Amber Jewelry Blog...

Tuesday 22nd May 2012 02:14:36 AM •

Society: Death

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.

Death Care • Folklore and Funeral Customs • Grief, Loss and Bereavement • In Memoriam • Issues • Near Death Experiences • News and Media • Palliative Care • Quotations • Reincarnation • Suicide •

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.
Visit our website: http://www.gemselect.com/

Bulgarian • Chinese Simplified • Danish • Dutch • French • German • Italian • Japanese • Norwegian • Romanian • Russian • Spanish • Swedish •

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.

BellaOnline Life Clock - Online quiz yields estimated life span according to various factors.
Brain Injury and Brain Death Resources - A resource including the Japanese controversy, diagnosing, persistent vegetative state and religious views.
Bruce Goddard - Funeral director from Reynolds, Georgia, available as a public speaker on the lighter side of being a small town undertaker.
Day4Death.com - Uses mortality and life expectancy tables to estimate the likely day, place, and cause of death.
Dead or Alive? - Lists famous people and whether they are dead or alive.
Death Online - What happens when people die, and the ways that people deal with death. Includes articles, links and video.
Death Timer - Lifespan calculator uses published global life expectancy statistics.
Death and Dementia - Resource for sites dealing with death, horror, crime, religion and other topics.
Death and Dying - The process from a Buddhist perspective.
Death in Cyberspace - A social and cultural analysis of the development of funeral and mourning practices on the internet.
Death, Life and the Question of Identity - Explores the way identity is affected by the inevitability of death.
Death, Loss and Bereavement - Articles on how to deal with death and suicide, and how to communicate with others about serious illness.
Death: Anytime coming soon - Thoughts on death from Osho, a mystic.
Encyclopedia of Death and Dying - Covers all aspects of death and dying - biological, medical, social, sociological, psychological, religious, and philosophical.
Epitaphs for Free - A collection by Nicholas Gordon.
Famous Dead - List of well-known people with cause of death.
Is there Death after Life? - Asks if death is a key unlocking the door to a mystical afterlife, saying God has the answer.
Kearl's Guide to Sociological Thanatology - Articles and resources about the sociology of death and dying.
Last Meals by R. A. Barrington: Celebrate Your Freedom - R. A. Barrington essay compares and contrasts the experiences of death-row prisoners with the prospect of death by terrorism.
Life after Death - Considers various evidence for and against the existence of an afterlife.
Life in the World Unseen - E-book recounts life in the spirit world as received through mediums.
New Englander and Yale Review - "Euthanasia: The Pleasures of Dying" - An 1891 journal article by E. P. Buffet, M. D., asserting that death is painless and not to be feared.
Online Course in Basic Death Investigations - How to investigate a death to determine cause, either natural or criminal.
Our Daily Dead - Provides an ongoing commentary on recent notable deaths.
Roadside America - Pet Cemetery - A listing of offbeat pet cemeteries in the United States. Includes morbid facts.
Seeing the Difference: Conversations on Death and Dying - Interdisciplinary conversations on death and dying, including perspectives from the arts, humanities, and medicine. Sponsored by UC Berkeley's Townsend Center for the Humanities.
Suite 101 - Death is discussed as the last stage of human growth and development.
Taphophilia - A repository of morbid curiosities.
The Death Clock - The Internet's friendly reminder that life is slipping away, second by second.
The Final Journey - Stories of death and dying which deal with the actual time of death including terminal delirium, agitation, pain control, confusion, and hallucinations.
The Temple of Azrael - Virtual memorial to the Arch-Angel Azrael, with cemetery photos.