Amber
Advice provided by Kenneth Cooke Jewellery,
selling the largest selection of natural Baltic Amber in the Jewellery Quarter.
Kenneth Cooke Jewellery.
11, The Big Peg, Warstone Lane, Hockley, Birmingham. B18 6NA.
0121 236 4966.
What is Amber?
Amber is the fossilised resin of ancient pine trees now largely extinct (Pinaceae Family). There are now only two types of trees producing stable resin, which could in time fossilise in to Amber- The Kauri Pine in New Zealand and the Hymenea in Central America.
As the pine resin oozed out of the trees it covered anything in its path, flies, spiders and many insects, in fact more than 1,000 extinct species have been identified in Amber.
Where has Amber been found?
Amber has been found in many deposits throughout history and it varies in colour depending on which area and when it was found. Lebanese, Burmese, Sicilian and Chinese and Mexican all vary in colour from clear to almost black.
Today the finest amber comes from the Baltic region, with the largest deposits in the Sambian Peninsula and by the bay of Gdansk (Poland).
Appearance
Natural Baltic Amber varies in colour from lemon, through to yellow, orange to dark brown. It can be clear or cloudy. If the Amber is almost white, it contains millions of air bubbles, dark clear Amber was exposed to the air and seawater, green Amber had moss and fauna trapped when it was forming.
Amber- True or False?
· Modern Amber from the Baltic has circular inclusions, known as sun spangles.
· Baltic Amber sometimes contains hairs from flowers of oak trees but these occur very rarely.
· Victorian Jewellery used pressed Amber by heating two pieces of Amber together to make one large chunk.
· There are various substances used to make fake amber. The main ones are Bakelit (phenolic resin), which was used in beads, and Copal from East Africa, Columbia and the Dominican Republic. Plastic has also been known to be used in these countries.
How can you establish whether the Amber is real?
Tests to discover if the Amber is real are easy to do. These include rubbing the Amber with surgical spirit, it will not go sticky. Amber is fairly soft so will scratch easily, it will float in a saline solution and a hot needle test will produce a resinous smell. A infrared absorption spectroscopy test will determine if the Amber is 100% genuine.
Why buy Amber?
Why not buy Amber!
· Every piece of Amber is completely unique.
· Amber is an extremely versatile material, which lends itself to gold and silver.
· Amber has a wonderful texture, which is warm and pleasant to the touch.
· Amber is believed to have medicinal properties. Its healing powers have been used to treat asthma, rheumatism and internal problems. Amber has been known to be used as an aphrodisiac, as protection against evil and as a good luck charm.
· Amber is sophisticated and stylish and the range of colours will suit any season.
