Amber Jewelry Blog...

Saturday 19th May 2012 06:28:30 PM •

Arts: Art History

What is amber?

A common misconception with Amber is that it is tree sap; it is actually fossilised resin from ancient forests. The tree resin is exuded for a number of reasons such as protection for an injury to the tree, protection against biological or insect attack etc. The resin has then hardened and been preserved in the earths crust. Although Amber is regarded as a gem it is actually an organic substance that does not have the organic matter replaced by minerals. Pieces of amber are not cold and hard like most other gems. I have seen it described as 'organic plastic' to try and describe its weight and texture. Whilst I understand this description I think it takes away from the mystery and romance of this gem. Amber is also sometimes known as Succinite.

What are the different colours?

The huge variety of colours and the uniqueness of every piece is partly what makes this gem so popular. There are over 250 identified shades. The differing shades are due to the kind of tree the resin came from, the inclusions, the age of the amber and also the area in the world it comes from. Although amber deposits can be found all over the world there are only approximately 20 where it can be commercially mined.

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What are Inclusions in Amber

Inclusions are small objects which become embedded in the resin prior to it hardening and are part of what makes this gem truly fascinating. It was the very inclusion of a mosquito in a piece of amber that started the fictional theme park 'Jurassic Park' and it was at this point that Amber became more popular and fascinating to a wider audience in modern day. Because of this tree resin it means that anyone can own something that is millions of years old. This is part of its charm and romance.

A variety of small animals have been caught in these resin 'traps' such as fleas, ticks, millipedes and mosquitoes as well as items like seeds, roots, spores and Lichen. What I personally find the most fascinating are the ones that got away! Pieces of amber have been found with animal paw prints and have, on rare occasions, contained a few hairs or feathers from animals that have fled from its sticky clutches. All of these inclusions have enabled scientists to build an accurate picture of some of the plants and animals these forest contained and build more accurate pictures of earth in those times.

Amber From the Baltic.

The class of organic gemstones is quite small, but includes some unusual varieties which are important in the gem trade, including pearl, coral, ivory and amber. All the organic gems are rather unusual, but none more than amber. Amber is the fossilized hardened resin of the pine tree, Pinus succinifera, formed mainly in the Eocene epoch of the Tertiary period, about 50 million years ago. Amber has been used since prehistoric times for jewelry, amulets and religious objects. The most prized pieces contain inclusions of insects or plants or pyrites.

Yellow, orange and brown are the most common colors for amber, though rare blue amber is found in the Dominican Republic. The term "amber" has entered the English language as the color that is halfway between yellow and orange. The clarity of natural amber ranges from transparent to opaque. Most pieces have bubbles or inclusions. When polished amber has a resinous luster.

Unlike most gemstones, amber is amorphous rather than crystalline. It is fairly soft, with a rating of 2-2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. While it is durable enough to have survived for millions of years, it is sensitive to acids, caustic solutions, gasoline, alcohol and perfume. It will burn if ignited by a match, releasing an incense-like odor.

One of the most unique characteristics of amber is that it is exceptionally light. It has a density or specific gravity of only 1.05 to 1.09. Amber is so light that it will float in salt water. Amber's low density makes it difficult to imitate with glass or plastic, which have much higher densities. By way of comparison, the total volume of a 5 carat piece of amber is 2.5 times the volume of a 5 carat piece of zircon (one of the denser gem materials).
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What has Amber been used for?

Currently Amber is enjoying a resurgence in its popularity as a gem that can make truly unique and beautiful jewelry, but has had many varied uses in the past.

The Romans used it in coins amongst other things.
A variety of religious objects including rosaries.
Amber attracts lint with static electricity when rubbed.
In the past it is thought to protect the wearer from kidnapping and aging and keep evil spirits away.
Cure for a variety of conditions such as headaches and rheumatic pain and enhance fertility.
Amber brings the wearer good luck in a variety of situations from going to war to getting married.
Often used as grave goods for a variety of reasons.
Thrown into fires to release aromatic fragrances.

