Amber: features, types and properties of stone

Yantar can be called one of the most common and popular ornamental stones in the world - in our area it is completely recognizable and in demand. However, most people know about him quite a bit, because it is worth getting acquainted with this material closer.

Amber is a petrified resin of coniferous trees that has lain in the earth for tens of millions of years. Arguing about its significance for humans, the majority of people would say that this is a beautiful ornamental material, but in some regions of its mass mining local residents do not consider this resource to be anything particularly valuable and sometimes even use it instead of rosin for soldering. However, in Russia, amber is often called the “gold of the Baltic” - this poetic term describes how a substance looks like and how it belongs to those who have not encountered it in everyday life.

This stone consists of a good 70% of carbon, the rest of the mass in approximately equal proportions falls on hydrogen and oxygen. Since in the original this substance is of organic origin, its formula is, of course, more complicated - it also contains sulfur, nitrogen and ash.

If you describe the appearance of amber, you need to mention that This substance does not form crystals - it refers to frameless polymers. Its color can vary within the range available for ordinary fresh coniferous resin - most often it is shades from yellowish to brown through reddish hues. At the same time, there are also specific stones of a colorless, milky or slightly greenish tone. Transparency does not differ by homogeneity - it happens like a practically transparent amber, and one that does not let light through at all. For all pebbles characteristic specific pitch gloss.

The density of amber is often in the range of 1.05-1.09 grams per cubic centimeter, but sometimes this figure reaches 1.3 grams for the same volume. This stone is not particularly hard: let him not take it with your bare hands, it can be polished without any problems. Friction contributes to the electrified pebble, acquiring a negative charge.

At room temperature, amber is a solid, but when it reaches 150 degrees it begins to soften. The melting point of the substance is not exactly determined and is about 280-320 degrees. Any kind of this stone is highly flammable.

A variety and uncertainty of many characteristics of amber are caused by the fact that it changes under the influence of external forces. First of all, it is oxidized in the open air, reacting with oxygen, because of which it becomes brittle, can change color and chemical composition. In addition, the initial data can also change - the properties of the stone depend on the tree from which the resin was and how long it was stored in the ground.

The origin of amber has long been fanned by legends, because you rarely find a stone that does not give crystals, that burns in a fire and melts near it. The etymology of the name of such a substance in different languages ​​says a lot about where in one country or another it became known about amber and what local people thought about it.

Thus, the name amber, built to the ancient Arabic consonant word, stuck to amber in modern Romance and many Germanic languages ​​- hence we conclude that this substance was known in the Middle East since ancient times. Nowadays there is a solid sandy desert and it’s hard to believe that once there could be coniferous forests. The Arabs themselves didn’t believe in such an option - they guessed that there was a frozen liquid in front of them, but they considered the stone to be dew, and not coniferous resin.

The German-speaking peoples, who in the Middle Ages belonged to almost all of the Baltic states, were most of all admired by the fact that amber is capable of burning, and even highlighting the characteristic aroma. Without thinking twice, they called it "Burnstein", which can be considered a contraction from the German phrase "combustible stone". Today, the derivative word "burshtyn" is called amber Poles, Ukrainians and Belarusians.

In Greece, amber was called an electron in honor of the star Electra, located in the constellation Taurus. Even in ancient times, local residents noticed the ability of stone to electrify when rubbed - in fact, the modern word "electricity" just from the name of this substance occurred.

In ancient Russia, where the official language had a lot of borrowings from Greek in view of the general religion, amber was called “electr” for a long time, sometimes “electron”. For the less educated majority who do not speak Greek, this name was too complicated, because some scholars believe that the legendary Alatyr-Stone, also known as “white-flammable stone”, is precisely amber.

As for the modern Russian name, its etymology is elevated to the Lithuanian word gintaras, for the first time “centar” was mentioned in a written source in 1551. Many Slavic languages ​​borrowed the same word from the Lithuanian language through Russian.

