Petit Zinc

The French have a definite love affair with zinc. Zinc has been known since around the 6th c BC Greece, which is a long, long time, even by French standards....it came to France no doubt by way of the Greeks, who colonized in present-day France. The color is very pleasing, isn't it?

In the best cities, such as Paris, you might see a roof made of zinc; it is sometimes a coat of zinc over steel, what we call galvanized; I don't know if this is pure zinc or galvanized steel, but it sure looks great~

Frequently you see the bull's eye or oeil de boeuf window; of which there are tons of examples, here is a lovely pair~

Zinc table tops and bar tops notwithstanding, in Burgundy we see zinc & steel on the wine barrels~

and in the best cellars, on the walls, here at Domaine Gros~

why all the fuss over zinc?

The answer is that zinc does not corrode like other metals. Galvanized steel or zinc-coated steel will not rust or corrode, like copper turning green. We think the French are so aesthetic, but they really are practical, not wanting to replace that roof too often....

The ladies of Metis are scouting for zinc items.

For our online readers, we offer a scoop before the weekend sale~

Two sets of five zinc stars 3 1/4" inch in diameter. Tied with raffia, as purchased in Beaune. These are new, like hang tags. You can mark them with chalk if desired.

$25 for the set of five, free shipping in the U.S.

Also, a fantastic garland, of 11 of the same zinc stars, approximately 3" diameter across the shoulders of the star. Tied with fine linen twine, 9" spacing between each star.

$40 to the first person who comments here.

We have twelve zinc-esqe labels. These are the same labels we spied in the Domaine Gros cellar above, and we sourced them at the vintners' supply store in Beaune. They are used in the cellars because they do not corrode. They have a plastic cover and the top piece removes so you can write on the label. Roughly 3.5" x 2.5" not including the curve on the top.

$5 each.

Lastly, a photo from France...wonderful corner of the Earth. Please post a comment or email if you would like to purchase.