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Age Determination of Pearls: A New Approach for Pearl Testing and Identification

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2016

Michael S Krzemnicki
Affiliation:
Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF, Falknerstrasse 9, 4001 Basel, Switzerland. Email: gemlab@ssef.ch
Irka Hajdas
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland. Email: hajdas@phys.ethz.ch

Abstract

For this radiocarbon study, 7 saltwater pearls and 3 shells from pearl oysters have been analyzed. The declared ages of the samples range from the mid-19th century to very recent formations. The analyzed data show the potential of the bomb peak time marker to provide additional information when testing pearls. The analyzed pearls could be distinctly separated in pearls of pre- and post-bomb peak ages, in agreement with the distinction based on the declared ages. The analyzed data further reveals the potential of this method to provide supporting evidence for the historic provenience of a pearl or as an indication of a natural or cultured formation of a pearl.

Type
Unusual Applications of 14C Measurement
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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