Aurumite® Patented by Powell

Summer 1991 issue of the Powell Newsletter

With the unveiling of our Ruby Aurumite® Custom flute this week at the 2014 NFA Convention, we thought it might be a good time to learn more about Aurumite and its history with Powell.  We opened the archives and found that the Verne Q. Powell Flutes Newsletter from the summer of 1991 highlighted Aurumite, describing its formation and noting its patent date and number.  The newsletter states:

On October 9, 1990, U.S. Patent 4,962,007 was assigned to Verne Q. Powell Flutes for "Flute tubing of laminated metal including a bonded layer of precious metal alloy."  This technology was invented and developed at Powell.  The issuance of the patent is recognition of the originality of this technical conception.  It also means that no other flute or headjoint maker can use this technology without obtaining a license from Powell.  To date, no licenses have been issued.

If you are wondering how Aurumite was developed -- and how it is formed -- the newsletter provides more details on the history and process:

For the past four years, Powell has been using a proprietary fusion technology to create unique combinations of precious metal flute tubes.  The idea behind this invention was that the inside layer of metal made more difference in the sound than the outside layer.  The challenge, therefore, was to find a way of concentrating expensive precious metals like gold or platinum on the inside of a sterling silver tube.

Powell's concept was to put a flute tube of one precious metal inside another.  The inner "tube" would be made of a relatively dense and expensive precious metal compared to the other tube.  The patented process accomplishes this by metallurgically bonding sterling silver and 14k gold to each other while each is still in sheet (or flat) form.  The resulting laminated sheet is then cupped and drawn into flute tubing just like most other flute tubes are made.  

The version of this fusion technology which has become most popular over the past four years is Aurumite™ I.  In this form, the inner layer of the tube is Powell's regular 14k gold alloy, and the outer layer is comprised of sterling silver.  Flutists who own Aurumite I flutes or headjoints like the excellent projection of this material combined with a warmth and sweetness normally associated with gold.

Unlike plated flute metals, Powell's Aurumite is work hardened.  It can be filed and polished in the same way as normal flute tubing.  Not only is Aurumite metal hard compared to a plated flute, but the gold layer is approximately 35 times thicker than normal plating.

The "Aurumite I" mentioned in the newsletter excerpt is Powell's current "Aurumite 14k," which is sterling silver on the outside and 14k gold on the inside.  Ruby Aurumite, the newest member of the Aurumite family, is 14k gold on the outside and silver on the inside.  For more information on the new Ruby Aurumite flutes, click here to visit the Ruby Aurumite page on the Powell website.

Powell Aurumite 14k Custom Flute

Powell Ruby Aurumite Custom Flute

A Look Back at 1987

1987 was a very special year for Powell as it marked the company's 60th anniversary.  It also brought about a change in leadership as Steven Wasser purchased the company.  Wasser became the company's President, which is the position he held from that year to the present.  Looking through our archives, we discovered the brochure and pricelist from 1987, which Mr. Wasser told us was the very first one he designed.

So, what products were available 26 years ago?  There were flutes, piccolos, and headjoints -- each with different options.  For flutes, one had the option of a Custom flute or a Conservatory.  The Custom flutes were the "7000 Series" Handmade flutes.  They were available in sterling silver, Aurumite™ I, Aurumite™ II, 9K gold, 14K gold, 18K gold, and platinum.  The Conservatory flutes were sterling silver and had standard features of .018" tubing, drawn tone holes, and Y arms. 

There were two models of piccolos and two styles for headjoints.  For piccolos, the "Traditional" and "Contemporary" models were both made from grenadilla wood and had sterling silver mechanisms.  The Traditional model had a cork-fit tenon joint, and the Contemporary model had a silver-to-silver tenon fit.  The Contemporary model, similar to today's Custom piccolo, had hard rubber bushings inset to each tone hole.  Headjoints were available in the Standard Model and Modern Undercut styles.  The Standard headjoint was patterned after those made by Verne Powell late in his career, and the Modern Undercut had a smaller embouchure hole with slight undercutting on the sides.

Aside from the product offerings, we can also see from the brochure that the Powell company was located in Arlington, Massachusetts.   The 1987 pricelist and brochure are featured below:

Outside of the tri-fold brochure:

Inside of the brochure:

A Look Back at Powell: 1989

Looking through some of our archival materials here at Powell, we found a pricelist from 1989.  Obviously, the prices were very different then, but that is true for just about anything.  Remember when gas was less than a dollar per gallon?  The 1989 pricelist is now almost 25 years old, so it makes sense that it would be quite different from today's!

What we found particularly interesting were the product offerings.  You'll notice Series 7000 flutes, which were what we would currently call "Handmade Custom" flutes.  These flutes were available in a couple of different metals: sterling silver, Aurumite® I, Aurumite® II, 14K gold, platinum, and Platinum*4™.  The Aurumite® I was the same as our current Aurumite 14K -- sterling silver on the outside and 14K gold on the inside.  Aurumite® II was comprised of three layers: 14K rose gold on the outside, a layer of sterling silver in the middle, and then a layer of 18K gold on the inside.  The Aurumite® II was rather difficult to work with and was later discontinued.  Platinum*4™ was another combination metal which consisted of four different elements -- one layer of a combination of paladium and ruthenium on the outside, and one layer of a combination of platinum and iridium on the inside.  This Platinum*4™ combination metal proved very difficult to attain from metal suppliers, so only a few headjoints and flutes were produced from this.

What was behind the name of the Series 7000?  Well, Vice President of Production, Rob Viola, told us that it was just something different -- something that sounded modern.  He recounted that Verne Powell was a master engraver, and after Mr. Powell's death, the production team did not have anyone who could match Powell's skill level of engraving.  So, for about 10 to 15 years, the flutes were engraved on the barrel -- because the barrels were engraved off site by a qualified engraver and sent back to Powell.  Then, the Series 7000 was introduced, and the company decided to bring back many of the engraving characteristics of the flutes that Verne Powell produced,  So, like the flutes made by Verne Powell, the Series 7000 flutes returned to having engraving on the body and on the footjoint.

There are a few other differences in the 1989 product list -- different piccolo models and piccolo headjoint cuts.  The flute headjoint cuts were "Traditional," "Undercut," and "Crosscut™."  Powell's President, Steven Wasser, told us that the "Undercut" style was similar to our current "Philharmonic," and the "Traditional" style had very little undercutting.  Additionally, the alto flutes were available in silver or Aurumite® I.  Currently, Powell offers altos in the Powell Sonaré line in either sterling silver or silver plated nickel-silver bodies.  

You can find the listing of available options for Powell flute, piccolo, and headjoint models on the website at www.powellflutes.com.  After looking back at the 1989 product list, we can see that the 2013 offerings have a greatly expanded choice of materials and and options.  It will be interesting to see what the comparisons are when we look "back" to 2013!

Front of 1989 pricelist.

Back of 1989 pricelist.