With a gold leaf measuring in at approximately 333 atoms thick - 1/666th the diameter of human hair - James Dyson challenged engineers to find a way to apply gold leaf to the Supersonic™ hair dryer.
While the art of gilding was first recorded over 4,000 years ago, the process still involves the application of thin leaves and foils of precious metals to a surface, giving it the appearance of solid or inlaid metal. In the past, the practice has been used to illustrate manuscripts, statues, buildings, sculptures and artwork.
Dyson design engineers and model makers first learned to gild under a master gilder, exploring the process and techniques used to apply gold leaf to an object. Each layer must be applied by hand on top of a colored surface. Beneath the gold leaf is a red loop, which has been colour matched to the same colour found on artwork, sculptures and other artefacts to honour the traditional method of gilding. Like other gold-leafed pieces, the red loop on the product will reveal some of its color over time, giving each Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer 23.75 karat gold hair dryer a distinctive and unique patina. James Dyson chose the purity of 23.75 karat for its color, lustre and quality.