Making Gold-Mercury Amalgam: the Evidence for Gilding From Southampton
Justine Bayley|Andy Russel
Mercury gilding is a well-known decorative technique that was applied to both silver and range of copper alloys from the third century AD until introduction electroplating in nineteenth century. The process well understood but, recently, there has been no good archaeological evidence for it. Excavations Southampton have discovered two rather different objects were used produce gold-mercury amalgam, first stage mercury gilding. One block stone other reused amphora sherd. comes ninth-century context, while sherd's findspot less dated: it could late Roman or Saxon period.
The Antiquaries Journal