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The Arthasastra mentioned specific uses of various metals of which gold and silver received maximum attention. The duties of suvarnadhvaksah, the Superintendant of Gold were defined in the section 2.13. He was supposed to establish industrial outfits and employ sauvarnikas or goldsmiths, wellversed in the knowledge of not only gold and silver, but also of Jems the alloying elements such as copper and iron and of gems which had to be set in the gold and silver wares (2.13.1-2 & 58-59). Superintendent had to arrange security preventing smuggling, theft (2.13.30-36) and pilferage by the artisans, Various possible. methods of pilferage were described (2.14.18-55). Th The purity of the raw materials-gold and silver ore, scrap and Inaments for re-use-had to be checked through streak tests on special touchstones (2.13.17-25) and chemical tests such as whitening of gold by vermilion or iron sulphate (2.13.19). Gold-smelting was known as suvarnapaka (1.18.8). Gold was purified by a process of extraction with molten lead. Gold thus produced was brittle and had to be re-smelted. Thereafter, it was turned into leaves by heating, and made bright with Indus-earth

V-19 when it became the base of various colours to be imparted through alloying with silver, copper, iron etc. (2.13.6-9 & 47). Similarly, silver could also be purified using molten lead and the used as such (pure silver suitable for ornament is tara) or alloye to produce different colours (2.13.10-14 & 49). Various ornamental alloys could be prepared by mixing variable proportions of iron and copper with gold, silver, and sveta tara or white silver which contained gold, silver and some colouring matter (2.13.50-57). Two parts of silver and one part of copper constituted triputaka. An alloy of equal parts of silver and iron was known as vellaka (2.14.20-22). The range of a goldsmith's expertise lay in setting, stringing, bead-making, making of solid and hollow objects, plating, coating, fixing and gilding (2.13.37-46; 2.14.17). susiram samyuyam avalepyam samdhatyam vasitakamca karukah (2.14.17). The main products were kamcana prsata kamcana prsata tvasta tapani (2.13.33) gems set on silver & gold, beads, gold-plates and gold/ silver ornaments. setting is the fixing of gems ( ksepatah % kacarpanadi (2.13.38) on gold and silver base. stringing is weaving in threads (2.13.39). Gold plating (tvastrkama) could be done on silver or copper (2.13.44-45), Gilding a silver article was done by means of the liquid or powder of sand vermillion (2.13.46).

V-20 A firm and a removable enclosing (petaka) was made in cases of plating, coating and fixing. Lead, copper or silver objects were coated with a gold-leaf (aci takapatra) on one side or with a twin-leaf fixed with lac etc. (2.14.26-33). Goldsilver or gems were embedded (pinka) in solid or hollow articles by pasting a thick pulp (of gold, silver or gem particles and the cementing agents such as lac, vermilion, red lead) on the object and then heating (2.14.34-42). The qualities of 'excellent ornaments' were defined (2.13.60-61), and the goldsmiths had to make them according to the specifications, and incurring minimum losses in metals and gems, not exceeding the prescribed limits (2.14.2-10).