Amber - Poland has the best

Amber is one of the few organic materials to be valued in the same way as diamonds and other precious stones.

The best Amber like the best vodka comes from Poland. It's a resin, or was millions of years ago when most deposits of amber started their life's journey. The resin emerged from prehistoric trees, probably in northern Europe, before becoming fossilised and swept around the world's oceans.

The shores of the Baltic Sea in Poland are where most amber is found today. It can also be found in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, where it is known as "Mayan amber". However, as the American deposits are dated at a juvenile 25 million years, it is the ancient Baltic variety that is most prized. Some pieces found in this region have been dated at 100 million years. Amber rocks weighing more than 10 kilograms were found in the 19th century.



This material has, for years, been turned into jewellery in Poland, where amber is regarded almost as a sacred object with therapeutic qualities. Sufferers of arthritis wear amber and even those in good health like to wear some around their neck as a talisman. A tiny fragment dropped in water is a traditional cure for hangovers. A piece placed on a television set is supposed to generate positive energy (and perhaps improve what's on the box).

Once considered folk art, amber jewellery is growing in popularity as a fashion accessory. The smaller fragments are cheap and easy to work into pendants and rings, even cufflinks.

While the traditional honey-coloured amber is the most common, it comes in most shades from black to white, described with names such as cognac, champagne, butterscotch and cherry.

There are also attractive shades of green and blue. However, the most valuable variety is milky white, especially if left in its original shape.

The challenge for designers is to alter the amber's original shape as little as possible while turning it into a wearable work of art. Also considered valuable are any pieces with insects or natural material trapped inside the resin. Prehistoric spiders, even frogs, have been found preserved in amber. These are not that rare but are uncommon enough to be regarded as premium-quality jewellery. They are also regarded as symbols of good fortune.

Silver settings complement amber jewellery best and, for collectors, modern sculptural designs, in the organic style of Georg Jensen, are among the most collectable. Even when set in sterling silver, these are economical compared with gemstones. Amber in silver usually costs from $1000 to $5000. There are items available much more cheaply than this but it's unlikely that these will be particularly old.

It's also possible that they may not be amber at all. The market is flooded with imitation pieces, easily picked from the genuine article. There is a test for age. If the piece is placed in water with a little salt then is touched with acetone, the very old examples will be unaffected. Modern resin will become sticky to the touch. Specialist jewellers will also be able to date your piece of amber, at least to within a million years or so.

Despite this material's astonishing age and story of survival, amber is less durable than opal, for example. A valuable piece shouldn't be exposed to strong sunlight or washed with soap. Even hairspray can adversely affect the quality and colour.


Source:
The age of resin by James Cockington
The Age, Australia - July 2, 2008