Amber – A Fossilised Resin of Timeless Beauty
Amber – A Fossilised Resin of Timeless Beauty The appellation "amber" doth encompass a multitude of fossilised tree resins. Typically, however, it doth refer unto the renowned Nordic amber, which once flourished in the arboreal expanses of Scandinavia and did, by gradual progression, emerge from rocky cavities into the continental deltaic and marshy regions, eventually being cast upon the shores of the North and Baltic Seas. This very amber is commonly designated as "Baltic" or "Nordic" amber, for indeed, divers sorts of amber exist, differing in their temporal origin, place of genesis, and their physical and chemical attributes.
On its Composition: Amber is an amorphous, organic material. It is principally composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (C10H16O4), with the addition of a modicum of sulphur. Verily, amber is a high-molecular organic acid molecule, possessing more than twenty chemical constituents.
On its Hue and Proper Care: The palette of amber's hue may range from a pale yellow, almost white, to a deep reddish-brown; moreover, specimens of green and blue are to be found, and even grey and black patterns have been unearthed. Its clarity may be transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque. At times, it may even exhibit a luminescent quality. Its darker coloration doth arise from oxidation, which transpires over extended periods of wear. A Word on its Preservation: Pray, keep your amber jewels stored in as dark and air-sealed a manner as possible. Directly after adornment and prior to its repose, one should literally "quench" your amber, much as one might a boiled egg, by holding it under a vigorous stream of cold tap water for some five to ten seconds. This action doth "reset" the amber's electrostatics, for even as an adornment, amber doth ceaselessly pursue its micro-physical inclinations.
On its Specific Gravity: Amber possesses a specific gravity of 1.05-1.25 on the Mohs scale, rendering it slightly heavier than water, yet it doth curiously float upon the briny deep of seawater.
The Origin of "Electricity": When rubbed, amber doth generate static electricity, and thus, the term "electricity" itself is derived from the Hellenic word for amber, "Elektron".
Inclusions and Modern Fable: Amber is distinguished by its singular capacity to preserve organic matter and encapsulated organisms – those, that is, which were originally entrapped within the fresh resin. This very attribute once served as the inspiration for the cinematic portrayal of a much simplified and ephemerally conflated narrative in "Jurassic Park." We do emphasise: Whilst "Jurassic Park" remains a work of fiction, it doth nonetheless feel to those acquainted with amber as though the very boundary between scientific speculation and historical reality hath been markedly traversed. The younger generations manifesting a lively interest in amber is with much delight we observe. Those who arrive at our establishment inspired by "Jurassic Park" shall find nothing gainsaid, but rather the true, timeless wisdom of amber to be expertly "sorted" and "augmented."
Geological Provenance and Occurrence: The Nordic amber doth principally originate from the Eocene epoch, the twilight of the Tertiary period, some forty million years hence, and to a lesser degree from the subsequent Oligocene. Palaeobiogeographical reconstruction suggests that the culmination of amber deposits should have transpired by the close of the Eocene, as the tropical "amber forests" of Northern Europe did steadily fade owing to the ever-cooler climate. Rivers did convey amber from the slopes of Scandinavia, depositing it upon the shores of the ancient sea, which originally encompassed vast portions of present-day Denmark, Lower Germany, Lower Poland, and the Baltic States – a domain that was then largely submarine, that is to say, submerged beneath the waves.
The Dissemination of Nordic Amber: Nordic amber may be cast ashore upon coasts as distant as Yorkshire, England, at the opposing extremity of the North Sea. The seabed of the North Sea, beyond the coasts of Jutland, doth yield no notable amber sediments. However, the sandy former sea beds, now terrestrial expanses in much of the aforementioned nations, do harbour rare, isolated, and widely dispersed amber sediments. Notable Nordic amber occurrences are still found as rare sediments beneath the Southern Baltic Sea and in the lowlands stretching from Friesland to Lithuania. Denmark, positioned at the nexus of both routes, doth also, in certain locales, yield smaller, larger, and scattered amber sediments.
Historical Nomenclature and Significance: The Hellenic word "Elektron," thence the Latin "Electrum," was in all likelihood employed ere the common Latin terms "succinum" and "mucronosis" found their place in the lexicon. The Grecian sage, Pliny the Elder, did introduce "Elektron" specifically for our Nordic amber, which even in those bygone days was shipped more or less regularly, via the ancient Amber Road, from Aquileia nigh unto Trieste by the Greeks into the Orient. Perchance the most widely known testimonial ornament born of the toil of those ancient amber world traders and ship-owners is the Pharaoh's Collar, which doth incorporate, in each of its four pendants, one of four nearly uniform amber fragments as a determining element of the collar. That it is indeed Succinite, that is to say, Nordic amber, hath been substantiated by spectroscopic examination in the laboratory of the British Museum.
Amber and Electric Force: The Hellenic word "Elektron," and consequently the Latin "Electrum," was introduced by the Grecian sage Pliny the Elder specifically for Nordic amber. Henceforth, all that is directly or indirectly related to electricity and, naturally, its "offspring," electronics, hath, for the most part unconsciously, but truly in honour of amber, and our amber most especially, been named after it unto this very day.