Amber

[Guest guest]

Here's some info I found on amber resin, incense, oils and stones.

 

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TED Case Studies

Amber Trade and the Environment in the Kaliningrad Oblast

CASE NUMBER: 451

CASE MNEMONIC: AMBER

CASE NAME: Amber Trade and the Environment in the Kaliningrad Oblast

 

I. Identification

 

1. The Issue

Amber is an enigmatic object of beauty. Considered both a mineral and

a semiprecious stone, amber is actually the product of the secretions

of ancient conifers. The resin produced by these trees eventually

hardened, sometimes trapping small, living organisms inside. Most are

familiar with the image of the yellowish, sometimes transparent

substance encasing an insect or small vertebrate. The film Jurassic

Park also introduced amber to the public, although the substance is

not likely to be the key to recreating dinosaurs. Amber was one of

the first commercial products and has been traded for centuries. The

ancient amber trade routes brought faraway nations into contact with

one another. As a luxury item found only in a few widely dispersed

areas, amber was one of the few products which was transported such

long distances. This case specifically involves the amber deposits

found in the Russian region of Kaliningrad and the effects of amber's

continued extraction on the environment. Ninety percent of the

world's amber deposits are located in this small Russian outpost on

the Baltic Sea, and the constant extraction of this precious

substance has been a major cause of environmental degradation.

Pollution generated from the extraction process harms not only

Russian soil, but the Baltic Sea and its neighbors as well.

 

2. Description

 

Recovery Methods

Amber has historically been extracted from the sea and land by a

number of different methods. Extraction methods have become more

efficient and, at the same time, more harmful to the environment.

Early records show fishermen actually casting their lines for amber,

which storms and winds brought up from the bottom of the sea. Natives

of the Baltics also gathered amber by using nets, which separated the

valuable substance from seaweed, allowing the amber to be scooped

out. This method led to the coining of the layman's

term " scoopstone, " another, more colorful, name for amber. Other

methods of recovery included raking the bottom of the sea with long

sticks and, in marshy areas, the collection of " Northern gold " by men

on horseback. ( See Susie Aber's Article) In ancient times it was

found by searching in sandstone and loose shale, but these land-based

deposits have been exhausted. Most recently, the development of open

pits has allowed amber to be extracted more quickly and efficiently.

However, this method has proved most detrimental to the environment.

 

Uses

Although the Romans believed that amber possessed medicinal

qualities, current medical practitioners would certainly disagree.

Despite its lack of healing powers, amber still serves a number of

useful purposes. The best specimens contain exquisitely preserved

life forms and command high prices from private collectors and

museums. However, ninety percent of all extracted amber is of poorer

quality and can be used only as an ingredient in other products.

These include varnish, amber oil and distilled acids. Craftsmen mold

the remaining ten percent into jewelry and ornaments, some of which

fetch fairly high prices on the international market.

 

More on this very interesting case study at:

 

http://ausolaris1.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/AMBER.HTM

 

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AMBER OIL

 

Synonyms : AMBER OIL;

Odor Description : Leather Smoky Tar Like

Appearence : Brown Oily Liquid

NAFTA H. # : 3301.29.6000

FEMA # : 0

Specific Gravity : N/A

Refractive Index : N/A

Melting Point : N/A

Boiling Point : N/A

Blends Well With : Ionones; Labdanum; Isoamyl Salicylate; Cananga;

Castoreum;

Some Perfumery Uses : Aftershave Fragrances; Balsam; Russian Leather

Cologne;

 

Description : The fossil resin, which is odorless, is found on the

shores of the Baltic Sea, particularly in Poland, eastern Germany,

and also along the North Sea coasts in Denmark, Holland, and England.

A further quantity of Amber is obtained by mining. Amber pieces which

are unfit for jewelry as well as dust and residues from the gem

industry are dry distilled in order to yield the Amber Oil. Amber Oil

is a dark amber or brownish clear oily liquid. Its odor is smoky,

tarlike, resinous, with a distinct resemblance to the odor of tanned

leather.

 

 

http://www.execpc.com/~goodscnt/data/es1067561.html

 

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Ambergris: This dark, waxy substance is produced in the digestive

tract of sperm whales to envelop sharp, indigestible squid beaks in

order to prevent the puncturing of stomach or intestines. It has been

valued since ancient times. It might be vomited by a sperm whale

during its death flurry, regurgitated (like a cat's hairball) or

evacuated through the bowel or discovered when the carcass was

processed. It also has been found floating at sea or washed up on a

beach, with no whales in sight.

Ambergris (from the French ambre gris, " gray amber " ) has been used in

Cosmetics, in love potions and wine, and as a headache remedy. In

recent times it was used to enhance and lengthen the life of

expensive perfumes. It frequently sold on the waterfront for $100 a

pound.

 

http://www.whalingmuseum.org/bounty.htm

 

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Oils and Incenses

 

Amber - love, comfort, happiness, and healing. (Amber oil is created

from lesser quality amber, which is fossilized pine resin millions of

years old...true amber oil is extremely rare...most amber oil is

formulated from ambergris)

 

http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Glade/4091/spells.html

 

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Amber

Sorry, we don't know the botanical information for this one,

although

it is plant based and originates in Syria. This resin has a deep,

musky scent with a sweet undertone. In muslim countries, men rub

amber resin through their hair and beards as part of a purification

ritual before entering a mosque. We use it as a personal perfume by

rubbing a " very " small amount through our wet hair after a

shower.

An incredibly sensual aroma!

 

http://www.rainbowmeadow.com/ab.html