Surface appearance assessment as a tool for characterizing silver tarnishing

The aim of this study is to create a methodological approach based on imaging techniques and computer vision that can be used as a tool for the characterization of silver tarnish and the presence of fingerprints on silver museum objects. To this extend, material properties of artificially tarnished silver coupons were examined, with the aim to classify the degree of tarnish and to detect fingerprints. Surface alterations were assessed using visual inspection, colorimetry, gloss measurements and monochromatic Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). For the chemical characterization Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-rays Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Linear Scanning Voltammetry (LSV) was implemented.