University News Last updated 04 April 2014
Experts from the School of Jewellery have been called on to help recreate the treasures of the Staffordshire Hoard.
The team from the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC) have been using 3D scanning and printing technology to recreate some of the hoard’s most precious items for future generations to study and enjoy.
The Staffordshire Hoard is one of the world's largest collections of Anglo-Saxon gold and was originally found in a field near the village of Hammerwich in Staffordshire. The complete hoard consists of over 3,500 items at an estimated value of £3.2 million and is jointly owned by The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Laser scanning equipment is used by the team to digitally capture data at an incredible level of accuracy. Each scan is accurate to a scale 5 microns, or 0.005 millimetres.
The replicas are intended to be indiscernible from the originals when viewed through a display case and will be used in the new exhibit at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, when the original pieces are either on display elsewhere, being conserved or studied.
For more information visit the Staffordshire Hoard blog.