What the heck is . . . "ormolu" ?

Determining either a "blog" name--or business name--is quite the

 undertaking today.  People are so creative, and the pressure  

to be certain that it "makes sense" is really intense if

you want to stand out from the crowd . . . .

After a GREAT deal of trial-and-error . . . with lengthy lists of 

 many "possibilities",  I landed on "ORMOLULU"

 .  .  .  being a combination of "ormolu" (a

gorgeous, elegant component of

French furnishings), and "lu"

for a whimsical, and

humorous fin!

I wanted to express myself in complex AND humorous

ways . . . not to take myself soooo seriously (as

I've been prone to doing life-long)!

I'm truly a major "Francophile",  loving most things French, 

especially my mate . . . whose last name means

"white water" in French.  Isn't that 

just beautiful???!!!!

However, I digress . . . what the heck is 

ormolu . . . and why is my blog

named "Ormolulu"???

Here is the Wikipedia definition of ormolu:

Ormolu (pronounced /ˈɔːməluː/; from French or moulu, signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-karat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze. The mercury is driven off in a kiln. The French refer to this technique as bronze doré; in English, it is known as "gilt bronze".

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

Due to exposure to the harmful mercury fumes, most gilders did not survive beyond 40 years of age, .

Hang him; a gilder that hath his brains perished with quicksilver is not more cold in the liver

—The White Devil, John Webster

No true ormolu was produced in France after around 1830 because legislation had outlawed the use of mercury. Therefore, other techniques were used instead but nothing surpasses the original mercury-firing ormolu method for sheer beauty and richness of colour.^[1] Electroplating is the most common modern technique. Ormolu techniques are essentially the same as those used on silver, to produce silver-gilt (also known as vermeil).

A later substitute of a mixture of metals resembling ormolu was developed in France and called pomponne, though, confusingly, the mix of copper and zinc, sometimes with an addition of tin, is technically a type of brass. From the 19th century the term has been popularized to refer to gilt metal or imitation gold.^[2]

My simple explanation:   Life is splendidly "gilded" by our

efforts to create beauty around us . . . in whatever

form pleases us . . . and there are soooo 

many forms to discover and

appreciate, don't you

think??!!

* * * 

I am "ORMOLULU" . . . a complex, difficult-to-

understand, sometimes elegant, sometimes

hard-to-appreciate, humble, intense, 

flamboyant, simple, flighty,

energetic creature who

loves to express

herself!!

THANK YOU for putting up with me . . .

and joining me on this crazy

journey of life.  I 

LOVE YOU

ALL!!