Jewellery Items Research Articles

The deer tooth necklace from grave 12 at Bodrogzsadány

Csanad Balint and the Archaeological Institute are virtually inseparable in my life: in 1982, he was the first to ask me what I would most like to do if my job were not inventorying finds from various excavations. I told him that I would best like to study the Late Neolithic of the Tisza region. This was a wholly unrealistic dream at the time: even after I was assigned to do archaeological work, I was sent off to a micro-regional research project in Transdanubia, where I had the opportunity to excavate major sites from the Early Neolithic to the Middle Copper Age. Any work on the Late Neolithic of the Tisza region remained an unfulfilled dream for a long time, until around 2000 Ida Bognar-Kutzian asked me to participate in the publication of her still unpublished Neolithic and Copper Age find assemblages. The first volume, containing a description and evaluation of the 1957 season at Polgar–Csőszhalom, appeared in 2007, too late for Ida to see it. The grave goods from the few burials uncovered at Bodrogzsadany–Akasztoszer in 1958, another of Ida’s excavations have much in common with the finds from the graves of the Csőszhalom site. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the necklace strung of red deer canines from Grave 12 at Bodrogzsadany immediately caught my attention. Although not a particularly common find in the Late Neolithic of the Upper Tisza region, there is ample evidence for deer canines fashioned into jewellery items. This study is dedicated to Cs. Balint, my dear colleague in the Archaeological Institute for over a quarter of a century.

Assaying And Hallmarking Of Precious Metals: A Case For The Nigerian Consumer

Gold and silver are two very important precious metals used in the production of jewellery items and other valuable wares. In Nigeria, small scale industries in gold and silver dot the country's landscape. So far, the activities of these smiths, as well as their products, are not regulated by any government or independent agency. The implication of this, amongst others includes short changing the customers via under-carating and the arbitrary increase of the prices of gold and silver items. It is therefore the intent in this article to firstly examine, and articulate the twin concepts of Assaying and Hallmarking of precious metals. This is with a view to highlighting their importance especially as it pertains to customer's Rights Protection in Nigeria. In the same vein, the dividends of Hallmarking shall be examined and a case for prospects in its adoption made. Journal of Technology and Education in Nigeria Vol. 12 (1) 2007: pp. 40-45

Anatolia as a bridge from north to south? Recent research in the Hatti heartland

AbstractThis paper aims to reappraise and evaluate central Anatolian connections with the Black Sea region and the Caucasus focusing mainly on the third millennium BC. In its first part, a ceremonial item, the knobbed or ‘mushroom’ macehead, in its various appearances, is discussed in order to reconstruct a possible pattern of circulation and exchange of shapes and values over a longer period of time in the regions of Anatolia, southeast Europe and the Caucasus in the third and late second to early first millennium BC. The second part is devoted to the archaeometrical study of selected metal and mineral artefacts from the Early Bronze Age necropolis of Resuloğlu, which together with the contemporary settlement and graveyard at Kalınkaya-Toptaştepe represent two typical later Early Bronze Age sites in the Anatolian heartland. The high values of tin and arsenic used for most of the smaller jewellery items are suggestive of an attempt to imitate gold and silver, and the amounts of these alloying agents suggest a secure supply from arsenic sources located along the Black Sea littoral in the north and probably tin ores to the southeast of central Anatolia. This places these ‘Hattian’ sites within a trade network that ran from the Pontic mountain ridge to the Taurus foothills.

Size at birth and its relation to muscle strength in young adult women

To assess the relationship between development in utero, assessed by birth weight, and muscle strength in young adult women as assessed by grip strength. A total of 1563 participants aged 20-40 years in the Southampton Women's Survey had their grip strength measured during pregnancy. At recruitment to the survey the women had been asked to recall their birth weight or obtain it from their parents. For 536 women born in Southampton, birth weight was obtained from hospital records. Grip strength was related to birth weight using multiple linear regression analysis, adjusting for age, height, weight and reported physical activity. Grip strength increased with age, height, weight, physical activity and birth weight. In the mutually-adjusted model, grip strength increased by 1.10 kg per kilogram of birth weight (95% CI: 0.58-1.61 kg). In women with hospital birth weight data the relationship strengthened to 1.44 kg per kilogram of birth weight (95% CI: 0.50-2.38 kg). Grip strength in women in their twenties and thirties is at or approaching its peak. The association between grip strength and birth weight was remarkably similar to findings from other studies of women at younger and older ages. This indicates that in utero development has consequences for muscle strength throughout the life course, even allowing for the increase to peak muscle strength and then its decline as a woman ages.