Amber has always been popular and its use can be traced back to Neolithic times. The uniqueness of the gem has inspired different cultures throughout history to marvel, wonder and sometimes kill for it. We have always loved Amber and so it was only fitting that the first web site we set-up was to sell Amber Jewelry. The article is drawn from many years of reading about amber to satisfy our curiosity. My sister and I hope this will be the first of many articles on this fascinating topic. Please visit our site http://newamberjewelry.com/home to see if you agree with us regarding the diversity of this gem.

ArtLex - Art Dictionary - Reference material in art, art history, art criticism, aesthetics, and art education. Definitions of thousands of terms, illustrations, quotations, and links to other resources.
ARC International - The Art Renewal Center - Offering biographical information and high-resolution images of many paintings from the great masters of the 19th century.
About.com: Art History - Online community and resource guide for the artists and art periods of the past.
Andres Blaisten Museum - Masterpieces of Mexican Art from the XIX and XX Centuries from private collections.
Art Historians' Guide to the Movies - A record by Craig Eliason of appearances of and references to famous works of art and architecture in the movies, arranged by period.
Art History with Michelli - The Art Browser divides categories of resources by time period and their movements.
Art in the Picture.com - Offers an introduction to visual art history. Famous artist's galleries and biographies, movements, major museums.
ArtMagick - Virtual art gallery displaying paintings and poetry from art movements of the 19th and 20th centuries with an emphasis on displaying works of art by artists who have been forgotten or neglected in recent years.
Artists and Ancestors - Exhibition of miniature portraits from XVIII - XX century, information about artists and sitters.
Audio Recordings of Great Works of Art - Exploring the aural aura of masterworks as found in the sounds in the immediate locations of highly regarded paintings, sculptures, and other artworks.
Carol Gerten's Virtual Art Museum - Broad gallery that includes biographies and images for hundreds of well-known American, French, Spanish, Dutch, German and Japanese artists.
Christian Art and Artists from Late Medieval to Modern - Examples illustrating the development of Christian art, from the Christian Traveler's Guides.
Delineavit et Sculpsit - The Internet stepping stone for all those interested in Old Master prints and drawings: publications, events, links to the world's main print rooms, and the periodical Delineavit et Sculpsit.
HuntFor Art History - Quick reference for all periods in the art history, images and links.
Lübeck's Dance of Death - Dances of Death in Lübeck, Tallinn, Berlin and Denmark. Pictures, books and primary sources. Several books are reproduced.
Mark Harden's Artchive - An art archive with thousands of images that are accessed through an alphabetical list of artist's names and art styles. Covers every style of art from ancient and African to impressionist and modern.
Mexican Masks - Collection of authentic danced masks from Mexico and Guatemala with discussions and comments on the art of collecting and other curious observations. Antique masks, patination techniques, insect infestation, techniques of collecting.
Mona Lisa Images for a Modern World - A site exploring the enduring fascination of the Mona Lisa, including history, parodies, homages and comments from site visitors.
New Deal Art During the Great Depression - Information and photographs of extant WPA/New Deal art, focusing on Illinois, Ohio, and California. There are biographies, a timeline of the New Deal, and other odd bits of information.
OCAIW: Art Images on the Web - Orazio Centaro's site. Includes a long alphabetical listing of artists and includes links to images that reside on both the OCAIW site and other artist sites on the Web.
Resources in Art History for Graduate Students - This newsletter lists grants, fellowships, internships, conferences, publication and study abroad opportunities for graduate students in art history and closely related areas.
Sister Wendy's American Collection - From PBS - Sister Wendy Beckett, nun and art commentator, takes viewers on a tour through six of America's greatest art museums.
The Getty Provenance Index - Collects and disseminates information related to the history of collecting and the provenance of individual works of art.
WebMuseum: Famous Paintings - Offers images and historical context for artists and art movements ranging from Gothic and Renaissance to Impressionism and Pop.
World Art Treasures - Based on the Jacques-Edouard Berger collection of images of art objects and essays devoted to the main civilizations, such as Egypt, China, Japan, India, Europe.