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How do you tell if a roman ring is bronze?

Updated: 4/28/2022
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Marcuscln

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11y ago

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There is no 100% surefire way (other than by analysis in a professional laboratory) to know if a Roman ring is bronze, an alloy most commonly defined as being of copper and tin - often with added lead - or brass (another copper alloy, with zinc, which the Romans also used extensively for jewelry; see: http://academia.edu/Documents/in/Aquincum_Roman_finger-rings_Roman_bronze_jewellery_types_of_Roman_finger-rings_copper-based_allo).
However most bronze, when free of tarnish or patina, has a more 'coppery' or warm golden appearance similar to rose gold or high-karat (18K and up) yellow gold, although typically paler; whereas brasses typically are more yellow, usually lacking the coppery 'warmth' of bronze, ofttimes slightly greenish. Of course this requires exposing bare metal, something which probably is not a wise idea on a genuine antiquity as the patina adds to the apparent authenticity and value of the piece.
Bronze and brass patinate differently as well, with bronze typically becoming more of a rich, warm dark brown hue and brass more dull-brown or greenish-brown - but once a heavy green (copper carbonate) patina forms, it's very hard to differentiate the two.
Weight is not diagnostic since both alloy groups are very close in density and may have added elements such as lead.
Adding to the confusion are certain alloys which can be classified as both a brass and a bronze, because they contain both zinc and tin (and often other alloying elements as well) either intentionally, or as impurities. Impurities were common in ancient Metallurgy not only due to lack of strict standards, but also because of extensive recycling as a cost-reduction measure; so one may encounter such 'either/or' alloys as a result. Their characteristics can range the spectrum from one end to the other or anywhere in-between.

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Q: How do you tell if a roman ring is bronze?
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