Amber has always provoked people’s interest and astonishment not only because of its qualities as a semiprecious stone, but also because of the chance it gives to us to take a look in the distant past. Its warm color is a reason for admiration, and our imagination is captivated by the remarkable inclusions it has. Small bugs and insects are transported from the past to the present like with a time machine. At the beginning of its journey, the amber was just resin, produced by the trees millions of years ago. The best known specimens of amber originate from various tree species which are now extinct. Baltic amber for example comes from a resin of a tree called Pinites succinifer – in appearance it looked like a fir or spruce. Originally resin was used by the trees as a defense mechanism against insects, parasites and tree mushrooms.Once detached form the tree, the resin has gone through many transformations until it becomes amber. The first transformation is on molecular level and as a consequence the resin becomes harder. After the completion of this process, the resin is called copal. The next level is the evaporation of the oils contained in the copal. They slowly seep out of it, as the process takes millions of years. It is supposed that one or two levels of the development of amber must be in an environment without air or in a sea water. Amber, that is exposed to the open environment for several years will oxidize and cover with crust. Under constant exposure to such conditions after many years, the amber becomes brittle and breaks into small pieces. The oldest amber in the world is 120 million years old and it is no wonder that it could be found only in small fragments. Baltic amber, which is about 40 million years old can be found in very large blocks, in some cases reaching few kilograms. Interesting is that the largest known piece of Baltic amber weighs 21.5 pounds and was found near Setin, Poland in 1860, as it is currently set out in the Berlin Museum. The largest piece of amber discovered in the world weighted 150 pounds and was found on the island of Borneo, during the removal process, it was broken into four pieces.

FACTS ABOUT AMBER

The quantities of resin which have been accumulated in the Baltic deposits are huge. The commercial mining of amber is dating back to 1264 and continues to present days. Unfortunately, a vast amount of this production was converted to varnish. The amber is soft and its melting point is between 150-180 degrees Celsius. The colors of amber are different. They range between almost white to all shades of red, yellow and brown. There are even examples of blue and green amber.There are two main reasons for the blue and green color: infiltration of minerals from the soil, or the resin encountered volcanic dust when it was emitted from the tree. No matter how it is achieved, it results in an amber  impregnated with unusual ingredients, which give these remarkable shades. One of the most interesting aspects of amber are plants, insects and small animals that are forever frozen inside. These frozen moments from the past give us the opportunity to peep into the world of flora and fauna of that time as direct observers. Most often in the amber are included midges, wasps, cockroaches, small lizards. In an American museum there is an unique example of gecko in amber which is twenty-five million years old. Other unusual findings are the remains of a frog, preserved in an amber found in the Dominican Republic. Initially it was suggested that the remains are of a frog, but further tests revealed that the remains are of more than one frog, or the frog in question had six feet. It is assumed that the remains may be from a nest of frog eating birds, located near the spot where ,the tree  emitted some resin. Other remains, preserved in amber are hairs from mammals and even mammoth. An interesting fact is that there are traces of animals preserved in amber. An example is an amber, which has cat paw trace in it.

COUNTERFEITS

Real amber is used for some of the best known counterfeits. A hole is made in a piece of amber and an insect is put in the hole. Then the insect and the hole are covered with melted resin. The result is a perfect piece of amber that would pass all tests.

Most amber studies are based on European and American culture. The Chinese also valued the amber and the earliest written evidence dates back to 92 AD. Tibetans had perhaps the most beautiful name for amber – pyo-she, which in translation means-scented crystal.

Photo: Flickr