What is amber

jj February 27, 2020


Contents

  • 1 amber
  • 2 amber in ancient times
  • 3 most prominent types of amber
  • 4 benefits of amber
  • 5 How to differentiate between real and fake amber
    • 5.1 Visual test
    • 5.2 Salt water test
    • 5.3 Hot needle test
    • 5.4 Scratch test
  • 6 amber whale and its benefits
  • 7 References

Amber

Amber is a fossil of a tree called resin or mucilage tree, which was buried under the ground, and chemical changes and loss of many elements were made, and amber stone or so-called amber stone is in the form of irregular nodules or bars or in the form of drops, and the colors of amber vary. Yellow, orange and brown, with a rare red color, in addition to milky white, which is called amber bone. The reason for amber turbidity is the presence of many small and accurate air bubbles. Amber is characterized by the presence of hundreds of species of insects and fossil plants. In the form of impurities inside, and uses amber colored transparent as the raw material for the manufacture of jewelry , and there are amber all over the world, and commonly found along the shores of the Sea of the Baltic . [1]

Amber in ancient times

Amber was a highly valued substance since ancient times, where it was found 11 thousand years ago BC in archaeological sites in England, and it was believed that amber has magical healing abilities, and was used to make varnish coating since 250 BC, as it was incited to ground amber The importance of incense itself, and amber was circulated among traders around the world, where scientists can determine the geographical source of amber and draw conclusions about early trade methods by determining the type of amber used in ancient artifacts. [2]


600 years before the Greek philosopher Thales rubbed amber with silk, and this attracted dust and feathers, and it is believed that this static electricity is a unique characteristic of amber until the sixteenth century, when English scientist William Gilbert demonstrated that it was an attribute of many substances Which he called electrification, and in Greece an electron in relation to amber, but in the western hemisphere, the Aztecs and the Maya people carved the amber and burned it as incense, in addition to the Taino Indians in Hispaniola gifting the amber to the traveler Christopher Columbus , and the uses of violence began Artistic righteousness in 1712, when a dining room made of amber paintings of King Frederick I was built in the state of Prussia, and in the nineteenth century amber gained new importance when German scientists began studying the fossils included in it. [2]

The most prominent types of amber

  • Baltic amber: It is an amber that is not specific in color or shape and originates in the Baltic region, and is used in making high-quality jewelry in addition to artistic creations. [3]
  • Real amber: It is the term that includes natural Baltic amber and pressurized amber, and both do not contain any additives and the amber ratio is 100%. [3]
  • Compressed amber: It is an amber made of small pieces and small stones that melted together under high pressure, and is difficult to differentiate from Baltic amber, but it is usually regular in shape. [3]
  • Ambrooid: It is a product consisting of small pieces of amber within the plastic, and the plastic is colored. [3]
  • Coballe: It is a young amber, and it is found in and around the Dominican Republic , and it is the result of a different group of trees. Different properties, because they are of different types of trees. [3]
  • Imitation amber: It is a non-original and imitation amber made of plastic and stained glass and its origin is from the modern resin trees. [3]
  • Green amber: This type of amber is very popular among people, and its price often depends on how deep the green color is, for dark green for example is more than the price of amber located between yellow and green, and it is worth noting that green amber was not found naturally, it was formed by action Amber is warming or heating yellow, and in ancient times people believed that this color of amber brought good luck and eternity. [4]
  • Red amber or cherry amber: It is an amber produced by exposing amber to very high temperatures, and the proportion of natural color in it is only 2-3%, and this type of amber was worn only by rich people, and it was very difficult to find it, but today it is available With ease and at no cost. [4]
  • Blue amber: This type of amber is rare, which makes it very expensive, and the percentage of blue amber among the types of amber is 0.2%. Also, it contains fluorescent material , which can turn into a very bright blue color when amber is exposed to fluorescent light, and this type is more frequent in the Dominican Republic, and its presence is rare in the Baltic region, but in ancient times people believed that this type of amber helps To control the spirits For air, fire and water, as well as get the blessings of the gods. [4]
  • Black amber: it is 15% natural amber, and this type is produced by mixing the resin tree with soil, debris and other impurities, and when the black amber is applied against the light it will appear to be a color other than black like brown or red, so some people claim that there is no amber the black. [4]
  • Yellow amber: which is considered the most common and its percentage among other types of amber is 70%, and its presence is much in the Baltic region, and it is of great importance, due to its high quality, and the color of the yellow amber depends on the number of gas bubbles in it, the more the number of these bubbles the less The color of amber is yellow and becomes more light. [4]

