• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.26
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• pp.67-82
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• 2021

Two golden beads (Buyeo 5336) housed at the Buyeo National Museum were discovered in 1993 near the site of an ancient workshop in Neungsan-ri in Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do Province. These rare examples from the Baekje Kingdom of an application of granulation have maintained their original form intact, and thus serve as important materials for the investigation of production techniques applied. This study analyzed the composition of the golden beads using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, a stereo microscope, and a scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The manufacturing technique was examined through the observation of the micro-shape and the surface condition and by a composition analysis of the joint part. In both beads, a hole was pierced in a hollow body and the bead was decorated with golden wires around the hole and gold granules in other parts. In some areas, golden granules had been attached to the gold plate and golden wires were then placed over the granules. The purity of both the wires and the granules was analyzed as 23.6 - 23.7K. A high copper content was detected in some of the parts where the granules were attached. The findings of a previous reproduction experiment and study of production methods suggest that the beads were made using the copper diffusion technique.