Amber is the resin of tertiary coniferous plants, which was buried underground by geological processes. After a long geological period, resin lost its volatile components and polymerized and solidified to form amber. Often accompanied by coal seams. Amber is a hydrocarbon containing succinic acid and amber resin. Its chemical composition is C 10H 16O, of which 79% is carbon, 10.5% is hydrogen, 10.5% is oxygen, and sometimes it contains a small amount of hydrogen sulfide. The shape of amber is mostly pie-shaped, kidney-shaped, tumor-shaped, slender water-drop-shaped and other irregular shapes. It belongs to amorphous body. Most of the colors are yellow, orange, brown, brownish yellow or dark red, and light green, yellow and lavender varieties are extremely rare. Grease luster, transparent to translucent. The refractive index is 1.539- 1.545, multicolor. Hardness 2-3, density1.1-1.16g/cm3. Brittle, cleavage-free, conchoidal fracture. Amber is an organic substance, which softens when heated to 150℃ and melts at 250℃-300℃, giving off an aromatic rosin smell. Amber is soluble in alcohol. It usually contains insects, seeds and other inclusions.
Types and evaluation of amber. According to the different colors and characteristics of amber, the varieties of amber in China are Jin Po, Xuepo, Insect Po, Xiangpo, Lingpo, Shipo, Huapo, Shuipo, Mingpo, Wapo, beeswax, Korean pine, etc. Among them, Jin Po is a precious high-quality amber. The value of amber is not high now, unless it is antiques, exquisite works of art or contains biological remains. The economic value of amber depends on the purity, shape, size and color of insects. Strong and positive color, no impurities is better. Green and transparent red are the best colors. The most valuable variety is amber wrapped with insects, commonly known as "amber hidden bees", with clear insects, realistic shapes, large individuals and large numbers as the best. Mostly used in beads, beads, sculptures, cigarette cases, health incense and so on.
Maintenance of amber. Amber has a low melting point, is easy to melt, and is afraid of heat and exposure. Amber products should avoid direct sunlight and should not be placed in high temperature places. Amber is easy to dehydrate and crack when it is too dry. Amber is an organic substance, which is easily soluble in organic solvents, such as nail polish, alcohol, gasoline, kerosene, heavy liquid and so on. It is not suitable for putting in the dressing cabinet. Generally, it is not necessary to measure its density with heavy liquid, but to measure its refractive index with oil immersion method. Amber is fragile and has low hardness, so it is not suitable for external impact. Friction and scratches should be avoided to prevent scratches and breakage.
Amber imitation and its identification. Imitations of amber are bakelite, plastic and glass imitation amber. Generally speaking, amber is distinguished according to its low density, high hardness and easy softening. When imitations such as amber are put into saturated salt solution, only amber can float, while imitations such as bakelite, plastic and glass imitation amber all sink into saturated salt water. Refractive index: bakelite 1.66, plastic 1.63, all higher than amber. Tested by hot iron needle, amber gives off a loose fragrance, while bakelite and plastic give off a spicy taste. The most similar to amber is to suppress amber. Pressing amber is to gather small pieces of amber together, heat them at 200℃-250℃ to melt them, and then they will melt together after cooling. There are slender or flat bubbles with flowing structure, and turbid granular structure can be seen under the magnifying glass.
Amber is an ancient jewelry material. As a gem, it has a history of nearly 6000 years. Decorations made of amber have been unearthed in many ancient tombs in China, Greece and Egypt. Women in ancient Rome had the habit of holding precious stones in their hands. The reason is that amber will give off a faint fragrance when heated at the temperature of the palm. The ancient Romans gave amber a very high value, and a small statue carved with amber was more valuable than a strong slave. Amber can also relieve pain and relieve shock. In some places, a string of amber is often hung on children's chests to ward off evil spirits and relieve shock.
