AMBER AMBER JEWELY In SILVER
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| Jewelry made of amber has been found in Northern European tombs dating from 2000 B.C. making it one of the oldest forms of jewelry. Amber is polymerized resin from the Pinus Succinifera trees of a subtropical forest . Inhabitants of the Baltic countries have been finding chunks of amber washed up on their beaches. Amber: origin, history, mining, caring for. What is “amber” in different languages:Yantar- used by ancient Phoenicians to mane amber, means amber in Russian Jantar – in Polish (pronounce yantar) Gyantar – in Hungarian Gintaras – used by Lithuanians Bernstein - in German Succinum – means amber in Latin, to mineralogists amber is known by the name succinite Electron – is the Greek name for amber (electrisity was discovered with some help of amber) Amber – roots to Arabic word. Types of amber by color and transparencyAmber has many different names and it comes in many different colors: yellow, orange, red, white, brown, green, blue and almost black. A piece of amber under the crust may be transparent or clouded. Colors of transparent amber vary from pale yellow to dark yellow –reddish yellow-light brown. Cloudy amber comes into vast variety of colors with a level of transparency up to 0% (opaque). Amber is fossilized resin of ancient trees that grew in “amber forests”. Many physical and chemical processes the resin became Amber, bringing to us it’s unique beauty and scientific data. Amber has an ability to preserve the organic tissues in it and pieces of plants and insects, trapped in amber, are greatly valuable for collectors and scientist as well. Amber unites artists and scientists in their opinions – it is a beatiful and fascinating product of nature. Amber can be found in various partsof the world, but the world's largest amber deposits are at the shores of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Amber is the most valued variety for manufacturing decorative objects. It’s been used for this purpose since prehistoric times. People used to gather, craft and trade amber . The first use of amber in the Baltic Sea region can be traced back to Stone Age. Amber amulet made of Baltic amber was found in Egyptian tombs . Baltic countries have about 100 Neolithic burial sites in which amber is included. Since 800-1000 AD Vikings transported and traded “gold from the north”. Amber was very popular in ancient Rome, especially during Neron’s reign: jewelry, luxury goods, ornaments, amulets, dice were made from amber. During the Middle Ages, prayer beads were exported as the main product of tooled Baltic amber. From the 16th century into the 18th century, bracelets, necklaces, containers, boxes, bowls, plates, flutes, buttons, mouth pieces for pipes, chess sets, watch cases and even luxury interior fittings were made using amber. Most of European amber is produced at the 400-square-mile Samland Peninsula, where Kaliningrad region of Russia is situated now. Nowadays Kaliningrad amber mine supplies over two-thirds of the world's amber. and 99% of the Baltic amber of many different varieties. Amber mineIf you go to beaches of Kaliningrad region you may see their tourists looking for pieces of amber. The same way (or fetched from the sea) Baltic amber has been collected until the middle of 19th century. Engineers began dredging and mining operations at the second half of 19th century and since then, millions of pounds of Baltic amber have been mined.. Baltic “pit” amber lies in the rock strata called “blue eath”, the biggest known source of “blue earth” is found near - Jantarny (former Palmnicken).- a small town in the Kaliningrad region This place homes the world largest amber mine. Care of amberUnfortunately, amber, as most of the things having organic origin, is not forever. Beards from ancient Rome have grown the new crust. (Don’t worry, it can be easily removed, it you plan to inherit your amber to your remote legatee .;). Baltic amber, comparing to amber from many other places, belongs to the long lasting types of amber. But of course, some precaution should be taken to keep it beautiful during some years or…. some thousands of years. 1. Do not store amber where it can rub against metal or jewelry or other hard surfaces. 2. Don’t let amber contact with strong chemical solutions, such as soaps, jewelry cleaning solutions, perfume, hairsprays etc. Put your amber on last, after you are done with the hairspray and perfume. 3. Do not place amber near heat or in direct sunshine. 4. Wash your amber if needed with clean, cold or lukewarm water and a soft cloth. 5. It’s possible to rub clean and dry amber with some pure olive oil and a soft cloth to restore the polish. |
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