Amber
The term "amber" is a general
term for fossilised tree resin. Baltic Amber has been dated
to the Eocene era some
40 -
54 Million Years ago. The largest deposit of amber currently
in existence is on the Samland Peninsula in the former territory
of
East Prussia, today the Kaliningrad district of the Russian Republic.
This is where the vast majority of Baltic Amber is mined.
Amber is formed when tree resin fossilises and polymerises completely.
Tree resin contains many organic compounds called volatiles,
and these evaporate and disperse from the resin. The resin then
undergoes the process of polymerisation. This is where all of
the organic molecules within the resin join together to form
much larger molecules called polymers.
The hardened resin is known as ‘copal’ (and
is often described as young amber). The copal then continues
to polymerise
and lose volatiles until it becomes inert. Once this has occurred
it is known as amber (or true amber).
Copal is soluble in alcohol whereas amber is not. If a drop
of isopropanol or ethanol is placed on the surface of a piece
of copal and allowed to evaporate, the alcohol reacts with the
volatile components that are still present, and the surface becomes
sticky. Amber, being inert, will not react with alcohol.
The complete process of amberization is still not fully understood
and was previously thought to be related to the age of the resin.
However, the current theory is that the type of sediment in which
the resin is deposited is much more important than its age.
The type of tree that produced the resin that subsequently formed
Baltic Amber has been a subject of intense debate over the years.
However, after recent studies of pollen trapped in Baltic Amber,
it is now believed to be an extinct relative of certain living
pine trees. Amber deposits from The Dominican Republic (formed
within the mid-Oligocene period, some 30 million years ago) were
produced from an extinct species of hymenaea tree. It has been
named Hymenaea protera.
Baltic Amber
It is well recognized that Baltic Amber
is the most valued Amber of all. Most often, amber is known in
its warm, translucent
deep yellow form. But it is found in a full range of colours,
from dark brown up to light golden yellow. Rarely, amber appears
in an opaque form with colours ranging from white through to
ivory (often called ‘bone amber’). This colouring
is due to millions of microscopic air bubbles trapped within
the amber. Occasionally, inclusions such as prehistoric plants
or insect life that was trapped in the sticky resin are found.
The largest deposit of amber currently in existence is on the
Samland Peninsula in the former territory of East Prussia, today
the Kaliningrad district of the Russian Republic. This is where
the vast majority of Baltic Amber is mined (and is where all
of the amber we sell originates from).
Amber is mined from the
so-called ‘Blue Earth’ layer,
which varies between two and ten metres wide. At the edge of
the Baltic Sea, the layer is located nearly at sea level, whilst
inland the layers are covered by 30 – 40 metres of Tertiary
and Pleistocene sediments.
Amber and prehistoric people
One of the first substances used for decoration, it was an object
of trade and barter for the Baltic population. The oldest piece
of amber altered by man was found in the area of Hannover,
Germany. It was dated at approximately 30,000 years old! It
probably served as an amulet (good luck charm). Thousands of
archaeological findings in Central Europe have proven that
prehistoric humans used amber for personal embellishment and
for glorification of religious rituals. One archaeological
excavation found a centre of amber craft, which existed around
3000 B.C. in today's Lithuania.
The biggest discovery was made just recently, in the 1980's,
several miles east of Gdansk in Poland. There, various settlements
engaged in amber craft between 2100 B.C. and 1700 B.C. Only one
village (Niedzwiedziowka) was thoroughly examined. More than
30,000 pieces of crafted amber were identified. It is believed
that about 900 independent amber craft shops existed within half
a square mile.
Ancient Greece
Amber became widely valued around 1600 B.C. Greeks were fascinated
by it. In their mythology, amber was made from the tears of
a nymph as they dropped into water. In The Odyssey, Homer describes
an amber necklace belonging to a distinguished Phoenician merchant.