Modern poetic names like "the gift of the Sun" or "tears of the sea" once again indicate that in any country and in any era, amber was perceived as something quite unusual, but always with positive overtones.

If we turn not to legends, but to history, it turns out that for the manufacture of various products this stone has been used for several thousand years. In the same Baltics, amber made rings, buttons and many other useful things from the time of the Neolithic period. Interestingly, the crown of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen, whose age almost reaches 3.5 thousand years, is decorated, among other jewels, with amber - the scientist believes that he was brought from the shores of the Baltic Sea. Already at that time, a full-fledged trade in this unusual stone was established in the Mediterranean region.

On the eastern and southern shores of the Baltic Sea, the processing of amber for several millennia was a popular folk craft, until in the XIII century the Teutonic Order reigned here that it was too valuable a raw material to allow anyone to trade it. Since then, the processing of such stones has become a matter of state, special serfs were engaged in collecting, and processing at home was prohibited - all raw materials were deliberately exported to other cities. The exclusive right to trade in such goods needed to be received from the state, because folk crafts for a long time subsided.

At the dawn of civilization, the main European source of amber was a deposit in what is now Denmark, but it was exhausted even in ancient times. Already in the ancient Roman period, the Amber Coast in the Baltic States, located today in the Kaliningrad region of Russia, as well as in neighboring Lithuania and Latvia, could already be considered the main region for the extraction of amber gems.It is believed that today it is here that concentrated up to 90% of all deposits of this stone, here is the only one of its kind amber plant, engaged in the extraction of such gems.

In Ukrainian Polesie amber is also quite a lot. The local Rovno amber is also known quite widely. The local deposits belong to the Baltic-Dnieper sub-province of the Eurasian amber-bearing province, so that the “gifts of the Sun” here are echoes of the neighboring Baltic states.

In addition, some of these gems can be mined in North America. Today, the main deposits of amber in the western hemisphere are located in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, in addition, occasional finds of such stones are known in the north of Canada and the United States, as well as in Greenland.

Among other things, ancient authors have repeatedly mentioned that the extraction of amber used to be possible even in India and Africa. Nowadays, in these regions (as well as in the same Mexico), they are digging - another type of petrified resin, which most scientists urge not to confuse with amber. However, another group of specialists suggests including these regions in the number of amber-bearing provinces due to the general similarity of the stones.

The widespread opinion that amber can be of purely yellow hues is fundamentally wrong - modern specialists distinguish as many as four hundred different colors. Yellow and orange species are just noticeably more common, which is why all these poetic epithets about the "gifts of the Sun" relate to them.

It should be understood that relatively high prevalence reduces the demand for such a pebble - The gem of any atypical shade is valued more. At the same time, it would be foolish to evaluate a piece of amber purely by its color - the cost is determined both by the size and skill of processing, and, in particular, by the presence of blotches.

This stone is also emphasized red and even cherry color, and this is a claim to originality. Such a beautiful shade caused by the fact that ordinary prehistoric resin due to forest fires, apparently, went through the procedure of calcination. Outwardly, such a nugget resembles a ruby, because highly valued in all ages. Poetic Chinese and Japanese called it “dragon's blood”; only high state officials could afford such a large-sized decoration.

The top three most popular colors include a milky white amber, but it is interesting that whites themselves are not the substance of which it is composed. Such a color is only a visual effect, just in the thick yellowish shade there are abundant inclusions of air and water bubbles, which give the stone a whitish color.

Even less often there are such unusual shades of amber as green and blue. The first of these options, too, arises entirely due to inclusions, this time - particles of plants, or even soil. The confusion with the blue gems is the greatest - scientists so far cannot explain in full how such a tint came from, and offer unintelligible theories about optical illusion.

In some samples, these opacities are detected only outside, since there is practically no transparency - such an instance is called landscape. It does not always look really beautiful, but sometimes a properly polished bead looks like some of the planets in the solar system.

