Syndics of the Drapers' Guild in the context of X-ray fluorescence

A guild (/ɡɪld/, GILD) is an professional association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The word derived from medieval Europe where guilds were probably at their most extensive, but it has been used to describe similar groups before and after that period and in other parts of the world. Typically the key "privilege" was that only guild members were allowed to sell their goods or practice their skill within a city. There might be controls on minimum or maximum prices, hours of trading, numbers of apprentices, and many other things. Critics argued that these rules reduced free competition, but defenders maintained that they protected professional standards.

A guild (/ɡɪld/ GHILD) is a professional association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The word derived from medieval Europe where guilds were probably at their most extensive, but it has been used to describe similar groups before and after that period and in other parts of the world. Typically the key "privilege" was that only guild members were allowed to sell their goods or practice their skill within a city. There might be controls on minimum or maximum prices, hours of trading, numbers of apprentices, and many other things. Critics argued that these rules reduced free competition, but defenders maintained that they protected professional standards.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is the emission of characteristic "secondary" (or fluorescent) X-rays from a material that has been excited by being bombarded with high-energy X-rays or gamma rays. When a material is illuminated with high-energy X-rays, its atoms can become excited and emit their own unique, characteristic X-rays—a process similar to how a blacklight makes certain colors fluoresce. By measuring the energy and intensity of these emitted "secondary" X-rays, scientists can identify which elements are present in the sample and in what quantities. Thus, XRF is the basis of a non-destructive analytical technique widely used for elemental analysis and chemical analysis, particularly in the investigation of metals, glass, ceramics and building materials, and for research in geochemistry, forensic science, archaeology and art objects such as paintings.