In this episode, Jason Church speaks with Curtis Deselles, an intern with the Materials Research program at NCPTT, discusses the use of eddy currents and eddy current technology in conservation science. Mr. Deselles has built several eddy current analyzers, custom software, and presented on this topic at a non-destructive conference in St. Louis.

NCPTT has been using eddy current technology in preservation and will be bringing this tool to the iPhone platform in 2010. Download Episode 8 as an mp3 or subscribe via iTunes.

Hallmarks on silver and gold objects can reveal much about their history.

Investigators from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art undertook this project to determine if worn-off or illegible hallmarks on silver and gold works of art could be imaged using scanning acoustic imaging techniques.

Hallmarks on silver objects can reveal much about the history of the piece. the name of the silversmith, the date of manufacture, the quality of the metal alloy, as well as other information can be determined form the study of the hallmarks.

The name of the silversmith, the date of manufacture, the quality of the metal alloy, as well as other information can be determined from the study of the hallmarks.

The use of hallmarks on silver has a long history, dating back to at least the sixth century AD.