still through the roof and pressure from rising prices on petroleum based stock, I'm curious to what everyone tends to use for their leaf. I usually use the Italian leaf (Manetti) which is now pushing $1K for a pack, at least where I purchase it.
I just received in the mail a little slip flyer from a supplier I used years ago who carries various grades of leaf, and they had two grades of surface leaf listed, one was 22K Italian/Australian for $599 and the other is 23K Italian/German for $654.

Other than the karat difference between the two, is there really that much difference between a pure Italian leaf and one of "mixed heritage"? I've always used the Manetti, but if I can save a couple hundred bucks and still achieve the same brilliance with another brand, I'll switch.

Thoughts?

Rick

 

[round man]

I have used good gold and I have used bad gold full of pinholes and that broke easily,..ask the supplier how much the weight of the gold is per pack and gauge this against the weight of the manetti you have become accustomed to,.. most good suppliers will know the weight per pack right off the bat because thats how they buy it,....good gold will be thicker with less pinholes etc. and thus weigh more,..thin gold will weigh less and be more hassle.

 

[signmeup]

I buy my gold here. http://www.stonehouses.co.uk/product_desc.php?id=2

It's very good stuff. The 24k double thick is about $30 a book right now. It's cheaper if you buy 10 books and up. You have to call or email them for quantity pricing.. they don't show it on their site. I usually just buy a couple hundred bucks worth at a time.

When I first started gilding it didn't take me long to figure out that the North American suppliers were buying their leaf from places like Stonehouse and marking it up. I prefer to buy from the manufacturer rather that a dealer. Why should I pay some middleman to place the order for me?

I always order the 24k double thick. This is very nice leaf... no pinholes or rips in it in the 7 years I've been buying from them.

I always order by phone because I love hearing the girls accents. It usually takes about 5 days to arrive.