The benefits of amber

The benefits of amber vary, including the following: [5]
  • It is used to reduce teething pain in children in addition to relieving drooling caused by teething, because amber contains succinic acid which is responsible for most of the teething benefits, and the benefits of amber to teething amber children were known before World War II , children were given in Germany and some Other countries amber beads for wearing, and in countries such as Lithuania children have massaged amber teeth to reduce the pain associated with teething, and to this day necklaces made of amber are very popular among parents who want a natural solution for a baby's teething.
  • It gets rid of fleas, ticks and other parasites attached to animal hair, by putting a collar of amber on the animal, as the heat of the animal's skin raises the temperature of amber and spreads an unpleasant smell of parasites and fleas, which made amber necklaces very popular among pet owners such as cats and dogs.
  • The advantage of amber oil made from tree resin therapeutic properties when rubbed skin or skin massage it, it fights aging and skin regeneration works, and treats skin burns and bruises.
  • Amber powder treats small blood vessels and thyroid disease, and improves hair health.

How to differentiate between real and fake amber

There are many tests and methods that can be done to find out whether the purchased amber stone is real or fake, and these are some of the most common ways to differentiate between real and fake amber. [6]

Visual test

The real amber beads are unique and contain impurities and imperfections, such as small cracks or small air bubbles, in addition to that the amber differs in size and shape and is not always round in shape, and upon touching it is slightly warm, and the opposite is so the amber is fake.

Salt water test

  • Ingredients: 7 teaspoons of salt , a medium cup of water.
  • Method: Mix the ingredients together well until the salt is completely dissolved in water, then amber stones are added to the solution, as the real amber will float on the surface of the water, while the fake amber will sink into the water, it is worth noting that this test is more effective for amber beads, and it is not recommended to try it for jewelry Containing minerals other than amber.

Hot needle test

  • Ingredients: needle.
  • The way: is heated needle inserted into the stone amber, if the needle entered partially, and left behind the signs and cracks shall stone amber true, but if you entered the needle with ease and issued a smell - like plastic or pine stone amber, so the stone false, and the disadvantages of this test that The needle leaves little marks and marks caused by its heat.

Scratch test

It is advised to do this test for inexpensive amber stones, because scratching may harm the stone or beads, and doing this test is very simple. If it is possible to scratch the beads easily with any metal, then the amber is real, but if the beads cannot be scratched it is a fake amber.

Anavar and its benefits

There is another different type called whale amber, which is waxy material and is considered a kind of perfume, and it was named by this name because it is extracted from the womb of one of the types of whales, which is called amber whale, and whale amber is used as a fixative material for the finest types of perfumes, and the colors of this type of amber are varied; There is white, yellow, blue, black, gray, and mixed color, the best of which is the gray color, followed by blue and the lowest quality is black, and the amber whale has a pleasant aroma similar to the smell of musk, and is characterized by its multiple uses and benefits, most notably: [7]
  • It works as an antibacterial, as it treats many skin diseases caused by bacterial infections in the outer and inner areas of the body as well, such as the urethra, urinary bladder, kidneys, and feet, in addition to its contribution to treating diseases such as: cholera , food poisoning, and tetanus.
  • It works as an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. It gets rid of fungal infections inside the body and skin, such as food poisoning, psoriasis, itching, skin spots and other deformities.
  • It works as a deodorant, it is gentle on the brain and nose and not annoying, soothes the nerves, and gives a feeling of comfort, and effective to remove sweat.
  • Treating constipation and other digestive disorders, it acts as a gentle laxative for the stomach.
  • It works as an analgesic for infections in the body systems, including digestive and nervous system infections, and relieves nerve pain, cramps, and relieves depression, tension, anxiety, and anger, in addition to eliminating abnormal heart palpitations, and gets rid of insomnia it helps to relax and sleep quietly .
  • The uterus and ovaries stimulate the secretion of estrogen and progesterone necessary to promote reproductive health.
  • Treatment for other diseases such as: fever, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, angina pain, and allergies, and helps heal wounds, cell regeneration, and stimulate the secretion of enzymes and hormones.