Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> Background Elemental analysis of metallic and geological materials is an important component of forensic investigations, since fragments of metals, alloys, ores, and metallurgical products may serve as physical evidence for establishing material provenance and identifying associated technological processes. This study evaluated the analytical capabilities of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of major, minor, and trace elements in jewellery alloys and precious-metal-bearing soil and sand samples submitted for forensic examination. Methods Real evidential samples were subsampled, homogenized, and subjected to acid digestion (aqua regia for metallic samples; multi-acid HF/HNO <sub>3</sub> /HClO <sub>4</sub> decomposition for silicate-rich geological samples). Measurements were performed on an Agilent 7500A quadrupole ICP-MS using external multi-element calibration and internal standards; semi-quantitative analysis was used for multi-element profiling and fully quantitative analysis for target elements such as gold. Samples were compared on the basis of dominant and characteristic elements and their relative abundances. Results Geological samples were characterized mainly by Fe, Ca, Mn, As, and Co, with Al, Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Mo at lower levels; silver ranged from 0.005 to 0.34 g/kg and gold occurred only at trace levels (approximately 0.00001–0.00003 g/kg). Subsamples collected from a single jewellery item revealed two principal compositional profiles — a Cu–Ni–Zn profile and a profile with comparatively higher Cr and V contents — reflecting within-object compositional heterogeneity rather than distinct evidential sources. Conclusions ICP-MS is an effective analytical tool for elemental profiling and comparative forensic evaluation of metallic alloys and geological evidence, supporting source comparison and evidential classification. Interpretation is strengthened by larger sample sets and multivariate chemometric methods. </p>