Źródła nieceramiczne z początku wczesnego średniowiecza ze strefy chełmińsko-dobrzyńskiej

Two stages of pottery development, corresponding to the structure of vessel assemblages, have been identified in the Chełmno-Dobrzyń region: an initial settlement stage (latter half of the 7th and early 8th century), characterised by a low level of occupation within this region, and a stage of intensified settlement activity (8th and 9th centuries), marked by significantly more dynamic development. In addition to analysis of pottery assemblages, detailed comparative studies have also been carried out on non-ceramic artefacts from this microregion. The material culture representing the onset of the early medieval period includes various categories of artefact made of bone, antler, clay and metals (Cnotliwy 1998, p. 366; Dulinicz 2001, p. 115). Antler combs and fittings, stone moulds, iron and bronze spurs as well as items of jewellery highlight the craftsmanship of their makers and point to their high material value. A small number of these artefacts are of similar form to items from reliably dated assemblages, and are, therefore, good chronological indicators.Some non-ceramic finds were produced at household level in unaltered form for many years because the raw materials needed to make them were readily available, or because they involved simple production processes that did not require specialist workshops. This category of find often still occured well into the early medieval period. It is difficult to determine whether exceptional artefacts (combs, spurs and decorative accessories) which could only be made by someone with the appropriate skills and a specialist workshop were made locally by a migrant craftsman or were imported. The category of finds presented herein does not resolve the issue of defining a more precise chronology for the assemblages which they represent; it does, however, confirm that they are related to the initial phase of the early medieval period.

Quantitative ion beam analysis of complex gold-based artefacts

Quantitative analysis of major and minor elements in a heavy matrix with high relief requires a perfect knowledge of the geometry of irradiation and detection. We discuss in this paper, the contribution of these geometrical factors for the investigation of gold jewellery items which were studied with PIXE, RBS and NRA. The combination of all these techniques is often necessary to give us sufficient information on the workmanship of ancient goldsmiths. Examples of application to artefacts from Macedonia and Colombia are given.

PIXE in an external microbeam arrangement for the study of finely decorated tartesic gold jewellery items

Narrow regions on Tartesic (Spain, 6th century B.C.) gold jewellery items have been studied by PIXE. An external microbeam (250 μm) of 2.3 MeV protons has been used in order to determine the elemental concentrations in the various tiny elements and specially at places of solders. The comparison with results on jewellery items of Etruscan origin (same period as Tartesic but coming from the North of Italy) allows us to identify the differences in the workmanship of goldsmiths of these geographic regions. The details on the surface topography of wires, granulations, filigrees were observed with an electron microbeam in order to complement the micro-PIXE results.Accurate quantitative elemental analyses have been obtained from PIXE spectra by a comparison with reference samples and an extensive calculation of thick target parameters. The background has been carefully calculated by using a physical approach and not only computer adjustment. The necessary corrections to take the topography of these very irregular surfaces into account were calculated. They include the secondary fluorescence effects and the variation of Kα/Kβ (for Cu and Ag) or Lα/Lβ (for Au) X-ray intensity ratios as a function of the surface orientation relative to the incident beam and the detector positions.

