Amber Jewelry Blog...

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 01:59:45 AM •

Science: Research Groups and Centers

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.

Academia Resource Management - Providing academic scientists and engineers with research opportunities in government and industry.
Archive of Starlab Research Laboratories - A privately funded, 'blue sky' research institute in Brussels, Belgium, now closed. Areas of study included quantum physics, nanotechnology, protein folding, and robotics. Archives of research material and links to researchers.
Association of Independent Research Institutes - AIRI is a nationwide association of independent, not-for-profit research institutes. Provides information on membership, and on the organization's role in monitoring federal policy and funding issues affecting biomedical research.
Battelle - Nonprofit corporation with a portfolio that includes technology development, commercialization of new products, and management of U.S. government research and development facilities.
Carnegie Institution of Washington - A non-profit scientific research organization specializing in the physical and biological sciences.
Center for Earth and Planetary Studies - Unit within the Collections and Research Department of the National Air and Space Museum. Features research, outreach and image galleries covering planetary science, terrestrial geophysics, and the remote sensing of environmental change.
Center for Research in Scientific Computation at NCSU - Specializes in computational science, engineering and applied mathematics. At North Carolina State University.
Centre Henri Tudor - Provides information on training courses and research which focuses on information and communication technologies, materials science, business organisation and management, environmental technologies and health care technologies.
Centro de Estudios Científicos / Center for Scientific Studies - A private, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development and diffusion of scientific research. Valdivia, Chile.
East-West Science Centre - At the University of Kassel, Germany, supporting east-west cooperation in economics and science.
Forschungszentrum Jülich - German research center combines 40 institutes on a single campus, in areas ranging from nuclear physics to electronics, medicine to waste management.
Fort Hare Institute of Social and Economic Research - FHISER’s mission is to promote social, cultural and economic development in the Eastern Cape and the southern African region through the delivery of high-quality academic, applied and policy research, as well as through teaching and training within the University and broader community.
French Institute of Pondicherry - A multidisciplinary research organization that focuses on the Southeast Asia region. Conducts active research in ecological, social and Indian studies, in collaboration with various Indian and foreign research institutions. Primary objective is to promote Indo-french cooperation in science and culture.
Houston Advanced Research Center - Research initiatives include energy, biotechnology, environment, information.
Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris - An interdisciplinary lab at the interface between the humanities, the social sciences and the cognitive sciences.
Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA) - A division of New Mexico Tech. Seeks solutions to problems in critical infrastructure protection and other national security domains.
Institute of Scientific and Technological Research - Rwandan research center concentrating on the fields of applied, life and human sciences. Provides details of research programs and projects, seminars, conferences and publications.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis - IIASA is a non-governmental research organization located in Austria. International teams of experts from various disciplines conduct scientific studies on environmental, economic, technological and social issues in the context of human dimensions of global change.
Living Knowledge - Offers a publicly-accessible resource for science shops, community-based organizations, government agencies, and universities. Offers background information on individual members and organizations, contact details, and an overview of the project's goals and achievements.
Matgas - Materials and gases research organization focusing on supercritical fluids, nanotechnology, and gas reactivity. A collaboration between industry, academia, and government, located in Barcelona, Spain.
Max Planck Society - Max Planck Institutes carry on basic research in service to the general public in the areas of natural science, social science and the arts and humanities.
OFFIS: Institute for Information Technology - Oldenberg, Germany. Research and development in embedded systems, healthcare information and communication systems.
Paul Scherrer Institut - A multi-disciplinary research centre for natural sciences and technology.
Prima Vera - Research program in information-related issues of business administration at Universiteit van Amsterdam.
Qatar Foundation: Science and Research - Develops and promotes multi-disciplinary research studies including medicine, biotechnology, environmental sciences, information technology, nanotechnology and engineering.
RTI International - Conducts research in health & pharmaceuticals, education, surveys, statistics, technology, governance, economic & social policy, energy & the environment for governments & businesses worldwide.
ResearchGATE: Science Network - Social community for researchers, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among researchers worldwide.
Rudjer Boskovic Institute - Scientific research centre located in Zagreb, Croatia.
SRI International - An independent nonprofit R+D organization, creating innovative technology and business solutions for government agencies, commercial businesses and foundations for over 50 years.
Santa Fe Institute - Private, non-profit, multidisciplinary research and education center that pursues emerging science, largely on a theoretical level. Topics include artificial life forms and evolutionary complexity.
Schafer Corporation - Technology company providing products and professional services to government and industry, in the areas of defense, space, and laboratory and analytical operations.
Science and Technology Center in Ukraine - Supports research and development activities for peaceful applications by Ukrainian, Georgian, and Uzbekistani scientists and engineers, formerly involved with development of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
Scilla and Charibdis Research - Research agency specializes in population genetics and complex systems. Facility also offers statistical consulting.
Southeastern Universities Research Association - Colleges, universities, and other organizations cooperate with one another and with government in acquiring, developing, and using laboratories and other research facilities and in furthering knowledge in the physical, biological, and other natural sciences and engineering.
Southern Research Institute - Diversified network of collaborative centers for scientific discovery and technology development in the life sciences research, life sciences contract services, engineering, and environment and energy industries.
Swiss Center for Affective Sciences - The Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences is one of 20 National Centres of Competence in Research established by the Swiss federal government. With the University of Geneva as its home institution, the Centre coordinates collaborative research by psychologists, neuroscientists, philosophers, historians, economists, social scientists, and legal scholars.
The Evergreen Foundation - A privately funded research institution on aspects of public wellness and safety such as vaccine development and surveillance technology. Westchester County, NY, USA.
The Rowland Institute for Science - A private, nonprofit organization with a broad charter to conduct advanced scientific research founded in 1980 by Edwin Herbert Land, and endowed by Land and his family.
The Scripps Research Institute - Private, non-profit research organization engaged in basic biomedical science. The eight scientific departments study all areas of modern biomedical research and synthetic bioorganic chemistry. Based in La Jolla, CA, USA.
UKAEA - Links to the science and technology research centres operated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Universities Research Association, Inc. - A consortium of research-oriented universities, mainly in the USA, as well as Canada, Italy and Japan. Publications and reports.
University of South Florida: Reed Lab - Undertaking research into human-robot interaction for medical and rehabilitation devices. Includes details of projects, publications and lab members.
Vestlandsforsking - Independent research institute, part of Norway's national research system. Key research areas are in the fields of information technology, environmental research and society and industry. Primarily in Norsk, with a few English pages.
Weizmann Institute of Science - An international center of scientific research and graduate study located in Rehovot, Israel.
Western Research Institute (WRI) - Technology development center in Laramie, Wyoming, serving private clients, industry, and government with expertise in energy, environment, and highway materials.
ZiF: Center for Interdisciplinary Research - This center at Bielefeld University is an internationally operating Institute for Advanced Study which supports and houses interdisciplinary research projects from all scientific fields.