Investigation of silver metal clays using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy

Journal article

Precious metal clay is a popular material with jewellery makers. Its plasticity permits the creation of intricate designs practically indistinguishable from pieces produced by ordinary metalsmithing techniques. Metal clays may not have entered museum collections yet but will inevitably do so as single or composite objects - but should they be conserved like ordinary metal objects? This study examines the morphology and inorganic composition of two brands of silver metal clay using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Fired silver clay tablets were also submitted to Oddy testing in an attempt to determine the corrosive effect of any remaining organic binder. The results confirm that both brands of metal clay are composed of silver and they can be displayed and stored alongside other metal objects. However conservation treatments must be designed to take into account their porosity.

Authors: Carvalho, LDC

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi
• Journal: International Journal of Conservation Science
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 209-218
• Publication date: 2018-06-15
• Acceptance date: 2018-06-10
• EISSN: 2067-8223
• ISSN: 2067-533X
• Language: English
• Keywords: metal clay; FFR; SEM-EDS; Oddy test; silver; powder metallurgy