Laser Inscription
For jewelry collectors, gemstone serialization or laser inscription is becoming a popular option. For minimal cost, customers can have a serial number or personal message inscribed inside a piece of jewelry, or – for harder stones such as rubies and diamonds, which can receive the laser cut without potential damage to the stone – directly into the girdle of the gemstone.

While a laser inscription may have sentimental value, it will not prevent your jewelry from being stolen. It will only assist the police, should they apprehend a jewelry thief, in identifying pieces belonging to a specific victim. Jewelry owners considering this option should be aware that recovery of stolen jewelry is rare, and the local police department would have to be aware of the use of laser inscription to know to look for it, but as use and police awareness of laser inscription increases, success in identifying items may increase.

Laser inscription is offered through gemological laboratories such as the Gemological Institute of America (www.gia.edu) or the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags
An immediately useful technology is the use of radio-frequency identification tags, which are quickly becoming the standard for manufacturing inventory tracking (you may see an example in the seams of your Anne Taylor pants or sweater from Benetton). You may also see this type of system used in electronic toll collection, public transport pre-pay systems, integrated library systems, and access controls for vehicles, just to name a few. However, a small, but growing, number of museums and private art collectors are turning to RFID tags.

Paper-thin passive tags can uniquely identify assets at a range of up to 3 meters, allowing for inventory and security applications

RFID chips or tags (ranging from the size of a pin head to the size of a postcard, depending upon function and cost) are placed in inconspicuous areas on a valuable item. The tags – permanently bonded, or with strong replaceable adhesives to keep them in place, communicate by radio with a reader, which is located out of sight. In some cases, the reader may also update information on the tag itself.

Left: Passive Low-Frequency tag, the smallest of them all, suitable for unique asset identification or inventory applications at close range. Objects must be scanned one at a time. Center: Active (battery-powered) tag suitable for asset tracking up to 300 feet. Tag is equipped with a motion sensor and a device that produces a remote alarm if an attempt is made to remove the tag. Used for security on expensive items though the size of the tag would make it possible for larger items only (see penny inserted for scale). Right: Passive Ultra-High Frequency RFID reader from Psion Teklogix. Suitable for rapid hand-held inventory of tagged artifacts at a range of up to 3 meters. Photos courtesy NJE Consulting (www.nje.ca).

RFID systems can have as simple a function as the tag triggering the alarm if moved outside a pre-set perimeter from the sensor. However, they can also perform extremely complex functions. The RFID tags, combined with an appropriate computer set-up, can automatically track information such as humidity change, shock/vibration, and light exposure, and also allows the collector to enter pertinent data such as date of purchase, maintenance records, information on the piece, current location and information as to how the item moved throughout the facility over a period of time. This type of system can provide "real time" transmission of data that allows the user to either "read" the tags immediately before them, or monitor the collection via computer.

Museum patrons may soon see the benefit of RFID. The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo (www.momat.go.jp/english/) is testing a system of providing museum visitors with bluetooth-enabled handheld devices that would read the RFID on a particular item. Museum professionals, who just cringed when reading this should rest assured that the system can be programmed to show a visitor the history of the object, but not, say, its maintenance records or insurance value. Using this technology may also help museums better track the location of their pieces. For example, the Museum of Modern Art in New York is planning to use RFID to help curators assess which pieces are on display, on loan, or in storage. An added benefit of the tags is reduced handling of works of art; the RFID reader can read and identify many tags at the same time, and unlike barcoding, no line-of-sight is necessary. For example, a hand-held reader could easily read and identify 20 or more items layered on top of each other in a storage drawer without having to pick any of them up.

These benefits can easily be translated from museums to the private owners of large collections who often struggle with tracking the movement and condition of their pieces. The wine connoisseur, in particular, could benefit from this technology since the affordability of a bottle of wine (versus a well-known piece of art) can lead to amassing collections containing hundreds, or even thousands, of bottles. In addition, the data capabilities afforded by RFID can allow the owner to add personal information to the tag, including when the wine was purchased, reviews and rating of the wine, and targeted consumption dates, just as an example.

