Amber Jewelry Blog...

Saturday 19th May 2012 07:20:43 PM •

Business: Mining and Drilling

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).
GemSelect is a leading online dealer in fine gemstones, specializing in amber, sapphire, spinel and tourmaline.
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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.

Anglo American plc - Diversified mining and natural resource groups. (Nasdaq: AAUK).
Anticor-Chimie - Custom-made products for asphaltenes and paraffin deposition control. Full range of oilfield chemicals including bio-remediation and soil consolidation for agricultural.
Aztec Group of Companies - Drilling contractors, Thailand. Specializing in deep water wells, onshore oilfield, geotechnical, coring, geophysical logging,and mineral exploration.
Bradley Bros. - International drilling company specializes in core drilling and reverse circulation for mining and exploration industries.
Carnon Contracting - A mining and civil engineering contractor in the UK. Services include drilling, diamond drilling and cutting of concrete, mini piling and the treatment of abandoned mine workings.
Connelly & Associates - Licensed well drillers perform test borings, rock coring, install monitoring wells. Truck and all terrain vehicle drills.
Drummond Company, Inc. - Focuses on mining, purchasing, processing and selling of coal and coal derivatives.
Foraco - Specialists in water bore-hole drilling for drinking water supplies, irrigation water or industrial water. From preliminary exploration to pre-production and reserve geometry determination.
GeoEnergy Solutions Inc. - Provides design and installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems. Also offers sonic drilling for geothermal systems. Based in Bolton, Ontario.
Geotechnical Constructions Group - Ground freezing is a technique that has been used extensively for groundwater control and excavation support in the underground construction and mining industries for over 100 years.
Hammond and Company - Specialists in deep hole drilling. Gun drills, gun reamers, speedfeed, ventec, speedbit and proten drills.
IOM3 - Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining - Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
Intalysis Pty Ltd - Supplies instruments for bulk online moisture analysis of mined materials. Includes case studies and technical data.
Land-drill Geotechnics - Provides environmental, hydrogeological, and geological land-drilling, as well as geotechnical laboratory services and consulting.
Mine Safety Appliances Company - Makes equipment and systems to protect workers in fire service, construction, chemical manufacturing and mining.
Minerals Resources Forum - An information resource and forum for international co-ordination on the theme of minerals, metals and sustainable development. Site maintained by UNEP.
New England Boring Contractors - Test boring, soil sampling, rock coring, well monitoring, rock pressure testing and drilling since 1977.
Northstar Environmental Services - Air, mud rotory, hollow stem probe and direct-push drilling company in Mont Belvieu, Texas.
PT. Petrosea Tbk - Contract mining including overburden removal, coal, gold and minerals mining, and haulage. Open pit and hard rock mining and quarrying.
Pacific Drilling Company - Southern California limited access geotechnical drilling and sampling. Provides geotechnical and environmental engineering services, limited access drilling services.
Rally Environmental - Supplies minesite revegetation, native seeds, environmental consultancy, exploration rehabilitation and weed management. Includes details of services and awards, with company profile and industry news. Western Australia.
Stewart Brothers Drilling - Mud-rotary exploration, air-rotary casing hammer drilling and hollow stem auger drilling company in Milan, New Mexico.
Total Support Services - Environmental, geotechnical, and direct-push drilling contractor licensed in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
Zereko Mining Contractors Limited - Offering the international mining, railroads, pipelines and civil construction industries cost effective services including drilling, mining, blasting, construction, supply of trades personnel and specialized drilling applications.

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