"Pinchbeck" was invented by the British watch maker Christopher Pinchbeck (1672-1732) in the early 18th century. Also known as "false gold," it is an alloy of approx; 83% copper and 17% zinc.

      The metal when first put on the market, became exceedingly popular. The appearance, especially when new, was so like gold, that it appealed at once to all those who, either from thrift or lack of means, thought real gold too expensive a material to use for the less important articles of personal ornament. Another motive for wearing it, referred to in the advertisement which follows, is that things made of this metal made a special appeal to travelers. In those days when a journey of even a few miles out of London led through roads infested by thieves and highway robbers, careful folk preferred not to tempt these "gentlemen of the road" by wearing expensive ornaments unless traveling with a good escort; so not only would a traveler with a base metal watch and buckles lose less if robbed, but owing to the free masonry which existed between inn keepers and postilions and the highwaymen, they were actually less likely to be stopped, as it was not worth while to run risks for such a poor spoil. Therefore while of course much of it was made to enable the wearer to make a fair show at a small expense, a good deal was also made for the "nobility and gentry," who used such things as watches, sword-hilts, and buckles made of it.

      Edward Pinchbeck son of Christopher, continued to trade in the same material. He therefore inserted a long advertisement in the Daily Post of July 11, 1733, headed "Caution to the Public." The following extracts will be interesting, as they show the kind of thing principally made by the original firm.

      "To prevent for the future the gross imposition that is daily put upon the Public by a great number of Shop-Keepers, Hawkers, and Peddlers, in and about this town, Notice is hereby given, That the Ingenious Mr. Edward Pinchbeck, at the 'Musical Clock' in Fleet Street, does not dispose of one grain of his curious metal, which so nearly resembles Gold in Color, Smell and Ductility, to any person whatsoever, nor are the toys made of the said metal, sold by any one person in England except himself: therefore gentlemen are desired to beware of Impostors, who frequent Coffee Houses, and expose for Sale, Toys pretended to be made of this metal, which is a most notorious imposition, upon the Public. And Gentlemen and Ladies, may be accommodated by the said Mr. Pinchbeck with the following curious Toys, Sword-Hilts, Hangers, Cane Heads, Whip Handles for Hunting, Spurs, Equip ages, Chatelaine, Watch chains, Tweezers for Men and Women, Snuff-Boxes, Coat Buttons, Shirt Buttons, Knives and forks, Spoons, Salvers, Buckles for Ladies Breasts, Stock Buckles, Shoe Buckles, Knee Buckles, Girdle Buckles, Stock Clasps, Knee Clasps, Necklaces, Corals, and in particular Watches, plain and chased in so curious a manner as not to be distinguished by the nicest eye, from the real gold, and which are highly necessary for Gentlemen and Ladies when they travel, with several other fine pieces of workmanship of all sorts made by the best hands. He also makes Repeating and all other sorts of Clocks and Watches particularly Watches of a new invention, the mechanism of which is so simple, and the proportion so just, that they come nearer the truth than others yet made." On the whole, it will be found that they are principally things for use as well as ornament, if we except necklaces.

      This early Pinchbeck is very beautifully worked up and finished, some of the miniature cases and watches being designed and chased in a very masterly manner. They of course followed the general type of gold work of the day, and the design is of the type known as Rococo. The fame of English makers spread to France, where the alloy was evidently in considerable demand, especially for watches. In that country it was known variously as Pinsbeck, Pincebeck, and Pinsbek. A metal of the same character was invented by a Lille jeweler named Rentz, but it had one very important failing - it lost its color very soon. Before it could held to justify the name of "similar" it had to be perfected by Leblanc, a worker in the Royal employ, who somewhat altered the manufacture of it and obtained a really good imitation. A great deal of jewelry was made out of it, and it was very well patronized; but it aroused the indignation of the workers in the genuine metal, and legal proceedings were instituted, with the result that after a time the alloy was only allowed to be used for such things as shoe buckles, buttons which did not much compete with the regular goldsmith's work. It has been said that with Edward Pinchbeck's death the secret of the correct method of making it, whatever it was, died out, but metal bearing a close resemblance to it continued to be used well into the nineteenth century. In fact, until the process of electro-gilding made it easy and cheap to deposit a wash of gold on any metal as required.

      Brass articles with a coating of gold are often passed of as Pinchbeck, and even if they are without the gilding some dealers think "Pinchbeck" sounds better and helps to sell their stock. If unacquainted with the respective appearance of the metals, brass may be distinguished by having a metallic smell, especially when a little warmed by being held and rubbed in the hand. Rolled gold which is sometimes offered for it is quite a modern invention, and consists of an exceedingly thin plate of gold on a background of inferior metal. The gold forms a part of the sheet, wire or whatever it is, before being made up, and is not a wash or coating added after.

      Pinchbeck and similar base metals were used for the cheaper kind of jewelry which had such a vogue during the Directoire and Empire periods especially for the mounting of the high combs, set with modern cameos, mock pearls, coral, tortoiseshell, and such materials, which were almost universally worn at that time. These, though so plentiful in their day, do not appear in any quantity in dealer's shops, as a rule. Whether they are really scarce or whether there is only a small market for them and so are not made a feature of is uncertain. Probably if there was a demand for them numbers would appear from somewhere. This is not meant to infer that they would be imitations, but simply that people seeing they had a pecuniary value, would turn out their stores and produce hidden treasures in the same way they have done lately with luster ornaments. Five years ago one hardly saw one about. Now every curio shop has a few for sale. A very frequent ornament for the hair was a bunch of wheat, and this, like every ornament of the early nineteenth century, was copied in Pinchbeck. It had a very pretty effect, but there is not the same perfect workmanship in the work of those later times as there was in that made when the original firm worked; and though interesting as examples of a certain class of ornament, they are not in the same category as to craftsman ship as the earlier pieces.