What does the inscription 'Gold gab ich für Eisen' mean?

In the spring of 1813 the Prussian crown called upon women to surrender their gold jewellery in order to finance the war. In return they received iron jewellery bearing this inscription - a receipt that was at the same time a distinction. The motto ("I gave gold for iron") is the most important historical inscription in German mourning jewellery and is found on many surviving pieces.

Why does Berlin iron look so delicate even though it is cast?

The manufactories used a sand-casting process with extremely fine-grained moulding sands and wax models, capable of reproducing even the smallest details. The pieces are accurate down to the millimetre - rosettes, anchors, Gothic tracery, antique-style reliefs. The technical standard was among the highest in the world.

How does Berlin iron differ from later iron jewellery?

The peak period is sharply delimited: 1813 to about 1848. Pieces from this time show Neoclassical to early Biedermeier forms, often with political references (oak leaves, Gothic architecture). Later iron-jewellery imitations from the third quarter of the 19th century are technically coarser, heavier, and mostly without political charge.

Berlin Iron

Berlin iron is cast, black-burnished iron jewellery of Prussian manufacture - created in the context of the Wars of Liberation of 1813 and, over the following decades, become an emblem of patriotic mourning culture.

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