Bronze age spiral arm bracelet, 7.5o cm inner diam... Because I intend to keep this beauty to myself, I have dilemma whether to clean to bring out the nice patina, or to leave it as it is found?
Very simple, asks the local archaeological services to which you will have reported the find for advice on preservation. If you are in the UK, you are probably well aware that you must report a find like this within 14 days. If the find was in situ, you must not remove it from the ground, but seek professional assistance. If the find was illegally removed from the ground or damaged in any way (unprofessional cleaning?), the finder forfeits any potential reward. If the find is not reported to the authorities, the finder will be liable for legal action.
Hi Tejas, I do not MD in UK..I lived in England 20 years ago, Reding, and then I got "infected" with MD, and I know the " rules of the game" very well..But, I will report the find to my National Museum, with which I have excellent relationship..
That is great to hear. Which National Museum is that, that would let a metal detectorist just keep "a beauty" like this one for himself?
@galba68 It looks very nice, as it is. Does the patina appear to be stable? Does it appear to have bronze disease? In the 2nd photo, the patina looks pretty stable, but I'm no expert. I can't tell, from the 1st photo. To me, the dirt, and the green patina, give it an aged, authentic look.
@galba68...Super find!.....That one must've 'pinged' nicely... I'd leave it as is, gives it nice character..Congrats!
I would clean whatever ordinary dirt I could get off of the bracelet, but not do a thing beyond that, and definitely leave the patina as it is. I agree with @ominus1 ...it looks Celtic to me (totally unprofessional opinion). I can't even imagine going out with a metal detector and finding things like this. I'd be sitting down in that spot the rest of the day, thinking about the person who lost this a few thousand years ago, who they were, how they lived, and how they felt when they found out they had lost their bracelet/armband.
