Difference between revisions of "Amber"
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+ | Amber is the fossil resin from a pine tree that flourished in the Baltic region some 25 to 40 million years ago. Globs of this aromatic sap poured down from prehistoric trees, often trapping insects, twigs, bark and leaves. Amber is one of the few gemstones of organic origin. In ancient India and Egypt, amber was burned as an incense, believed to purify the surrounding area. Amber is abundant along the shores of the Baltic Sea where it is mined extensively from TERTIARY glauconite sands that are from 40 million to 60 million years old and the Dominican Republic |
Revision as of 13:16, 2 October 2006
Amber | |
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Chemical composition | C-H-O compound (fossil resin) |
Crystal system | Amorphous |
Fracture | Conchoidal, brittle |
Hardness | 2-2.5 |
Refractive index | 1.54 |
Specific gravity | 1.05-1.09 |
Lustre | Resinous |
Amber is the fossil resin from a pine tree that flourished in the Baltic region some 25 to 40 million years ago. Globs of this aromatic sap poured down from prehistoric trees, often trapping insects, twigs, bark and leaves. Amber is one of the few gemstones of organic origin. In ancient India and Egypt, amber was burned as an incense, believed to purify the surrounding area. Amber is abundant along the shores of the Baltic Sea where it is mined extensively from TERTIARY glauconite sands that are from 40 million to 60 million years old and the Dominican Republic