PIXE, XRF and GRT for the global investigation of ancient gold artefacts

The study of ancient gold jewellery artefacts often requires surface and bulk characterisation using non-destructive methods. Curators of musea or owners of private collections do not allow any sampling (even at microscopic level) for the investigation of the bulk of massive gold objects, which often contain less noble metals. Neutron Activation Analysis of the whole sample is generally prohibited even if no danger may be feared from delayed radioactivity. Weight and density measurements are easy and convenient to assert the presence of a cavity or a core of lower density. A combination of PIXE (at various incident proton energies in a non-vacuum geometry) for the elemental distribution in the first 10 μm below the surface, XRF (induced by γ-rays of 59 keV and of higher energy from a source of 241Am) to investigate the material up to several hundreds of microns, and GRT (Gamma Ray Transmission) of 662 keV photons (137Cs) may give a more complete answer on the surface and bulk compositions of the artefacts. Examples are given for Hellenistic and Mesoamerican jewellery items.

Chaos in casting: An approach to shrinkage porosity

Experimental data on the effects of various factors on the incidence of shrinkage porosity in cast gold jewellery items have been accumulated in recent years. Consideration of these data leads to the conclusion that certain of these effects are unpredictable, or ‘chaotic’. Possible reasons for this are presented and available experimental data are discussed and illustrated in terms of this new approach to shrinkage porosity. Interactions between the effects of different factors are illustrated and discussed as also contributing to the unpredictability of results in some instances.

Ion beam studies of archaeological gold jewellery items

Analytical work on material of archaeological interest performed at LARN mainly concerns gold jewellery, with an emphasis to solders on the artefacts and to gold plating or copper depletion gilding. PIXE, RBS but also PIGE and NRA have been applied to a large variety of items. On the basis of elemental analysis, we have identified typical workmanship of ancient goldsmiths in various regions of the world: finely decorated Mesopotamian items, Hellenistic and Byzantine craftsmanship, cloisonne of the Merovingian period, depletion gilding on Pre-Colombian tumbaga. This paper is some shortening of the work performed at LARN during the last ten years. Criteria to properly use PIXE for quantitative analysis of non-homogeneous ancient artefacts presented at the 12th IBA conference in 1995 are also shortly discussed.

Early Iron Age Metal Working at the Tsodilo Hills, Northwestern Botswana

This paper describes Early Iron Age metal working at the sites of Divuyu and Nqoma, excavated by James Denbow and Edwin Wilmsen, in northwestern Botswana. This research represents the first metallographic analysis of a large collection of Iron Age metal artefacts from southern Africa. The artefacts studied were small articles of copper and iron, mostly items of jewellery and tools possibly used in their manufacture. They were classified and sampled representatively for metallographic and chemical analysis. Fifty-four artefacts were studied in detail and the fabrication technology reconstructed. The forging, and possibly also smelting, of iron took place at both sites during the Early Iron Age. The primary smelted product was inhomogeneous iron and steel, with typical fayalitic slag, characteristic of indigenous bloomery iron production. Forging was carried out in an oxidizing hearth. The technique used was poor, with no evident control over carbon content or the mechanical properties of the steel, and with no heat treatment other than annealing. The fabrication of artefacts involved forging square wire and flat sheets, which were cut into strips for beads, clips, chains, and fibre-cored wound ornaments. Crude round iron wire was used to make numerous finger rings. Copper was worked similarly, usually leaving the metal in its annealed state. Significant chemical variation in the copper artefacts and iron slag inclusions showed that diverse ore sources were exploited. There were stylistic similarities between individual artefacts from these sites in the Tsodilo Hills and Early Iron Age material from Zaı̈re and the northern Transvaal. Comparison of the fabrication technology with Late Iron Age material suggests that local indigenous iron and copper working technology in southern Africa has changed little since its inception.

