Types of Amber, Copal & Resin

To a Piece of Amber

‘Limpid lump with light refulgent.

Tawny tinted, cold yet warm,

Whence has come your mystic beauty,

Your alluring wonderous charm?

Are you blood of Forest Monarch

Slain by the Storm King's might,

Clotted in Earth’s cold bosom

Through ages of Arctic night?

Or the tears of Druid Maiden

For a lover found untrue?

Tell me the tragic story

That is hid in the heart of you.

Are you frozen sunshine,

Chilled by a world unkind,

Or the golden pearl of an Elfin Earl

Whose castle none may find?

I am the blood of Forest Monarch,

I am tears of a Druid Maid

I am congealed sunshine

From the haunts where Elfins played.

I am all of these and more than these,

For a token of love am I,

To be worn next the heart of your true love

To prove her constancy.

An amulet ‘gainst grief and pain,

’Gainst sorrow, sin and care,

For none may harm where I cast my charm

O’er beauty pure and rare.’

Walter S. Park

There are many different types of fossilized resin found all over the world. Each deposit has

unique chemical constituents but can physically appear almost identical. In some cases it is

only through detailed chemical analysis that the geographic origin of the resin can be

determined.

The process through which resin changes into amber has been dealt with elsewhere within this

site. In brief the process is as follows:

THE RESIN-AMBER CONTINUUM

It should be noted that although the rate of transition from resin to amber is shown as a linear

process, in reality it is variable and not at all a regular transitional mechanism.

RESIN

Following its secretion the resin immediately begins to lose its original plasticity and harden.

The resin is not termed copal because the polymerization has not yet adequately progressed.

There are several forms of commercially exploited resin.

Ambergris can be mistaken for a form of resin but in fact is not. It is actually a product found

in sperm whales. It is found within the animal's digestive tract and is thought to be the result

of infection of which the ambergris is the animal's natural defense mechanism. It is sometimes

found washed up on beaches or was cut from the animals when whaling existed as an

industry. It is used as a fixative in the perfume industry.

Arabic gum was farmed in the Middle East during the earlier part of the 20th

century. This

was a major source of industrially exploited resin. It was used as a varnish and also as part of

some photographic development processes.

Dammar is a gum obtained from trees in Malaysia and Pacific islands. The gum is

commercially collected and turned into lacquer and varnish.

Frankincense is derived from a single tree, the Boswellia Species. It purported to induce a

soothing atmosphere when used as incense. The following link gives some interesting

information on ancient frankincense trade routes which have recently been identified in the

Yemmen.

Gum lac sometimes called shellac is not a bi-product

of any tree but an excretion of an insect Coccus lacca.

This insect secretes a resinous coating onto its body

that builds up on the bark of host trees. This sticky

mass is then gathered, collected and refined. It is used

commercially as a varnish. The picture to the left

shows harvesting in the process on the island of

Indonesia. Click on the picture to move to the site from

which it originates.

Kauri Gum was mined and collected on the North

Island of New Zealand. It is a recently formed resin

that is classified as resin or gum rather than copal. It

was secreted by forests of Agathis Australis. These

large forests have been reduced to sparsely distributed

glades. The few remaining trees have acquired state

protection under that countries law and may not be felled. (In some cases the visual

appearance of the resin cannot be distinguished from many amber specimens. Kuari gum

displays the same qualities of translucence, fracturing and pale yellow colouring as many

Baltic amber pieces. It is certainly more fragile, breaking easily and prone to fracturing).This

link provides more information about Kauri Gum.

Mastic is a resin produced by the tree Pistacia lentiscus. The tree grows predominantly in

Greece. It is used commercially as a varnish and type of glue.

Myrrh is the resin product of Commiphora tree. It grows mainly in Arabia and Turkey and

like frankincense is used as extremely aromatic incense. It is also used for its medicinal

properties.

Rosin is the principal resin product of various pine trees. It is collected and distilled and used

as on various string instruments to create suitable friction contact between the bow and string.

Sandarach is a resin farmed in North Africa and extracted from Junipers. It is used

commercially as a varnish.

COPAL

Copal is a more mature form of resin. The word copal comes from the Spanish word copalli

which means incense, a task for which copal can in fact be employed. Polymerization has now

progressed significantly through the body of the resin.

In some cases the surface of the copal has fractured and crazed due to the surface shrinkage

prompted through the initial evaporation of the turpenes which also begins during this period.

(The author has witnessed a piece of resin craze and fracture over a period of 3 months when

a large translucent piece weighing more than a Kilogram was displayed in a shop window in

full sunlight thus accelerating the entire process with extreme heating and climatic

conditions).

Distinguishing between copal and amber is a contentious issue amongst members of the

amber community. There is no scaling system for assessing polymerization against age.

