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AMBER

Amber is the ancient and fossilised resin of trees that grew in forests millions of years ago. Over the eons, chemical and physical changes occurred, fossilizing the resin to produce the Amber we know today.

Research indicates that Amber ranges from about 2 million to 360 million years in age although most gem quality Amber ranges from 5 million to 50 million years.

Amber is a unique gem. In addition to its beauty, Amber bequeaths humankind valuable scientific data through its ability to act as a window on the past. Its unique ability to preserve the organic tissues of prehistoric life forms is valued by both gem collectors and scientists.

Legends and lore

In classical times, Amber was used medicinally and was also believed to offer a magical light for the deceased as they progressed through the underworld. Given this association, Amber was once believed to provide magicians and sorcerers with special powers. Other attributes associated with Amber include love, strength, luck, healing, protection and the ability to calm stressed nerves.

Just the facts

When you rub Amber, static electricity is generated. In fact, the word electricity is derived from the ancient Greek word for Amber, “elektron” or “sun made”. Although Amber is a fossilised plant resin that generally consists of organic carbon, hydrogen and oxygen structures, the composition varies depending on the type of parental plant species.

The process and transformation of tree resin into Amber is not fully understood. However, there are several elements which are recognised as being essential, namely molecular polymerisation (the combination of many molecules to form a more complex product of higher molecular weight), evaporation of turpenes (volatile oils – volatiles are substances that can be readily vaporised), heat and pressure.

While the rate of transition from tree resin to Amber is often represented as a linear process, in reality it is variable. There are many different types of fossilised tree resin found all over the world. Each deposit has unique chemical components, but can physically appear almost identical. In some cases, detailed chemical analysis is required to determine geographic origin. Following its secretion tree resin immediately begins to lose its original plasticity and harden. There are several forms of commercially exploited resin including Ambergris, Arabic Gum, Dammar, Frankincense, Gum Lac (sometimes called Shellac), Kauri Gum, Mastic, Myrrh, Rosin and Sandarach.

Copal is a more mature form of resin. The word Copal comes from the Spanish word “copalli”, which means incense, an actual use of Copal. Polymerisation has now progressed significantly through the body of the resin. In some cases the surface of the Copal has fractured and crazed due to surface shrinkage prompted through the initial evaporation of turpenes, which can also commence during this period. Distinguishing between Copal and Amber is a contentious issue amongst Amber experts because there is no scaling system for assessing polymerisation against age. Even though significant Copal deposits exist in Colombia and South America that are less than 1,000 years old, the process of polymerisation may take thousands of years before the resultant material can be called Copal. This is because many external factors affect the rate of molecular linking. The complete transition from resin to Amber needs two additional factors present: heat and pressure. Heat and pressure may support the process of polymerisation and turpene evaporation, but their full effect upon the formation of Amber is not completely understood. The length of time needed to reach the point at which the majority of turpenes have escaped varies depending on surrounding conditions and the nature of the resin at the moment of its formation.

The organic inclusions commonly found in Amber include plant debris, small animals and a variety of prehistoric insects. These ancient creatures are predominantly extinct ancestors of today’s cockroaches, ants, termites, caddis flies, centipedes, crickets, scorpions and millipedes. These preserved life forms were trapped by fresh sticky resin that oozed from coniferous trees millions of years ago. Preserved in the Amber, the insects are visible in almost perfect condition, showing the position they were in when they were entombed millions of years ago.

The most valued variety of Amber for manufacturing jewellery and decorative objects is Baltic Amber. Baltic Amber is also known as Succinite after its parent tree Pinus Succinfera that was common in the Tertiary period, some 50 million years ago. The living tree that is thought to be the most visually similar is Agathis Australis. At present, the primary source of Baltic Amber is the various deposits around the Russian port of Kaliningrad, the old German enclave of Koenigsberg. Annexed from the Germans after WW2, it is located on the southern Baltic coast between Poland and Lithuania. It is also called The Western Russian Enclave or Special Economic Zone “Yantar” (the Russian word for Amber). Below 30 metres of sand around Kaliningrad there is a 9 metre alluvial layer of Amber containing clay called “blue earth”. It is mined from the surface in open pits with dredging buckets. The “blue earth” is then washed and the Amber picked out by hand.

Typically yellow, golden or brown, Baltic Amber reportedly comes in 256 documented shades. The colour of Amber is influenced by changes in the resin when it is exuded from the tree.

Incredibly light, Amber is occasionally buoyant in salt water and Baltic Amber is sometimes transported long distances by the sea, having been found as far away as the beaches of England and Scotland. It’s from this ability it gains one of its common names, “sea stone”. Important secondary sources include the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

Since the Jurassic Park movies, interest in Amber with insect and animal inclusions has exploded, making it highly collectable. In regard to the film “Jurassic Park”, the alleged source of the dinosaur DNA was Dominican Amber. However, Dominican Amber is thought to be about 25 million years too young to truly contain dinosaur DNA, making the plot slightly inaccurate. However, other Amber sources from around the world could potentially contain the genetic material of these avian ancestors.

In 1994 a molecular biologist from California reported that he had extracted DNA from an insect sealed in Amber 120 to 130 million years ago. Dr. Raul Canu claimed the insect was trapped when dinosaurs ruled the earth, leading people to speculate that Michael Crichton’s novel could one day become a scientific reality.