Amber Jewelry Blog...

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 02:04:43 AM •

Science: Social Sciences: Geography

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.

Administrative Divisions of Countries ("Statoids") - Worldwide reference for states, provinces, governorates, counties, districts, and other subdivisions of countries.
Canadian Council for Geographic Education - Aims to strengthen geographic education in the classroom, and to increase the public awareness of the importance of geographical literacy.
Cyber-Geography Research - An initiative (updated 1997-2004) to map cyberspace, this site contains a variety of pages dedicated to helping the viewing not only understand "cyber geography" but to visualize it as well.
Environmental Geography - Dr. James Hayes Bohanan - Geography of the environment, and the use of the web in higher education.
European Spatial Planning Resource and Information Database (ESPRID) - The database focuses on the spatial dimensions of territorial development processes and the spatial impacts of EU, national, regional and local policies across the European continent.
GIS and Mapping Links - Links to Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Mapping sites on the internet. All links are verified every month.
Geo-Guide - A subject gateway to scholarly information in earth science, geography and mining. From the Goettingen State and University Library.
Geographical - A site that explores the world. The online resource on travel for schools, professionals and enthusiasts alike.
Geography Resource Center - Internet Resources for Geographers
Geohive - A collection of tables and graphs providing global and population statistics in general and by country, including area, capitals, main cities and administrative levels.
Geosource - Web resources for human geography, physical geography, planning, geoscience and environmental science. Provided by Utrecht University Library.
History of the International Date Line - Extensive information on the circumnavigator's paradox and the history of its resolution.
Infoplease Political and Reference Atlas - Infoplease Atlas has political maps of each region, country, and state with links to reference information.
Information Please: Geography Resource - Geographic facts, lists, and statistics, including highest mountains, longest rivers, latitudes and longitudes, and explorations and expeditions.
Mega Maps - Walk through the Continents - Free PC program to print out US or world maps of various sizes, up to 7 feet across, on an ordinary printer. Requires Windows 3.1, 95 or 98.
Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport - An online geography class where students journey through time and space. Discover different people and cultures and further your study by following links.
NationbyNation: Reference on Countries of the Globe - History, geography, maps, economics, society as well as links and news feeds.
The Degree Confluence Project - The Degree Confluence Project contains photographs of the intersections of integer latitude and longitude degree lines.
The Geography Exchange - A combination of teaching resources, lessons and indexes of website links with an emphasis on physical geography.
The START Natural Language Question Answering System - A system designed to answer questions that are posed in natural language. The system is especially equipped to answer geography queries.
US Census Bureau Geography - Mapping products and services, as well as geography resources used to compile the US Census.
US State Department - Dependencies and Areas of Special Sovereignty - Listing of nations recognized by the US government.
US State Department - Independent States of the World - Independent states with diplomatic relations with U.S. and member of UN. Country capitals, and names.
World Island Info - Information on the world's islands, including island superlatives.
World Wide Web Virtual Library - Geography - Web directory of resources in Geography, including educational links.
Your Own Language and Country - Information and links about all countries: tourism, dictionaries, search engines, life and religion.