Shashoua, Yvonne

Undetermined

A recent survey of the National Museum of Denmark’s (NMD) collections revealed more than 17,000 unique pieces of Baltic amber in the form of beads, jewelry and other decorative pieces, making it one of the largest collections of amber in Europe. After its use as jewelry or other decorative pieces in pre-history, amber is likely to be buried for many years in dry or wet, boggy soils or transported in seawater before discovery. The survey concluded that 45% of amber in NMD’s collections exhibited signs of deterioration, manifested by surface crazing, powdering and discoloration (see Fig.1). Based on surface appearance alone, the condition of the objects seemed to reflect the environments in which they were found. Only 4% of those amber pieces that were excavated from wet bogs or found in water exhibited a high degree of degradation compared with 40% of objects found in dry environments. Amber found in dry soils were frequently recognizable by their pale yellow, friable, surface crusts. By contrast, amber found in wet environments was dark brown in colour with cohesive surfaces. Because the amber collections reﬂect the economic, social, religious and other cultural beliefs prevalent in pre-historic Europe, it is essential that they are preserved for study and enjoyment by future generations.<br/

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Investigating the degradation of Baltic amber

https://pure.kb.dk/ws/files/10178746/Shashoua_Investigating_the_degradation_of_Baltic_amber_AMBERIF_2018.pdf

Investigating the degradation of Baltic amber

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Ministry of Culture Research Portal