Symposium on Jewellery Manufacturing Technology, Santa Fe, USA

Symposium on Jewellery Manufacturing Technology, Santa Fe, USA

A survey of the determination of the platinum group elements

The platinum-group metals (PGMs), Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir and Pt, are widely used as catalysts in petroleum and chemical processes. They find wide applications in automotive exhaust-gas control converters and are of immense importance to the electronics industry. They are found in many items of jewellery and serve to an increasing extent as a form of investment. The PGMs are extracted in minute quantities from a limited number of ores, found mainly in S. Africa and the USSR. They are concentrated and separated from each other by elaborate chemical processes. Because of their great intrinsic value (Pt $650 per oz; Rh $1400 per oz), the recycling of the PGMs from literally hundreds of different forms of scrap is an essential factor in the overall management of the PGM economy. In this survey emphasis is placed on the need to tailor the analytical method according to ( a) the environment in which the PGMs occur, ( b) the individual PGM concentrations, and ( c) the desired sensitivity and precision. The factors which determine the choice of chemical, physicochemical and/or instrumental approaches are discussed. They are further commented on in extensive presentations of dissolution and separation techniques and methods for the final measurement of individual PGMs. Appendices are provided which present the compositions and sources of the products most frequently encountered in PGM analysis, along with information on methods of decomposition, separations required, type of separation, and final determination.

The wear of precious jewellery

Scratch and polishing tests have been carried out on a series of platinum and 18 carat gold jewellery alloys, and used platinum and 18 carat gold rings were examined. The mechanism by which the aesthetic appearance of precious jewellery items deteriorates in service is considered. It is concluded that from the point of view of maintaining the appearance of highly specularly reflecting surfaces during use, the surface hardness and the behaviour on mechanical polishing of a precious jewellery alloy are important.

Fabrication of fine apertures in metal foils by photoelectrochemical milling

The potential of a photofabrication process involving photolithography and electrochemical milling has been established for the production of accurate holes in a range of sheet materials (10–500 μm thick), including molybdenum, platinum, Pt-10Rh, sterling silver, carat gold and silver- and palladium-based alloys. Based on scanning electron microscopy, the new technique shows its unique capability of producing high quality components in materials which were hitherto considered to be difficult or impossible to fabricate. Furthermore, the technique does not involve the use of any highly toxic or aggressive chemicals; a non-passivating neutral solution of sodium chloride is used as the electrolyte. Details of the type, concentration and application of the electrolyte are discussed. The technique appears to be potentially attractive to the manufacturers of fine apertures and similar intricate shapes of industrial components and jewellery items.

Electro-discharge machining of gold alloys

Although the erosion of electrodes caused by the passage of a spark between them has long been known, studies of this phenomenon were for many years aimed primarily at its prevention and it was not until World War II that it was exploited for the machining of metals. In the intervening years, spark erosion or electro-discharge machining (EDM) has developed into an accepted engineering technique. Modern EDM equipment consists essentially of four parts: (1)A generator, by means of which sparks of controlled energy, frequency and duration are produced between a shaped electrode and the workpiece (2)A dielectric system, which may be circulating water or liquid hydrocarbon, and which concentrates the spark, restricts heating and removes the eroded metal particles. The Jatter are continuously separated from the dielectric by filtration (3)A servo system and work-head to guide and feed the electrode (4)A precision machine tool. Although not applicable to the making of all designs of jewellery, EDM has been found to facilitate the fabrication and improve the finish of designs which require the cutting out of intricate shapes from precious metal sheets. Such shapes are currently cut by EDM from carat gold sheets which may be stacked in different gauges and caratages to a thickness of up to 100 mm. A brass wire electrode 0.2 mm in diameter is used with distilled water as the dielectric medium to cut the desired shapes from the stacked sheets. It effects a cut about 0.42 mm wide and is guided by two stepping motors which are coordinated and computer-controlled. The cutting speed achieved on jewellery gold alloys is similar to that commonly achieved on steels. Details of the desired shapes are fed to the computer on punched paper tape and the size of a particular design can be very simply reduced or increased. Once the machine is set, it needs little supervision and can be left to run day and night virtually unattended. In addition to providing intricate cut-out designs for direct incorporation into jewellery items, the process has facilitated the fabrication of what is called `inset gold'. Both the cut-out patterns and the residual profiles in the sheets can be duplicated with precision in successive cuts so that profiled carat gold sheet in one colour can be inset or sleeved with ease and accuracy into corresponding cut-out profiles in a carat gold or other metal sheet of a different colour. The use of this technique in jewellery production is in its infancy, but it is already apparent that it has considerable potential.