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Amber

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Title: Amber
Medium: Digital Photography
Photographer: Aaron J. Greenblatt
Camera Type: Panasonic DMC-LZ7 Lumix 7.2 MP
Editing: Edited in PhotoShop 7.0 for color accuracy, size, and to apply copyright and border.

Location: Photograph taken at the 2007 Fall Bead Bonanza Show in Southfield, Michigan.

Description: Amber is a naturally occurring fossil material which sometimes contains the preserved remains of ancient insects. These pieces of raw amber (more likely dried tree resin) were drilled and strung. A dealer from the Dominican Republic was selling them at the show. The smallest of these pieces is the size of an American quarter. I'm not sure who would wear such large pieces of amber, but I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't wear them all on one string as seen here.

About Amber: Amber is the name for fossil resin or tree sap. It is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and in jewelery. Although not mineralized, it is sometimes considered a gemstone. Semi-fossilized resin or sub-fossil amber is called copal.

In order to qualify as "amber" it is NOT sufficient for a tree resin merely to harden by losing its volatiles, the molecules have to polymerize, which can take millions of years (or at least 100,000 years). After polymerization, amber becomes significantly less soluble in common organic solvents, and so will not become sticky if wetted with alcohol, acetone or gasoline. Much of the material marketed as "amber" (especially that from Colombia and Madagascar) is far too young to be considered amber, and is in reality just dried tree resin.

Information sources:
[link] (mindat.org)
[link] (wikipedia)

Legal: Copyright © Aaron J. Greenblatt. All rights reserved. Commercial use prohibited. This image and commentary may not be used for any reason without expressed written consent.


Please click here to view my photography work located in my Gallery.

Please click here for images of my glass work located in my other Gallery.

Please click here for images of my glass studio located in my other Scraps.
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