I am deciding the construction material for a small Anima. I had decided on brass originally, but I think it might be slightly lower level than I desire. So I searched for alternatives and stumbled upon Chasmal/Electrum, also called Chaldean Gold in some versions. It seem that this was a gold + silver alloy, with (sometimes) part of copper. In other versions it is a name for polished brass.
I see Electrum as white gold by any other name . It seems it was MORE expensive than gold and more durable than gold as well, so it seems to fit the bill. Nice electricity conductor and associated (mythically) with Light, shinning, the essence of life, see the invisible (including auras), premonitions, curiosity, and linked with the dracco constellation and the concept of Astral Light. Yeah, short and very coherent list, isn't it?
I was wondering what base point multiplier would you use for it. Silver is 6, Gold is 10. This is supposed to be more expensive than gold, a mix of the male and female substances of nature and all that, so I am not sure if I should be aiming at 6, 8, 10 or even 12 (semiprecious gem) as the base point.
What is the criteria for the bonus? I think there are several possibilities:
price: In this case 10 or 12 would be the answer
how "noble" and "pure" is the material: In this case I would go for 8
what are the mystic alignments of this material: Well this don't get you very far, as this is hard to define. But based on your description this would be also a 10 ...
Electrum is a naturally occurring silver/gold alloy, sometimes with a little copper. It was also sometimes created artificially.
Now, artificial electrum is easy enough to deal with: usually it would be around half gold and half silver, so just take the average for the two: 8.
Naturally occurring electrum might have have better magical properties, so you could go higher than pure gold I suppose. Particularly if you used electrum from 1500 year old coinage Electrum coinage was more valuable than pure gold in Antiquity, partly because electrum is more durable, and partly because techniques for refining gold were not widespread, but by the Middle Ages that was no longer true, so if you go by strict value you should put it somewhere between gold and silver.
It's not entirely clear what you mean with "better than" when talking about metals or metal alloys.
Harder? Probably not, since Steel would be better than Gold and Silver.
What seems fairly reasonable is that 10 is the cap for precious metals.
Personally I'd say that it's 8 - the average between 10 and 6.
Alternatively, you can use the usual rules, and enchant only part of the Electrum - either the Silver or the Gold part.
My, admittedly limited, understanding is that "pure" gold is too soft and heavy for most applications (minting coins or making jewellery) and so it's almost always alloyed with something. It certainly seems reasonable to me that Gold alloyed to Silver would enjoy a greater mystical correspondence than Gold alloyed to Copper or Tin.
I'd suggest using 10 and reducing construction costs, but 12 might be acceptable too...
This or a similar thought allows the metals to be sorted on an abstract scale of "purity," with gold at the top. So despite its superior occult virtue, if we're using this method to rank the metals, electrum would be cheaper to invest than gold.
Thanks for all the answers. Seems rthat we do not have an agreement, and that any number between 8 and 12 would be acceptable Nobody has suggested lower or higher numbers either.
As a side point, i found Electrum in the verditius chapter of HOH:MC, that I jsut brought... and I think it is quite downgraded mystically compared to what I have read about it in the past week. For one point, it does not mention lightning as a bonus. Guess what word derives from "electrum" But that is beside the point.
For what I have been reading lately there seems to be quite a grey area between really high quality brass, electrum and gold in historical (alchemical) sources. They are interchangeable in a lot of alchemical text. I think I will end up giving this a value of 8 for enchantment, just to play safe.
Thanks to everybody who answered! Very informative discussion
Actually, IIRC both words derive from the Greek word for Amber. In the case of Electrum it apparently has to do with colouration while in the case of electrity it refers to the static generated by rubbing amber with a piece of silk. Of course, silver and gold are both excellent conductors, but this appears to be a lucky coincidence...
Electrum coinage was more valuable than pure gold in Antiquity, partly because electrum is more durable, and partly because techniques for refining gold were not widespread, but by the Middle Ages that was no longer true, so if you go by strict value you should put it somewhere between gold and silver.
But that is beside the point.