What is Amber?

Table of Contents☰

About Amber:

It is fossil tree resin that has achieved a stable state through loss of volatile constituents and chemical change after burial in the ground.
Amber has been found throughout the world, but the largest and most significant deposits occur along the shores of the Baltic Sea in sands 40 to 60 million years old.
Amber occurs as irregular nodules, rods, or drop like shapes in all shades of yellow with nuances of orange, brown, and, rarely, red.
Milky-white opaque varieties are called bone amber.
The turbidity of some amber is caused by inclusions of many minute air bubbles.
Many hundreds of species of fossil insects and plants are found as inclusions.
Deeply coloured translucent to transparent amber is prized as gem material.
Ornamental carved objects, beads, rosaries, cigarette holders, and pipe mouthpieces are made from amber.
Amberoid, or “pressed amber,” is produced by fusing together small pieces of amber under pressure. Parallel bands, or flow structure, in amberoid help to distinguish it from natural amber.

Q1: What is resin?

In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Plants secrete resins for their protective benefits in response to injury.

News: 90-million-year-old amber discovered in Antarctica reveals secrets of ancient forest