Amber is a very light stone made from the fossilized resin of trees. This golden stone is great for large earrings as it weighs very little. Amber is used in all types of jewelry. Amber pendants with unusual inclusions such as insects are very prized.
Amber Care, Treatments & Where
Amber is usually ranges from yellow to orange. Some amber has been found with red, green, blue, violet, and black hues. Amber often has inclusions such as air bubbles, insects or pine needles from the way it is formed. Amber has a hardness rating of 2.5.
As amber is soft, it can be easily scratched. Be certain to store amber jewelry separately from your other jewelry.
Amber has been imitated by plastic, glass, synthetic resin and other natural resins. It is often heated in oil to remove cloudiness.
Green amber is often heated-treated yellow amber.
The best amber is found in the Baltic region (the coasts of Poland and the USSR). Some of this amber has been washed to the shores of Norway, Denmark and England.
Amber Care, Treatments & Where
Amber is usually ranges from yellow to orange. Some amber has been found with red, green, blue, violet, and black hues. Amber often has inclusions such as air bubbles, insects or pine needles from the way it is formed. Amber has a hardness rating of 2.5.
As amber is soft, it can be easily scratched. Be certain to store amber jewelry separately from your other jewelry.
Amber has been imitated by plastic, glass, synthetic resin and other natural resins. It is often heated in oil to remove cloudiness.
Green amber is often heated-treated yellow amber.
The best amber is found in the Baltic region (the coasts of Poland and the USSR). Some of this amber has been washed to the shores of Norway, Denmark and England.
- Taurus (Apr 20-May 20): Birthstone
Amber Themed Books
Actual Gem-related books:
- The Quest for Life in Amber - by Roberta Poinar (Contributor), George O. Poinar In passages that read more like an Indiana Jones screenplay than scientific research, the Poinars describe how their hobby-turned-obsession ultimately led to a breakthrough scientific finding: the discovery of preserved insect DNA in amber.
- Amber: Window to the Past - by David A. Grimaldi This lavish book captures both the beauty and the strangeness of amber: the beauty, in glorious, honey-toned color images of some of the world's most exquisite amber artifacts; the strangeness, in close-ups of leaf fragments, tiny feathers, or whole bees buried among bubbles of ancient air.
- The Amber Book - by Ake Dahlstrom, Lief Brost (Contributor), Leif Brost This book on amber contains details of amber's formation, geographical locations, history, folklore, identification and present-day importance in jewelry.
- Gem Identification Made Easy: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling New 3rd Edition - by Antoinette L. Matlins & Antonio C. Bonanno This book is really great for knowing he latest gems, synthetics, treatments, and instruments. Easy to use.
- Gemstone Buying Guide: A Guide to Buying - by Renee Newman Very nice gemstone identification book.
Bibliography: - The Curious Lore of Precious Stones - by George Frederick Kunz The definitive book on fascinating, traditional gem lore. Very practical.
- Gemstones (Smithsonian Handbooks) - by Cally Hall, Harry Taylor (Photographer) A field guide to gemstones. Nice pictures and good, brief, well-written descriptions of over 130 varieties of gemstones.
- Spiritual Value of Gem Stones - by Wally Richardson and Lenora Huett Very sweet book on the mystical properties of gemstones.
- Gemstones of the World - by Walter Schumann A very well written source on gemstones with great descriptions and photographs
Amber Mystical Properties
Amber is said to help one be joyful and happy. It lightens the burdens of life.
More Amber Lore
Amber has been used for decoration since the stone age.
Amber with special markings such as the intials of ones name was thought to be a great protective talisman.
No comments:
Post a Comment