Pinchbeck in alloy

Pinchbeck is a form of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc mixed in proportions so that it closely resembles gold in appearance. It was invented in the early 18th century by Christopher Pinchbeck (died 1732), a London clock-and watch-maker. Since gold was only sold in 18-carat quality at that time, the development of pinchbeck allowed ordinary people to buy gold 'effect' jewellery on a budget. The inventor allegedly made pinchbeck jewellery clearly labelled as such. Pinchbeck jewellery was used in places like stagecoaches where there was a risk of theft. The original Pinchbeck was made by Christopher Pinchbeck and his descendants until the 1830s. Later dishonest jewellers passed pinchbeck off as gold; over the years the name came to mean a cheap and tawdry imitation of gold. Today, depending on the dealer, "Pinchbeck" can mean original Pinchbeck or any gilt metal.

Pinchbeck fell out of use in the second half of the 19th century, being replaced by low-carat gold which had been legalised in 1854.

Pinchbeck is typically composed of copper and zinc in ratios of 89% copper to 11% zinc; or 93% copper to 7% zinc.

In popular culture

"Rimanere di princisbecco" means to be amazed or more precisely to have a nasty surprise (similar to "rimanere di stucco", astonished). It is also used with this meaning in the novel Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi when the protagonist is condemned in the country of Acchiappa-citrulli after having denounced the Cat and the Fox for having robbed him.

The "princisbech" is mentioned in Goldoni 's La Locandiera, when in the third act the penniless Marquis of Forlipopoli, believing that the alloy is a gold bottle that is not his, gives it to Dejanira, only to regret it once he discovers its true composition and tries to recover it (act III, scenes IX-XII).

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