Preparation is not restoration.
The lab does not attempt to make a specimen look new. Soil, mineral replacement, compression and loss are part of the object’s archaeological history. Conservation stabilizes those conditions and reveals only what is necessary for interpretation.
Reversible intervention
Supports, fills and consolidants are selected so future conservators can identify and, where practical, reverse the treatment. Original material and mineral replacement remain visually distinguishable from modern support.
Matrix retention
Rock is removed selectively. Matrix may preserve orientation, pressure history, adjacent debris and pigment transfer. A completely isolated object can be scientifically poorer than one retaining a carefully chosen section of its burial environment.
Every treatment is photographed before, during and after intervention and attached to the specimen record.