NEN Gallery

You may think tinsel, used to decorate trees and homes, is a modern decoration, however it was actually invented in Germany around 1610. At this time only silver tinsel was used and machines were invented to pull the silver into the wafer strips. Later people attempted to use a mixture of lead and tin because the silver tarnished (went dark), especially in candlelight. This failed as the tinsel became so heavy the poor tree branches broke under the weight. Silver continued to be used up to the mid-20th century, when newer materials were invented.