If you want to find a truly exclusive sample, focus on amber, in which a kind of prehistoric insect has frozen. It is quite difficult to get such a copy, because it is a rarity, and scientists, museums and the powerful people of the world hunt for it.

Like any other material known since ancient times and considered to be expensive, amber is fanned by many legends. Due to this, magical and healing properties have been attributed to him at different times. Some of them were confirmed, others remained unproved, but only the owner of the stone decides what to believe and what not.

Amber is often associated with the Sun, and the heavenly body itself is considered to be a symbol of happiness, joy and fun. Sunstone is a priori suitable for being a talisman - at different times he was credited with health promotion and protection from enemies. It is believed that such an amulet is suitable for people who are inclined to decide with their heart, and not with the mind, because it will not interfere with representatives of creative professions and simply optimists. In addition, the stone contributes to good luck in all respects, enhances intuitive abilities, and also provides peace for the host’s dwelling. According to experts in esoterica, there is a whole list of positive properties inherent only in amber.

This stone:

• soothes and warms, literally penetrating into the soul;
• constantly stored somewhere in the box, protects the home from criminals and natural disasters;
• helps expectant mothers to give birth without complications, and those who have already got a baby, ensures the health of the baby;
• guarantees a good mood, if you constantly wear it on yourself, while a large piece just enough to squeeze in your hand to get a powerful positive charge;
• contributes to the preservation of female youth;
• It drives away bad thoughts and nightly thoughts, if you put it under the pillow in advance, it’s true, it is suitable for this purpose only in its raw form;
• cleans and clarifies both body and soul;
• helps his master to survive any, even the most difficult grief.

In ancient times, it was considered that the healing properties of amber are universal, that is, they will be useful in any situation and for ailment of any nature. The ancient healers found a lot of use in the application of this stone, without thinking about how he heals, but sincerely believing that no one disease can withstand such a drug.

By the way, some of the beneficial properties of this substance have been proven today, and traditional medicine has continued to use it all this time without needing any evidence.

• It is believed that the constant wearing of an amber bracelet helps speed up metabolism and helps cleanse the body of all that is superfluous. According to this logic, such an accessory will definitely come in handy for a person who keeps himself in shape, or who wants to lose weight.
• Succinic acid is sold in modern pharmacies. This is a biostimulator of natural origin, which by its effectiveness is able to compete with popular power engineers, about the dangers of which much has already been written. Such a drug is sometimes recommended for use by people engaged in intensive mental work.
• Smoking is a bad habit that would be best to quit, but if you do not get rid of it, you should at least reduce the destructive effect on the body. In this regard, the amber mouthpiece will help - it is able to neutralize a part of nicotine, and therefore the likelihood of cancer is reduced.
• Small amber chips are used by many pharmaceutical companies in the production of medicines.For example, tincture on such an unusual ingredient is considered to be very effective in combating various lung diseases and colds.
• The smoke emitted in the process of burning amber contains all the same beneficial substances as the tincture described in the paragraph above. For this reason, amber inhalation, if you find a pebble and do not regret burning it, may also be useful.

Among women, amber is very popular as a beautiful and stylish jewelry, especially since for many men it is not a big problem to buy it - this gem, which is also not very cheap, does not significantly reach real gems. In this case, the representatives of the weaker sex are often addicted to astrology and seek to select jewelry in accordance with the rules of this science. Then they should know that "Sunstone" is best suited for the signs of the zodiac, whose element is fire - it is Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

Since this stone is positive in any case, the same esoteric experts point out the possibility of wearing it for representatives of absolutely any sign of the zodiac. For some reason, only Taurus is offended by the favor of the "gold of the Baltic" - it is not only forbidden for him to wear amber jewelery, just the esoteric effect of it will tend to zero. If for active representatives of fire signs this stone can be an excellent additional stimulant, then for earth signs, wearing it can lead to a further aggravation of indifference.

