On gold recycling. A physicochemical point of view. (19th August 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Guerra, Maria F.
• Other Names: Sainsbury Victoria guestEditor.; Liu Ruiliang guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Archaeometry. Volume 64(2022)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 134
• Page End: 149
• Publication Date: 2021-08-19
• Subjects: Alloys -- analysis -- coins -- gold -- jewellery -- recycling -- reuse; Archaeometry -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Expertising -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1111/arcm.12710
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-813X

Abstract

Abstract: Perceived as a material and a colour, gold has assumed major societal roles. It has been used as a medium of exchange and in the production of objects with cultural, social, and religious meanings. Being a finite resource, gold has often been subjected to recycling processes. Over time, some objects were reused to make new objects and others were melted down to use the resulting gold as raw material. These operations can be approached using an appropriate analytical protocol. Analytical challenges raised by studies on the reuse and recycling of gold are discussed in the given examples, some of them focusing on coins and others on jewellery and ritual objects. To illustrate the different levels of analytical difficulty, some of these objects were made during times of gold scarcity and others in periods of gold influx.