24K Gold Rose
A 24K gold rose is a lovely gift for that special someone. It also makes an ideal present for the person who has everything. With a 24K gold rose, it's now easier than ever to go on and preserve these beautiful, fragrant flowers forever.
In Europe, during the 18th and 19th century, rose breeding and growing became somewhat of a 'revolution' following the increase in trade with the Orient. As a result, the Rosa Chinese, or China rose, was brought to the attention of Europeans. 'Old Blush' was the first variety of China rose to make its way to the West; it was introduced in Sweden in 1752 and then in 1793, the rest of Europe became aware of it. In 1808, the tea rose 'Rosa x odorata' was introduced – it was given its name because of the tea-like scent of its petals.
China had been growing the above mentioned roses (in addition to others) for many centuries, unlike in Europe, where it was a very new phenomenon. The fact that these flowers could repeat their blooming, was something Europeans had never seen before and as was the case, the flowers became immediate sensations. During the growing season, there were different types of roses that continually bloomed, unlike the Autumn Damask which only did so for a brief time twice per year. China roses also have an evergreen type foliage while tea roses have foliage that can stave off mildew. Needless to say, European rose breeders were very anxious to unite these traits with rose lines that already existed. Most modern rose genetic foundations are a direct result of China and tea roses and with that, they unfortunately passed on to their descendants, lack of ability to survive in the cold.
The China rose has been referred to as the Bengal rose given it's importation from Calcutta to the West. In the region's capital, a large botanical garden could be found there in the 18th century and it contained roses that had been brought there from China by merchants of the British East India Company. A British sea captain, in 1789, took flowers home to England. And, in 1793, more rose specimens made their way to other parts of Europe from Calcutta, thanks to the director of the company, Dr. William Roxburgh.
In America, the British colonies, were very active during the 18th century in rose commerce. The first American nursery was opened in 1737 in Flushing, Long Island, by Robert Price, and he imported an array of new plants. By the time 1746 rolled around, Price was advertising some 1,600 varieties of roses – likely one of the largest collections in the world at the time. According to records kept by Price, in 1791, Thomas Jefferson ordered two types of roses; a China rose called a 'Rose Mundi' which was yellow in color, and a 'Common Moss' rose. Since it wasn't until 1793 when China roses made their way to Europe, it's believed that Jefferson's order may have come on clipper ship directly from Asia.
While the multi colors that can be found in rose plants are one of the things that makes them so appealing, no matter what, they don't stay alive forever. That's where the beauty of the 24k gold rose comes in as it can be preserved for an eternity, with only a little dusting to it to keep it in tip top shape. Since the 24k gold rose is captured right at the peak of its bloom, the process of dipping and finishing it in gold, serves as a way of enhancing its overall beauty.
Sophia Grace is a collector of gold rose gifts. You can view a huge selection of gold roses including 24k gold rose gifts at Plated Gold Roses.