Pinchbeck

an alloy of three or four parts of copper with one of zinc. It was hit upon by Chr. Pinchbeck, a London watchmaker of the eighteenth century. The alloy has the appearance of gold. It is much used in the manufacture of cheap jewelry. From its application to bogus gold the term pinchbeck has extended to shams generally, as "pinchbeck society," "pinchbeck patriotism," etc.