Amber: An Introduction

Amber, known and valued as a gemstone since at least Neolithic times, remains popular for jewelry to the present. Amber is a fossilized resin from various sorts of trees, mainly a species of pine or a legume. Amber is a soft, light stone, which as a poor heat conductor feels warm to the touch. It comes in a variety of colors, from pale yellow to orange to an almost opaque dark red, and can be clear, cloudy or opaque depending on bubbles, inclusions and flow planes, and the surface can be dull, polished or iridescent depending on polish and impurities. Most if not all amber is fluorescent under a black-light. It can be polished easily, because it is so soft; but it also wears easily for the same reason.

To scientists, amber is a particular interested because of inclusions. Amber is well-known for preserving a variety of small creatures, ranging from micro-organisms to small lizards and frogs. Most often found are small flies, midges, gnats and the like but beetles, spiders, moths and similar creatures are not uncommon. Plant debris is even more frequently found; one sort of debris characteristic of Baltic (see pictures) and related ambers is sort of "hair" from male oak flowers, not often found in other varieties. Some of the fossils are of particular interest; the oldest known ants, for examples, are found in Cretaceous amber from New Jersey and Lebanon.

Amber is found in many places, and is constantly turning up on new areas. The two most common types are Baltic, from the shores of the Baltic Sea, and Dominican, (see pictures) from mines in northern parts of the Dominican Republic. Other varieties, less frequently met with, are from Mexico (Chiapas province), (see pictures) Burma (Kachin State) (see pictures), Canada (Alberta), and the USA (Arkansas, New Jersey). Most other amber-producing sites are of no commercial importance, as their output is so small that such amber appears very rarely.

Amber varies widely in age. The newest is semi-fossilized resins known as "copal", some of which is barely hardened; the oldest known amber is Carboniferous. The following table gives a few examples:

Inclusions?

Many types of imitations have flooded the market since Roman times. Nowadays they fall into four categories: plastic, glass, semi-fossil resins ("copals") and reconstituted amber. Glass is very easy to detect, as it feels cold, is very hard, and is heavy. Copal is fairly easy to tell as it feels slightly sticky to the touch, and is usually much paler than fossil amber. Plastics can be tricky; some of the books listed below describe the differences. Reconstituted amber is the most difficult, sometimes fooling experts; it is after all, noting more than amber chips made into a large piece with a "filler" usually melted copal or something similar. Like any other "collectible" experience allows the collector to tell quickly what the novice can only determine "by the book"

Amber nowadays is cheaper than it has ever been, and information regarding it has never been more available. We sell examples to fit all interests and budges.

Further reading:

Dahlstrom, A.; Brost, L., Amber book, Tucson, 1996. General introduction.

Poinar, G. and R.; Amber Forest, Princeton 1999. Dominican amber inclusions.

Poinar, G.; Life in Amber, book or CD-Rom versions. General description of inclusions.

Poinar, G. and R.; Search for Life in Amber, Reading, MA, 1994. General introduction.

Rice, P.C.; Amber, Golden Gem of the Ages, NY 1987. General introduction.

Ross, A., Amber, Cambridge, MA 1998. Excellent cheap introduction to inclusions.