The amber beads were examined with a view to determining the origin of the amber—in particular to distinguish between Prussian and Sicilian amber. The samples were compared with specimens of Prussian and Sicilian amber of authenticated origin as controls.

A. Appearance under ultra-violet light

All the samples and the controls showed the same superficial dull-yellow fluorescence except samples 1 and 6, which were darkish brown in colour. When a fresh surface was exposed by removal of the outer brittle crust, all samples showed a greyish-blue fluorescence. Finally, when the samples (with the exception of no. 6) were cut in half, the central areas showed a milky white fluorescence. This area was particularly prominent in the case of the Sicilian sample, in which the greyish-blue fluorescence was confined to a very thin zone.

The phenomena observed in the case both of samples and of the control specimens were so similar that no conclusions could be drawn about the origin of the amber beads.