Amber
from the Antique Jewelry University
| ” | In the forest primeval, a creature calls… Its echo is heard for millions of years. | ” |
Amber is the fossilized resin from ancient, extinct, pine trees and conifers which grew, mainly, in the Baltic region (the countries around the Baltic Sea) around 25 to 60 million years ago. The globs of resin were buried in the ground for millions of years and through weathering, they were released in the sea from where they drifted to the shores as far as England - the density of amber being slightly lower than saline water which makes it float easily. A younger type of amber, which is not completely fossilized, is named copal. As amber is fossilized - but not mineralized - its structure is amorphous, which means that it does not have an internal ordered structure. There are many simulants for amber - as glass, copal and plastics - but amber can be distinguished from these by their physical properties and inclusions. The most coveted ambers are those with well preserved flora and fauna - which were trapped in the sap - and these can be very exotic. Today one can buy plastic or resin imitations with complete insects and even salamanders on demand but the price they ask for them is the first clue that something is not right.
The Greek name for amber is electron and they were thought to be pieces of the sun, broken off and fallen in the ocean by the ancient Greeks. Due to the piezoelectric property of amber - it will obtain a negative electric charge when rubbed - the quantum particle electron was named after amber.
Amber if found on the shores surrounding the Baltic and East Sea where it washes ashore after being released from the sea beds. Today the main deposit is a blue clay layer in Samland, near Palmnicken, Kaliningrad, Russia. Only 15% of the production has outer appearances which make them suitable to be worn as jewelry and the remaining amber is used to produce glues or cements. Some of this non-jewelry material is also reconstructed by heat and pressure and is marketed as ambroid.
Other attributes given to amber include the calming of nerves and en living a disposition. One's intellect is stimulated by amber and it helps in making difficult choices by the removal of self imposed obstacles. Creativity is also believed to be heightened by this gemstone. The sunny bright energy, emitted from the stone draws out negative energy and can purify the heart and spirit. Wisdom and knowledge are required by the wearer. The crown chakra is opened and stimulated by amber.
| Gemological information for amber | |
|---|---|
| Color | The color of amber varies from pale yellow to a deep brown or red, green and blue amber is also know |
| Crystal structure | Amorphous |
| Refractive index | ca. 1.54 |
| Durability | Can be damaged by a hot torch |
| Hardness | 2 to 2.5 |
| Similar stones | Simulated by several plastics, glass and resins, as well as reconstructed amber |
| Treatments | Oiling, heat treatments, reconstruction |
| Country of origin | Germany, Poland, The Dominican Republic, And Colombia, Sicily, Burma And Romania. |
| Amber care | |
| Ultrasonic cleaning | Not safe |
| Steam cleaning | Not safe |
| Warm soapy water | Safe without abrasive brushes |
| Chemical attack | Keep away from chemicals |
| Light sensitivity | None |
| Heat sensitivity | Sensitive to torches and other hot appliances |
Notes
Online G&G articles on amber
- Spring 1943, Amber, by Briggs, p. 78, 3pp.
- Fall 1959, A pink amber-like resin from Southern Calif., p. 337, 2pp.
- Fall 1963, A Painted Amber, p. 87, 1p.
- Winter 1964, Pressed Amber, p. 243, 2pp.
- Winter 1965, Pressed Amber, p. 370, 2pp.
- Summer 1966, Coated Amber, p. 60, 1p.
- Winter 1967, Amberdan (amber imitation), p. 251, 2pp.
- Summer 1968, Amber Fraud (large spider in amber doublet), p. 318, 2pp.
- Summer 1969, Coated Amber, p. 67, 1p.
- Fall 1970, Varnished Amber (to improve color) , p. 227, 1p.
- Spring 1971, Amber Snuff Bottles, p. 276, 2pp.
- Fall 1972, Amber with many insect inclusions, p. 93, 2pp.
- Winter 1972, Pressed Amber and Natural Amber, p. 116, 1p.
- Winter 1973, Natural amber chips in a plastic, p. 251, 2pp.
- Winter 1976, bugs in plastic imitation of amber, p. 251, 1p.
- Winter 1978, Amber from the Dominican Republic, p. 367, 3pp.
- Fall 1978, Baltic Amber, by Gübelin, p. 66, 11pp.
Online texts on amber
- 1900, The Tears of the Heliades, Amber as a Gem, by W. Arnold Buffum, Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons, NYC, 110pp.
- 1923, Amber, by Oliver Cummings Farrington, Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, Leaflet #3, pp. 25-31
- 1956, Two new fossil thrips from Baltic amber (Thysanoptera ; Terebrantia), by Lewis Judson Stannard, Chicago Natural History Museum, Bound with no.1-39, 41-42 of v.34, the Chicago Natural History Museum zoological series.
- 2001, A remarkable Dominican amber species of Cylindromyrmex with Brazilian affinities and additions to the generic revision., by M. L. De Andrade, Beitraege zur Entomologie, Volume: 51, Issue: 1, Pages: 51-63.