The making of an Oscar

But, just like the actors and movie-makers who hold them aloft before the world, the Oscar's iconic statuettes do not face an easy road to their glitzy presentation ceremony in Los Angeles.

Indeed, their road to California's epicenter of celebrity is almost 2,000 miles long, and begins in an outwardly unremarkable Chicago workshop.

There the figures, 13.5 inches tall and a hefty 8.5lbs, are painstakingly manufactured by the skilled craftsmen of R S Owens, who have made the Academy's highest award since 1983.

Although the value of the raw materials is already around $900, once awarded the worth of the statues can catapult - despite an official ban by the academy on selling them on.

Although they shine golden, and are clad in a hefty coat of 24-carat gold, at their core an Oscar is made of a variant of pewter - a special alloy called britannium made especially for Oscar figures.

The liquid metal, at a scorching 570°F, is poured into a mold in the shape of a European knight, holding a downward-pointing longsword in both hands.

Each statuette is made individually, and there is only one mold, which is used for every single Oscar. The whole process, according to TIME magazine, takes 10 days from start to finish.

It was first designed by Cedric Gibbons, the art director at MGM, who came up with the first sketches of the Art Deco-style figure in 1928. Each one stands on a reel of film, which has five spokes, to represent the five original branches of the Academy.

At first they were known by their full name, the Academy Award of Merit. The moniker Oscar came later - exactly how is disputed - and was adopted by the Academy in 1939.

After being cast, the figures are sanded down then polished until the britannium alloy glimmers - even though it will not be the final coat on display.

The Oscar is then treated to remove any grease of specs of other material, and engraved with a serial number. Around fifty of the awards have been made each year. So far 2,947 have been awarded, with at least 25 more to come Sunday.

Next, the statue is dipped is electro-plated - a chemical technique which creates an even coating - in a metal bath. First the models are coated in copper, then nickel, then silver - and finally in 24-carat gold.

Between each stage the figure is polished again to deepen its luster ahead of the equally glitzy presentation ceremony.

(dailymail.co.uk)