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Melbourne Orchid Spectacular 2008
Gem
Clearance
Nov 16, 17 & 18 2007
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Amber
Amber is formed from the sap of certain pine trees. This sap is like a glue and is produced when a tree is damaged much like we bleed when we are wounded. The sap does not decompose but remains behind well after the tree has rotted away. The sap ages and over millions of years form the beautiful brown glass like substance we see today called Amber/Copal. True amber can be aged from 500,000 years to 200,000,000 years old.
When the sap exudes itself from the tree it is very sticky and viscous, so occasionally insect and small animals become trapped and are preserved. Many insects found in Amber may be over 100 million years old and movies like Jurassic Park are founded on possible facts not fiction where the blood inside a mosquito may have come from a dinosaur and could be used to recreate that dinosaur. As Amber ages its carbon bonding strengthens and becomes very hard. Young amber therefore is softer and is often referred to as Copal. A wide range of insects, plant materials and small animals have been found preserved in Amber, the following two items are the best of their kind that we have seen.
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The Gecko on the left is a New Zealand specimen collected over 100 years ago and is a remarkable piece with the lizard being over 10cm long. The Copal on the right is a unique piece due to the wide range of insects preserved inside it, including a 1cm scorpion. Click on each photo for a link to their respective pages. Click on the pictures to visit the specimens page.
If you would like to learn more about amber please visit the site listed below.
http://www.gplatt.demon.co.uk/
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