The stone used to make jewelry moulds like this one is of ten called steatite by archaeologists, but it is actually chlorite. It is an ideal stone for moulds, since it does not crack or break on direct contact with heat and can be finely sculpted into shapes for beads, rosettes and other delicate gold items. The moulds shown here would have had a matching part. The two halves were placed one on top of the other and held in place with staples that fit into holes at the corners. Then the molten metal was poured through the little channels that run from the sides to the jewelry forms.