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Leib Shmulovich Gold was born in 1826 in Seduva (some sources say Ukmerge) in what is now Lithuania and was then in the pale of settlement wherein Jewish craftsmen were allowed to practice their trade. In 1839 He was apprenticed for three years to Vilnius jeweler Itzik Karmiola and later received his master's certificate on March 31, 1857. He appears in the guild rolls until 1866, taking apprentices and presenting his items for assay (in 1860, for instance, he submitted an annual total of 67.25 pounds of silver for testing), but thereafter was apparently lax in his guild responsibilities. When the Jewish and Christian guilds merged in 1886 (at which time Jewish silversmiths outweighed Gentiles almost 6 to 1), Gold was denied a certificate of trade and severely reprimanded for having practiced so long outside the regulations of the guild. Whatever difficulties he may have had were apparently resolved, for from 1888 he once again appears in the rosters of the guild, taking apprentices and submitting his wares. His shop continued into the 20th century under the direction of his sons Itzik and Moishe Chaim Gold.