Amber often appears in coal seams and is associated with coal concentrate. Fushun amber is mainly produced in tertiary coal seams containing amber in the early Cenozoic. Amber produced in the Baltic countries in Europe is the most famous, and it is produced in other countries such as North America, the United States, India and New Zealand. Amber from China is produced in Fushun, Liaoning and Nanyang, Henan. Amber produced in Fushun is yellow to golden yellow, and often contains insects. It is a very precious variety with a beautiful appearance. The quality of amber produced in Nanyang is poor, so it can only be used as medicine to suppress amber. Distinguish amber from real amber.
Natural amber is light in texture and floats in saturated salt water. However, burning or rubbing hard will give off fragrance. Amber room is a "astringent" substance, and no two pieces of amber are exactly the same. It is suggested that consumers should not give up the opportunity to appreciate amber because of the problem of authenticity, and may wish to strengthen their understanding of amber.
Types of amber and how to distinguish between true and false amber
As a precious gem, amber has been a popular ornament since ancient times. Now more and more people prefer amber ornaments. How to tell the true from the false? Here are some tips to share with you! Meanwhile, please support my little sister.
Types of amber
There are many colors of amber, and different colors of amber have different representative meanings, such as "Jin Po gathers wealth, bloodsucking pearls ward off evil spirits, and the secret wax is medicine-sucking pearls". The color of amber is deep, elegant, simple and subtle. Therefore, it has a reputation as a "low-key aristocrat" in the West. Traditionally, transparent amber is called amber, and opaque or translucent amber is called secret wax. According to the professional point of view, it can be divided into the following categories:
Jin Po: Yellow, as crystal clear as gold, is very precious.
Blood amber: red, long-standing transparent amber unearthed, the color is like the color of high-grade red wine.
Lamper: The color is blue.
Green Pearl: The color is green.
Zhang Po: It is black under normal light and red under strong light. Ancient books say that amber is "the length of many beads, the saint of amber".
Huapo: Amber between transparent amber and opaque amber.
Insect amber: amber wrapped with insects, leaves and other inclusions.
Aunt: White amber.
The division of dense wax mainly includes amber that turns red to orange and translucent due to geothermal influence, which is called golden twist; There are also rare ivory whites, baby faces and so on.
Identification of amber
Amber is a prehistoric fossil of turpentine, which was formed 40 million to 60 million years ago. The main components of amber are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and a small amount of sulfur. Hardness 2-3, specific gravity 1.05- 1. 10, melting point 150c- 18c. Amber is a very astringent substance. No two amber pieces are exactly the same. Its composition and structure can be identified by scientific instruments. Amber is generally identified according to its low specific gravity and hardness, in addition, its refractive index is also very special. The specific test method is as follows:
The specific gravity test shows that natural amber is light in texture, and the density of amber (without any inlay) is between 1.05- 1. 10, so in 1: 4 salt water (1 salt, 4 water), the genuine product will float. Another useful test method is to put an unknown substance into a saturated salt solution. Amber will float in salt water, while most substances will sink. This test method is usually enough to distinguish amber from bakelite and many other plastics. Synthetic imitation amber: Bakelite (or bakelite), cellophane and even acrylic are often used to imitate amber, but its proportion is too heavy, and it will sink in saturated salt water, while real amber will float. There is a kind of plastic called polystyrene, whose specific gravity and refractive index are quite close to those of real amber. The above methods can not detect the authenticity, but there is no fragrance when rubbed, and the synthetic product will smell when synthesized. The proportion of "transparent amber" is large, the proportion of "opaque amber" (such as bone amber) is small, and the proportion of amber with insects is even smaller.
Needle burning-heating test When the needle is heated to red and scalded on the surface of amber, it will have a loose fragrance and black color, and the plastic will partially melt and stick to the needle. You can also pierce beeswax or amber with a fine needle after heating with fire, and then pull it out while it is hot. If it produces the smell of black smoke and rosin, it is real amber. If it emits white smoke and produces a plastic smell, it is a fake made of plastic. In addition, when the needle is pulled out, it will be fake amber, but the real one will not. When the small pieces are heated slowly, bakelite gives off a strong electric carbon sour taste, and celluloid gives off a camphor smell.
