What is the difference between conservation and restoration?
Conservation encompasses two distinct approaches: restoration and preservation. Restoration is the reconstruction or repair process of an item while preservation is primarily concerned with the maintenance of the current state of the item as well as the protection of all remaining original components. The restoration process coincides with the standards of practice and ethical guidelines for conservation. With that in mind, in certain cases, restoration is not recommended or even feasible. Our highly skilled conservators are academically and museum-trained with over twenty-five years in the field. They will personally inspect the item and prepare a proposal documenting whether or not restoration and conservation are recommended.
Conservation is a more scientific approach to restoration, the more commonly used term. Conservators are usually academically trained with a background in sciences and the arts in addition to their treatment skills. Conservation strives to preserve the object and, as possible, its history, versus attempting to restore an object to its original state. The materials used by a conservator also differ from those of a restorer in that conservators make every attempt to use materials that will be compatible, stable, and as reversible as possible. In this respect, conservation preserves the integrity of the object so that future treatments or analysis will not be compromised.
