Susan:

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) units from a variety of manufacturers are
becoming commonly used in archaeological ceramic identification of the bulk
chemistry of the clays.  You MAY have several units available in Southern
California at major universities, museums or CRM firms that you can borrow
for the 5-10 minutes it will need for the analyses of your sherd and several
candidate sherds.  

If you had been at SCA in Modesto last week and had a sample of your
material and samples of other possible candidates, Dr. Brackett or I could
have done the analyses for you on the spot with the new NITON XL3T unit that
was demonstrated at the conference and the Archaeochemical Workshop.  

We just assisted in solving a plain ware ceramic provenience problem for
Stanley Klassen of University of Toronto at SHA in Toronto of some ceramics
from Jordan and for Dave Burley of Simon Fraser University at SAA in
Vancouver of some Lapita ware from the South Pacific.  For more on pXRF
technology see WWW.NITON.com for information from one of the manufacturers.
WRI and NITON in association with Georgia State University (GSU) will be
holding another Archaeochemical Workshop in Atlanta just before SAA and you
could either bring the samples to the workshop for FREE analyses, have a
colleague who is coming to SAA bring them OR send them to Dr. Claudia
Brackett at California State University-Stanislaus(CSUS) or to GSU by the
17th of April.

Alternately, you could have a representative of NITON stop by and analyze
your material and other candidate materials "on the spot" and give you the
data right then.

I hope this helps.

Rich Lundin, WRI    

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
Walter
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:53 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Unknown ceramic alert!

Rich,
What is a pXRF unit?
Susan
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Lundin" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:09 AM
Subject: Re: Unknown ceramic alert!


> Susan:
>
> Do you have you access to a pXRF unit?  If so, check the chemistry of your
> sample vs. a sample of Tumacacori majolica that you probably can borrow
from
> Ron.  Match the spectra of both samples.  If they match or are close they
> are probably from the same source (and potter). If not, then a different
> source.  It is really that simple and quick.  The chemistry of up to 35
> elements by non-destructive pXRF does not lie. Call me if you have
questions
> on this.
>
> Rich Lundin, WRI
> (209) 532-3873
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
> Walter
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:08 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Unknown ceramic alert!
>
> I have already looked at these gorgeous illustrations & photos.  Not sky
> blue definately grey blue.  Not burned.   Its not Tumacacori that I can
> tell.  Have you seen Tumacacori that has a solid area at least 1 cm wide
on
> both sides of the vessel?
>
> (Has anyone ever made replications of these vessels in ceramic?)
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Anita Cohen-Williams" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 7:12 PM
> Subject: Re: Unknown ceramic alert!
>
>
> > Take a look at these slides and see if it is Tumacacori Polychrome:
> >
> > http://www.colonialmaiolica.com/id4.html
> >
> > On Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 7:33 PM,  <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > > Could it be a Tumacacori majolica, with sky blue background?   Is it
> burned
> > > for the grayish effect?
> > >
> > > Bob Hoover
> > >
> > >
> > > **************
> > > A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in
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> >
> >
> > -- 
> > Anita Cohen-Williams
> > Organic SEO and Social Media Marketing
> > http://www.mysearchguru.com
> > Twitter: @searchguru
>
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