The origin of beeswax

Since ancient times, beeswax has been deeply loved by royal families, nobles, collectors and people all over the world. It is not only used as jewelry such as hand ornaments and neck ornaments, but also praised and respected unanimously because of its mysterious power. It is an ornament used by the royal family in past dynasties, and it is also a sacred blessing of religion, which makes the wearer and collector get incomparable luck and wealth. Therefore, there has always been a saying in Europe that "a thousand years of amber, a million years of beeswax". Beeswax has set off a global collection boom in this century, and its value has been rising. The texture and colorful charm of beeswax are comparable to diamonds and jadeite, but its mysterious power and spirituality are not available in other jewelry, which can be described as the most beautiful and precious jewelry. Although human beings discovered and used beeswax very early in history, their understanding of what beeswax is and its origin is very limited, and some of them are simply wrong. Beewax has always been covered with a thick veil. It was not until modern times, with the development of modern science such as chemistry, physics and geology, that human beings uncovered the mystery of beeswax with scientific knowledge and means.

Geological research shows that many conifers, such as conifers and maples, grew on the earth in Eocene and Cretaceous from 30 million to/kloc-0.0 billion years ago. These trees were strongly stimulated by the outside world in a certain geological period, and secreted a large amount of fat liquid. With the change of geological strata, these fat liquids fell to the ground and were buried deep underground. After more than 30,000 to 40,000 years of formation pressure and heat, these fatty liquids were petrified into beeswax mines. Geological research also shows that beeswax was first formed in Cretaceous about 1 100 million years ago, and was formed in Miocene about 20 million years ago at the latest. The beeswax formed in Miocene has been relatively soft (Dominican beeswax is one of them). After that, due to the sharp decline of coniferous forests and the lack of petrochemical time, the strata movement gradually stabilized and the formation of beeswax became less and less.

After the formation of beeswax, in the long years, it has experienced various tempering of crustal ups and downs, sun and rain, and impact of glaciers and rivers. Some of them are exposed on the ground and some are buried underground. Some beeswax exposed to the surface is washed into the sea to become Haizhu, while others are washed into lakes to become lakes, and then buried underground to become mineral beads (mostly in sedimentary strata and coal measures strata). Beeswax has undergone various changes during its formation and in the long years since, due to environmental factors such as soil, water, organic matter, inorganic matter, sunlight, geothermal and so on. In addition to the matrix or resin (petrochemical), other factors such as color, specific gravity, hardness and melting point have produced certain differences, which are very mysterious. The ancients could never get a reasonable explanation. Only modern chemistry and physics have revealed the mystery and analyzed it.

Beeswax is amorphous, has no fixed internal atomic structure and external shape, and its cross section is often shell-like with refractive index between 1.54 ~ 1.55, so it is not suitable for birefringence. According to physics, the proportion of beeswax is between 1.05 and 1. 10, which is only slightly larger than that of water, so some tissues are loose and beeswax without other minerals can float in water (the English word beeswax amber comes from Arabic, meaning "floating in water"). The friction of beeswax produces electrostatic charge, which can absorb paper, iron filings and other tiny items. Some of them have electrostatic charge without friction, and have the feeling of "pinching hands".

Second, the reasons for the formation of various colors of beeswax

Why do beeswax made of the same resin have so many different colors?

In fact, the rich formation of many beeswax tones is unknown now and may not be known in the future. Because honey began to form when the earth was still in the wild, and in the long years after that, the influence of various factors in the universe on the germplasm and color of beeswax was extremely complicated and difficult to trace. I believe that with human intelligence and technology, even in the long term, it is impossible to reveal all its secrets. This is also the charm of beeswax to keep its nerves forever to some extent, attracting all beings to maintain eternal interest and deep thinking.

However, as far as some explanations have been confirmed by technology at present, the answers are as follows:

1. The yellow color of beeswax with more succinic acid is darker than that with less succinic acid; The strong acid beeswax in stratum soil is dark yellow.

2. If the original wax is buried in the "blue soil layer" for a long time (Oligocene layer, with loose sand containing mica and calcium), it will gradually turn blue under the action of calcium and titanium oxide in the sand.

3. The so-called "blue soil layer" is not blue, but its calcium (including carbonic acid), titanium oxide and other components can turn the original wax into blue.

4. The invasion of sulfur and sulfide into beeswax can make it green or even blue-purple, and the infiltration of copper sulfate will also make it green.

5. Infiltrate iron ore, cinnabar or manganese to make it red, brown, brown and brown.

6. The color that has been baked by geothermal heat for a long time is deep; People who have been buried in the snow for a long time are mostly khaki, brown, red and beige because they are less affected by geothermal energy.

7. In the stratum with more humus, beeswax is mostly brown, even black and dark green; Hidden in coal seams and ashes, it is dark gray.

8. The colors that float in the water for a long time (such as sea slope and amber) will be lighter; Those near the volcano will also change color and have more fluorescence.

When two or more colors invade the resin at the same time and merge into one, there will be countless discoloration. Some beeswax will change color in response to different light sources (such as aquamarine blue, Smurfs, green elves and so on). ). The variety of colors of beeswax itself makes the viewing direction different, such as looking up and looking down, and the colors you see are different. Amber is one of them. Long-term wear, get the care of the public, the color will become more oily and shiny, crystal clear. Beeswax will automatically change color over time, such as blood-stained amber, and the color will generally become darker; Exposure to the wilderness, long-term sun and rain, the color will gradually fade.

Three. The origin of beeswax

The most common beeswax is yellow beeswax produced in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe. Generally only yellow, and even some are translucent. The beeswax there is about four or five million years old. Because the age is relatively light, such beeswax has not been completely petrified, and the texture is still relatively soft. Among beeswax, it's just cheaper.

Real rare beeswax is generally produced in the Middle East, such as Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Africa and so on. The colors are varied because of the different minerals buried in the geology. These rare beeswax were formed 40 million to 50 million years ago, even 1 100 million years ago. However, their quantity is very rare, and they have extremely high collection value.

Four. Market Status of Beeswax

There are several kinds of beeswax that can be seen in the market: Dominican beeswax, Snow Mountain beeswax (with this name, it is produced in the Middle East and Africa, not in Snow Mountain), water beeswax (a relatively transparent beeswax), silk beeswax (with filiform stripes inside) and Baltic beeswax (milky yellow and golden yellow, or translucent between the two). )

The highest price is Dominican beeswax; Followed by snow mountain beeswax and water wax, their prices are comparable, and whoever is old is expensive; Then silk wax and Baltic beeswax, the price is similar.

Beeswax is a kind of amber, which is no different from amber in physical composition and chemical composition, but it is named because of its "color like honey and light like wax". Beeswax is very popular because of its soft texture and warm color. Amber is a natural resin fossil, which was secreted by conifers 40 million to 60 million years ago. It was buried deep in the ground after the crustal changes and gradually evolved. Amber can be divided into transparent amber and opaque amber according to transparency. Opaque amber, which is like honey in color and has the same luster and texture as wax, is traditionally called "beeswax". The beeswax is delicate in color, warm in texture and feels extremely friendly. It has always been a competition between dignitaries to collect treasures for fun. Amber has been regarded as a precious wealth since ancient times. Chinese medicine believes that amber can soothe the nerves and help sleep. Amber is listed as one of the seven treasures in Buddhism, which is auspicious for Buddhists. Amber is very popular as an ornament abroad. Whether in the East or in the West, amber is loved by people for its warm color and simplicity and elegance.