Ether test: Drop a small drop of ether in an imperceptible place and stay for a few minutes. If amber is corroded by ether, the ether will leave spots on its surface after volatilization. Because ether volatilizes very quickly, it is sometimes necessary to use a large drop of ether or make up this drop from time to time. Although the appearance of regenerated amber pressed with amber powder at high temperature is very close to that of natural amber, if a little ether is applied, it will feel sticky and dissolved in a few minutes. You can also test the surface with nail polish remover. Amber will not react, but Coba resin will corrode. Styrene resin and shell turpentine were soaked in ether for 5-2 minutes, and then swelled and softened.
Sound test: Amber beads that are not inlaid will make a very soft and slightly dull sound when rubbed gently in your hands. If the sound is plastic or resin, it will be crisp.
Refractive index test is also a useful indicator because amber is amorphous, isotropic, cleavage-free, polychromatic and refractive, while the refractive index of bakelite is about 1.60. The refractive index of amber generally varies, but it is usually close to 1.54, which can be as low as 1.539 and as high as 1.545.
Observation and test of bubbles Because amber is a natural fossil, it is easy to become brittle, so the jewelry industry allows some processing to make it difficult to become brittle. In this process, natural gas bubbles in amber will change due to temperature, such as expansion or bursting, thus forming internal patterns with different shapes, commonly known as crystal flowers. Crystal flowers formed in this way are usually irregular, and the bubbles contained in them are usually regular and round. Regenerated amber: It is to grind natural amber particles into powder, add some plastic raw materials, and then heat to synthesize regenerated amber. Usually, linseed oil is added to color, and then pressed into a large piece of amber under high pressure. Bubbles are often mixed in this process, but the bubbles of regenerated amber are usually crushed and grow into strips.
Friction test amber has a faint pine fragrance when rubbed. Amber that produces fragrance when rubbed is called "Xiangpo". Generally, amber only emits a strong pine fragrance when it is burned.
The texture, color depth, transparency and refractive index of true amber will change with the observation angle and illumination. This feeling can't be found in any other substance. As long as you have your favorite amber with more than three colors and more than three months, no one can fool you. Amber is transparent but very moist, unlike glass, crystal and diamond. Fake amber is either transparent or opaque, and the color is fake when it dies. In addition, the natural structure of amber is seriously damaged by artificial high-temperature heating, and many "crystal flowers" are mostly regular and dense round and dazzling, which will have a lifeless cold light feeling. After a long period of exposure to amber, you can tell the truth by intuition.
When the needle used for hardness test is slightly inclined to stab the back of amber at an angle of 20-30 degrees (where you don't think it will hurt amber), there will be a slight sense of violence and a very fine powder residue. If it is plastic or other substances with different hardness, it will either stick, feel sticky or even stick inside.
Pure natural amber with real acid and alkali has considerable corrosion resistance to ordinary daily acid and alkali, because many amber produced in the Baltic Sea are salvaged from the sea and have been in the sea for hundreds of millions of years. If it weren't for acid and alkali resistance, we might not have seen it a long time ago.
The identification method of insects and other debris in natural insects should be three-dimensional, ecological and natural, with a sense of struggle. Some larger insects will have small bubbles exhaled by their last breath in front of their mouths! Artificial insects are treated and crushed, and natural amber with insects is extremely rare and expensive.
Identification method of beeswax The only way for international beeswax experts to judge genuine beeswax is to turn red, black or star when exposed to heat. In addition, amber crumbs are pressed to form transparent and brightly colored beeswax, and many surfaces may be artificially colored. Honey wax is opaque because it contains a lot of succinic acid. After wearing for a long time, succinic acid will gradually become transparent amber due to the decrease of human body temperature.
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Source: Bao Bo Art Network