Amber

AMBER.
Amber is the fossilized resin of trees. Most amber is golden yellow to golden orange but green, red, violet, and black amber has been found. Transparent to translucent, it usually occurs as nodules or small, irregularly shaped masses, often with a cracked and weathered surface. Amber may contain insects (and more rarely frogs, toads, and Lizards), moss, Lichen, or pine needles that were trapped millions of years ago while the resin was still sticky. Air bubbles may give amber a cloudy appearance, but heating in oil clear this. When rubbed, amber produce a negative electric charge that attracts dust. "Ambroid" is formed by heating and pressing together scraps of amber.

Occurrence The most famous deposits are in the Baltic region, Particularly along the coasts of Poland and the former USSR. Baltic amber (known as succinite) washed from the seabed may reach as far as the coasts of England, Norway, and Denmark. Amber from Burma is called burmite; Sicilian amber is known as simetite. Other location include the Dominican Republic, Mexico, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Romania, canada, Gzechoslovakia, and the USA.

REMARK Amber has had a number of medicinal uses attributed to it, but today is used almost exclusively for jewellery. It has been imitated by Plastic, glass, synthetic resin, and other natural resins, like copal.

Dehydrated bead

transparent beads have warm glow

Numerous four-sided facets

BEAD NECKLACE

Some of the 31 drilled cut and polished amber beads that make up this necklace show signs of dehydration. This is a common problem with amber jewellery, which will dry out if left in the sun or worn in the heat of the day.