Rediscovering the Cheapside Hoard through digital visualization

‘The Cheapside Hoard’ is the greatest cache of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery in the world and one of the most remarkable and spectacular finds every recovered from British soil. It is an intriguing time capsule of over 500 precious artefacts, untouched and of its age, that provides a rare and inspiring window into our craft heritage.
This phenomenal resource of early modern goldsmithing embodies the cultural and technological advances of the time. Can we sensitively apply our current digital technology to act as a conduit in bridging 400 years of history to better understand the goldsmithing skills and technology of Elizabethan times? Through this investigation a range of data collection methods were deployed: craftsmanship observation, laser-scanning, digital camera, microscope and CAD. Governed by the perspective of craftsmanship analysis, the raw data was combined and interpreted to generate data montages; creating enhanced, comprehensive, and easily communicated three dimensional visual narratives. Thus presenting scenarios to the reoccurring questions of– how were these artefacts made? What skills and tools did these craftsmen have? How were raw materials from all over the world turned into the artefacts of the hoard?