Air and watermarks can wear such a decoration both for beauty and for a particular therapeutic effect.

This amber is not enough for everyone, because today, as is the case with many other stones, there is artificial amber. Outwardly, it really looks like, and sellers do not always rush to inform the buyer that there is a fake in front of him, and they demand as much for a piece of plastic as for a natural stone. Naturally, there are no special properties for modern trinkets, so you need to know the differences of amber with any other materials in order not to become a victim of fraudsters.

• Interspersing air bubbles in prehistoric resin is a normal phenomenon, but, as a rule, there should not be many of them. In the industrial production of inexpensive artificial amber, manufacturers usually do not care about the purchase of expensive hermetic mixers with the function of air suction, therefore there will be a lot of such fake bubbles.
• The perfectly even tone of amber beads is a clear sign of falsification of the product. At a minimum, nature should not have conceived this way, because amber is not a living being and does not need to disguise itself from anyone. Therefore, most of the pieces of this stone, still not devoid of impurities, have a characteristic haze. For a manufacturer of cheap goods, drawing complex and unique patterns is an unnecessary task, and with this he can contribute to catching a crook.
• Amber has an organic origin and has an amazing property to keep warm. Unlike plastic, it is never cold - for that reason it is a solar stone. Contrary to the fact that this substance is relatively soft, scratching it with a fingernail will still not work. If you accidentally "messed up" the goods to the seller by trying to scrape them with a fingernail and leaving a well-marked scratch, then there can be no question of naturalness.
• This natural stone weighs surprisingly little, so even massive-looking beads in hand will turn out to be surprisingly light.With plastic, and even more so with glass, the difference will be quite obvious - they will be much harder and will bring some discomfort when wearing. To distinguish the original from the fake by this criterion, preliminary experience of wearing proven amber is desirable - then you definitely cannot go wrong in what you are offered.
• Despite the fact that the gem lay in the earth for tens of millions of years, in essence, it remains the same coniferous resin, which was originally.

Most often, amber is used in jewelry and for making souvenirs. In the latter case, both raw, and extruded or melted version of the gift can be useful. Craftsmen make real wonders from amber - statues, paintings, icons and much more.

In industry, this stone has found particular use in industries such as pharmaceuticals, perfumes, the food industry, as well as for the production of sandpaper and some varnishes - for example, they are covered with the famous Stradivari violins. In the old days, amber could be used as an electrical insulator.

The complexity of handling amber is that, having a natural origin, it tends to age rapidly, which makes it cloudy and fragile. Here are a few subtleties of how to maximize the life of your favorite jewelry:

• Amber does not like heat or cold, and especially suffers when there is a sharp temperature difference;
• perfumery and any household chemicals can harm amber jewelry, even a tiny drop of perfume can harm a stone;
• this gem does not have high strength, even a relatively weak blow can split it;
• due to the softness of the material and its dislike of detergents, it is extremely undesirable to touch the product with dirty hands, fat is a particular danger for amber;
• The “solar stone” is strangely impossible to keep under the sun for a long time - a dark box is better suited for this, but sometimes it is simply necessary to “recharge” it, otherwise it will fade;
• fresh air provokes oxidation of the pebble's surface, which makes it fragile and can become covered with cracks;
• Amber, unlike many other stones, is never stored in sacks - the fabric is not able to protect the nugget from impact and splitting;
• for the above reason, amber products are never stored together, for each choose a separate box;
• the best cleaning technique is regular wiping with a dry soft flannel or wool cloth after each putting on the jewelry;
• if you really want to wash amber, then only in cold or lukewarm water, from additives, we can assume except ammonia, but the use of soap is prohibited;
• Ideally, a pebble is cleaned with special means, but if not, you can soak it in salted water solution;
• After washing, the product must be wiped dry and polished with the addition of olive oil.

About the properties of amber, see the following video.