Bell 750–950 Greater Coclé Technical note: Optical microscopy and XRF conducted in 2017. This bell was cast by the lost wax process, and all design elements—including the four registers of diagonal lines on the outside of the resonator—were created in the wax model. The bell has a long hollow stem ( cm long) (see image 2)—a feature especially distinctive of some Greater Coclé bells—that leads to the bulbous resonator. The stem was created by wrapping a long wax thread around a thin cylindrical organic element that was later removed or burned out during the casting, and the hollow reson

Bell 750–950 Greater Coclé Technical note: Optical microscopy and XRF conducted in 2017. This bell was cast by the lost wax process, and all design elements—including the four registers of diagonal lines on the outside of the resonator—were created in the wax model. The bell has a long hollow stem ( cm long) (see image 2)—a feature especially distinctive of some Greater Coclé bells—that leads to the bulbous resonator. The stem was created by wrapping a long wax thread around a thin cylindrical organic element that was later removed or burned out during the casting, and the hollow resonator was formed in wax sheet applied over a ceramic core, which contained the previously cast clapper ball element imbedded within it. After casting, the core was also removed from the interior of the resonator, leaving behind the spherical clapper to move freely within the metal cavity. If we shake the bell, the motion of the clapper striking the walls creates a light, watery sound. Also, after casting, the top of the stem was drilled to provide a means for suspension. The metal used to create the bell is a gold alloy whose surfaces were chemically treated after casting in order to remove some of the copper and to make the metal appear more gold-rich in color. At present, the projecting rims of both the stem and resonator are slightly pinker in color than other areas due to excessive polishing or handling of the gold in these areas, causing some of the enriched surface to be lost. The metal of the clapper on the other hand appears to be an alloy of copper and iron. Irregularly shaped losses in the stem of the bell near the base and areas of slumped metal in the stem above, suggest that minor problems occurred during casting that affected the flow of molten metal. These flaws were probably left unchanged as their presence did not alter the general appearance or functionality of the bell. Metal bells have been recovered from a range of Central American and Colombian

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