An additional benefit of RFID technology to the private collector is the establishment of provenance. While several performance artists have embraced RFID technology as an expression of art within itself (often tracking the movements of people or animals), RFID is emerging as an option for more traditional art media as well. Artists can imbed RFID chips within the weave of the canvas or insert RFID chips into sculptures to help authenticate their work and track purchasing and selling information in the future. Merchandisers such as Prada have begun inserting RFID chips into their items, a security measure to thwart counterfeits that the art community, facing similar concerns, may begin to adopt more widely.

Numerous companies offer RFID technology, but the UK company Isis, whose products are also available in the U.S.(www.isisasset.com/products/for_the_art_world.htm), and the Canadian NJE Consulting (www.nje.ca/museum) specifically market systems for museums and private collections. Prices vary greatly depending on the sophistication of the system.

DNA Encryption
Fringing on the world of science fiction, but still promising, is DNA encryption. In this process, encrypted botanical DNA is mixed with water, ink, varnish, or paint to be applied directly to the item or integrated into the fabric weave of the canvas or paper upon which a piece of art is created. Invisible to the naked eye, it phosphoresces in ultraviolet light, thus indicating its presence. Since every strand of DNA is unique, the presence of DNA serves as a unique forensic identifier of an object.

Both the piece of art and accompanying provenance could have the DNA applied. Say, for example, you have an oil painting by Renoir and a letter that shows Renoir gave it to a family member - you could paint a bit of DNA on the back of the frame and on the letter itself, and could do the same with appraisals, receipts of purchase, etc., thus irrevocably linking them.

DNA technologies may not only help avoid art fraud, but may ultimately foil art thieves as well. While RFID tags help authenticate a work of art, DNA technology can help identify art thieves. Several companies have developed systems that spray DNA solutions on the thief (triggered by motion beams or weight sensors) or leave residue on the thief’s hands. If a suspect can later be identified, the traces of DNA, which will remain on skin or hair for weeks and on clothing indefinitely, can directly link them to the crime and help ensure prosecution, even if the stolen works of art have already passed into other hands.

Two companies that currently provide DNA technologies are Applied DNA Sciences in the US (http://www.adnas.com/home) and SmartWater (www.smartwater.com/products/antiIntruder.html) in the UK. The mere suggestion of this technology may serve as a theft-deterrent. Numerous new paper articles suggest that SmartWater, being used by the National Association of Goldsmiths (UK) has reduced crime up to 80% in some communities. The technology obviously becomes a more successful deterrent and method of catching criminals as both police and communities become aware of the potential presence of such technology.

All of this may initially sound farfetched, but there was a time not so long ago when mobile phones were big, heavy things that required a shoulder pack to carry. It was equally outlandish then to imagine that one day virtually everyone, including children, would have their own. Adoption of DNA technology for works of art could ultimately provide peace of mind for collectors of art and may ultimately serve as an additional layer of security.

Sources on museums using RFID:
Source http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_47/b3909057_mz011.htm
Article on Aquarium using the system
http://www.morerfid.com/details.php?subdetail=Report&action=details&report_id=53\
Article on Cleveland museum of art using system
http://www.cio.com/archive/071505/et_article_sidebar_one.html
Article on National museum of western art in Tokyo:
http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2006/04/12/the_national_mu.html
Some pseudo-scientific article on the subject:
http://giove.cnuce.cnr.it/pdawebsite/publications/MobileHCI-sp206.pdf
Consideration of technology by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
http://www.bevnetwork.com/talkingtech_issue_article.asp?ID=34&Title=Will%20You%20Be

Sources on artists/wineries using RFID:
Project tracking pigeons
http://project-urbaneyes.blogspot.com/
Performance art
http://meghantrainor.com/
Prada
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/272
Wineries using RFID for provenance
http://www.bevnetwork.com/talkingtech_issue_article.asp?ID=34&Title=Will%20You%20Be

Providers of RFID:
Isis
http://www.isisasset.com/products/for_the_art_world.htm
NJE Consulting
http://www.nje.ca/Index_RFID_Museum.htm

Sources on security systems:
http://www.csoonline.com/read/090104/art.html

Sources on DNA:
Applied DNA Sciences
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HMU/is_12_32/ai_n15998939
DNA security spray
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/006593.php
SmartWater
http://www.smartwater.com/newsApp/latest.aspx