GOLD OF THE NORTH
Name: english :amber (the
name is derived from the old Arabic word "anbar"),
french: ambre, deutsch: Bernstein, danish: rav, greek: elektron
(if you rub amber on a cloth it becomes charged with negative
electricity/ that`s the origin of the word electricity).
Fossil
resin of coniferous trees (plinus succinifera) during Eocene/
55 40 million years.
Origin: Here Baltic States/
main region: Jantarny ( Russia) /before 1945 called Palmnicken/
East Prussia.
Exploitation: Opencast mining/
up to 900t per year/ only a small quantity can be used for
jewelry.
Components:
80% carbon, approx. 10% hydrogen, ca 10% oxygen, small quantity
of sulfur.
Hardness:
2 2.5 Moh`s scale.
Specific gravity: 1.05
1.10g/cm3.
Colors:
all varieties of cognac and golden yellow from opaque to
transparent, ivory-colored, brown, green (moss), black (contains
bark of trees or floor coverings of the forest); rare: blue
and cherry (The reason of opaque color are up to 900 000
small bubbles per square millimeter when the sun heated
amber the surface of the stone became weak and oxygen could
leave this process is called natural clearing. Sun spangles
are caused by different temperatures.
Similar
to natural amber: pressed amber (small pieces will be heated
up to 320o C and pressed from four sides to plates
or cylinders/ in Germany and Austria it is called "
Echt Bernstein" real amber- / reconstructed amber
plastics/ glass imitations
Speciality:
When the resin was running down the tree small insects were
incorporated airsealed. So we have a focussed look at a
part of flora and fauna 50 million year ago. The bodies
of insects are hollow, what you see is only the skin.
Tests
for authenticity: amber is swimming in a strong salt water
or in Cola plastic will remain on the bottom. Burning:
amber has an aromatic resin taste, plastic is stinking.
Processing:
mostly manual work; grinding of weather-beaten crust (oxidation)
shaping - polishing - drilling. Some tumbling and vibrator
machines.
Jewelry:
Baltic amber is used as gem stone since the Mesolithic Period.
In the Baltic region, the ancient Rome and the ancient Greece(
Homer) amber was used for jewellery, for medicine and as
a stone for spiritual healing. The Roman poet Plinius was
angry about the price of amber " a small carved statue
of amber is more expensive than a slave".
Articles made of amber: tumbled
stones, hand grinded lumps , necklaces (round baroque round-olive-cylinder-disk
beads, small and big splinter), bracelets, pendants, Christian
and Moslem rosaries, carvings, key pendants, letter opener
etc.
Astrological aspect: stone
of twin.
Possible
healing effects:sore throat/ if you put amber in water or
wine for 1-14 days, the liquid shall be good against stomach-ache/asthma/
stypic (so the literature).
Attention: If your amber
jewel isn`t shining polish it with toothepaste!
