Ni vse srebro, kar se sveti

Povzetek

The Ljubljana Goldsmiths' Guild ranks amongst the least numerous in this town. Its first known book of rules dates back to 1660, although it is surmised that it was founded at an earlier date. Only a few goldsmiths plying their trade in these regions were recorded earlier, the first such recording being in 1301. At the end of the 18th century, the goldsmiths' craft had been in a difficult position for some time already. In the struggle for survival and a higher standard of living, the craftsmen of Ljubljana - above all the goldsmiths - had often attempted to interpret many a stipulation of the rules and ordinances governing their trade to their own advantage and were sometimes caught in the act Although there were only four Master Goldsmiths active in their trade in Ljubljana at the time, it seems that none of them lived in harmony with his rivals, as the fact that they were colleagues did not necessarily mean that they could not be relentless competitors. The beginning of the year 1800 marked a state of gross liberalism within the Goldsmiths' Guild. Guild meetings were held without the supervision of a commissary, and the news leaked out that the apprentice of the widow Franziska Loschi (previously divorced from Mr. Hoffer) had been working independently for at least a half a year without any supervision whatsoever. The luckless apprentice was summarily fired - also without the commissary's knowledge - while the most recent gossip in the streets was that the goldsmiths were cheating with false stamps of authenticity on their silver alloy products. In grasping for the better life, craftsmen scoffed at few means for furthering their careers - let alone the use of juicy titbits on transgressions committed by their colleagues twenty or more years ago. In such a small guild circle as was the Ljubljana Gold (and Silversmiths') Guild, it was no doubt difficult to keep a secret, yet although this was an inconvenience, it was offset by the greater ease in which cosy arrangements of the type "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" could be made.