Graphite
In 1564, a large graphite deposit was discovered in northern England. The material could be used to replace the Italian lead pencils that were used for writing, so even though it consists of pure carbon, it was given the name plumbago – lead. It was much later that physicists came up with the concept of the elements, but the name has lived on. Our Graphite products have a velvet matte, greyish-black hue created by controlled protolysis, in which brass components are dipped in a bath. This produces a dark, subdued lustre that interacts beautifully with other colours.