From Greece, amber went to other Mediterranean nations. Articles
made with Baltic amber were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun,
1400 B.C., and in Mesopotamia, 900 B.C. The ancient Greek word
for amber is electron, meaning - originating from the Sun.
The Greeks were also the first to describe the electrostatic
properties of amber. No wonder that many hundreds of years
later this word was used to name electricity.
Ancient Romans
They loved amber as well. Jewellery, decorative articles, dice,
and amulets were made with amber, but only for the rich. Pliny
the Elder complained that a small amber statuette of a man
was more expensive than a man alive and healthy (a slave).
To bring more amber, trade expeditions were made to the Baltic
Sea. The size of the amber trade can be illustrated by the
fact that more than 70,000 ancient Roman coins have been found
in what is now Poland.
Names of Amber
Ancient Phoenicians used the word yainitar
to name amber, and this has a clear association with many words
for Baltic amber
used today. Lithuanians call it gintaras. In Russian it is
yantar, and in Hungarian it’s gyantar. The Polish language
has two words for amber, but the more poetic one is jantar
(pronounced yantar). Given the geographic distribution of the
largest natural deposits, we believe that the word Yantar is
the first name given by human beings to the amber from the
Baltic Sea. Due to its beauty and uniqueness, Baltic amber
certainly deserves a special name. It’s no wonder then,
they chose yantar.
Fake Amber
The following substances have been used as Amber substitutes
over the years.
Phenolic Resin (Bakelite) and celluloid are often found in old
Victorian, Edwardian, and Georgian necklaces. Copal has been
used to embed fake inclusions because it melts rather than burns
allowing organisms to be inserted. Coloured glass has also been
used as fake amber, but glass feels cold and is relatively heavy,
whereas amber feels warm and is much lighter.
Some tests for fake amber are as follows: (Note: these tests
are potentially dangerous and damaging, and we do not recommend
their use on jewellery or any item of value. If you are unsure
of the authenticity of a piece, you are much better off consulting
a specialist)
Alcohol Test
This test can be used to distinguish Amber from Copal. Place
a drop of either Isopropanol or Ethanol on a polished surface
of the piece and allow it to evaporate. Alcohol will react
with copal, leaving a sticky surface, whereas the surface of
genuine amber will be unaffected. Synthetic materials and glass
will also not cause a reaction.
Scratch Test
A test that can distinguish between amber and glass is to try
and scratch the piece with a pin. Amber, Copal, and synthetics
will scratch whereas glass will not.
Hot Wire Test
This can distinguish between amber and other fake materials.
A needle or wire is heated until it is red hot, allowing it
to cool slightly and then pressing the tip against the material
to be tested. This will produce a puff of smoke. This can be
smelt, and if it smells acrid and resinous, then it is likely
to be amber. Copal smells sweeter and resinous, and of course
celluloid, phenolic resin, and other plastics have an acrid
plastic like smell.
Saltwater Test
Amber and copal will float in a saturated salt solution. Place
284ml (half a pint) of water into a container, pour in approx
40g of table salt and stir. The solution will become cloudy.
Let the solution stand for a few minutes stirring occasionally
and it should start clearing as the salt dissolves. Because
the salt solution has a higher specific gravity than amber
or copal, these substances will float. Glass, phenolic resin,
and celluloid will sink. Thoroughly wash the piece in clean
water afterwards. This test is of no use for amber jewellery
with metal clasps or other adornments, as the weight of the
metal will make the amber sink.
Scientific Tests
The scientific tests most often used to identify amber are infrared
spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Both of these tests produce
a graph that shows the chemical composition of a sample. It
is easy to find out from the graph whether the substance is
amber or one of the fake substitutes. Infrared spectroscopy
can determine whether a sample is Baltic Amber or not due to
a plateau in the graph known as the Baltic Shoulder. If this
is present, then the specimen is Baltic Amber. Mass Spectrometry
can tell the difference between different types of amber, but
is not widely available and is expensive.