This is because too many external factors affect the rate of molecular linking and

consequently a variable rate does not lend its self to a linear time assessment system. Because

of this the nomenclature of resin, copal and amber is not an absolute science yet.

Significant copal deposits exist in Columbia, South America in the Santander province. This

material is less than 1000 years old. Despite being younger than the New Zealand, kuari

material that can be over 10,000 years old, it is called copal, whereas the kuari gum is not.

This can be confusing but is reflective of the variable rate of change resin undergoes in

different conditions.

It is important to note that the kuari gum of New Zealand would appear to have experienced

little heat or pressure in its development to date, consequently it has not matured to the same

degree that many other younger deposits have. Although these other deposits (Colombian

being principal among them) are younger they have acquired the major characteristics of

copal which the kuari gum has not. Cynically, it might also be observed that the classification

of material against the Resin-Amber continuum is not always applied with the scientific rigor

it should receive.

Copal deposits exist in:

Africa (North, East and West) - Borneo, Congo, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania,

Zanzibar.

Asia - Damar.

Australia - Allendale Victoria.

Baltic.

East India.

Indonesia.

Israel.

Japan - Mizunami.

Malaya.

Philippines.

South America - Brazil, Colombia, Sierra Leone and the Congo.

Sumatra.

The complete transition from resin to amber has to have two additional factors present: heat

and pressure. Heat and pressure may support the process of polymerization and turpene

evaporation but their full effect upon the formation of amber is not fully understood.

Copalite or Highgate resin is a term given to an ancient fossil resin found in the London

clay. It is not common but it has been recorded in several geological narratives on these

deposits. It has been found in Highgate and Richmond,United Kingdom.

AMBER

Having established the development of resin into copal and looked in some detail at resin and

copal I would now like to look at the final product of this process, true amber and retinite.

This final stage requires the evaporation of turpenes from within the body of the fossil resin

itself.

Many scientists refer to Baltic amber as succinite. This is because of the high levels of

succinic acid present within it. Scientists have used succinic acid in part to determine whether

a deposit should be called amber, a name which strictly should only be used to describe Baltic

amber. Other fossil resins containing no succinic acid fall under the generic term of retinite.

But amber has been applied and used as a generic description for nearly all of the worlds

fossil resin deposits. Other titles have been given to ancient resin, even to sub deposits found

within the major Baltic deposit.

Some of these ambers and retinitis are covered in greater detail in Patty Rice’s Book.

Baltic Region Origin

Some of the following entries are less than satisfactory because of the lack of detail. I have

however had to rely on old book references as some of these deposits no longer exist or have

been long forgotten.

Allingite

A form of fossil resin discovered in Switzerland but extremely rare. Little is known about

these deposits or even if it is still found.

Beckerite

(Named after one of the owners of the Stanten and Becker amber product company situated in

the Baltic). Is much denser and harder than Baltic amber despite being found in associated

deposits. It takes a poor polish but does not break as easily as Gedanite. Its botanical origin is

speculated to be some form of Leguminous tree. (Rice - 1980)

Delatynite

Referred to in some scientific papers published in the former Soviet Block. No information

available. (Rice - 1980)

Gedanite

(Derived from the word Gedanum the old name given to Gdansk in Poland) Gedanite is found

within the Baltic amber deposits themselves. It is somewhat lighter in colour than typical

amber and much more brittle. Jewellers and craft persons do not use this form because of its

poor working properties. It also posses much lower levels of succinite and for this reason is

not thought to have originated from the tree Pinites succinifer, but rather Pinites stroboides.

(Rice - 1980).

Gedano-Succinite

Gedano-Succinite has similar properties to Gedanite and was defined though not named by

the Scientist, O. Helm in 1877. The primary difference between the two varieties is the level

of succinic acid present, Gedano- Succinite has up to 2.2% present, Gedanite, none. This

variety of amber is also extremely friable when compared to other varieties.

Glessite

(The name originates from the Aesti word for amber, Glessum) Derived possibly from some

form of Angiosperm but being similar to Beckerite in appearance, its physical qualities

differentiate it, being harder and also taking a polish. (Rice - 1980)

Krantzite

A resin originating within the coal mines of Saxony it is excessively soft and unworkable.

(Rice - 1980)

Schraufite

Found frequently in association with lignite and jet deposits. The deposit is located in the

Carpathian Mountains. (Rice - 1980)

Stantienite

(Stantien and Becker the 20th Century producers of amber derived products had this amber

type named after one of their founding owners). In many ways similar to Beckerite and

similarly found within the major Baltic deposits. It will take a polish but fractures too easily.

(Rice - 1980)

Succinite

(Named after Succinic acid which is present within this particular deposit). Succinic acid

COOH(CH2)2COOH15 can be present from 3 - 8% by weight. Succinite is the correct name

for the Baltic amber deposits situated from just off the East coast of England across to the

shores of Lithuania. These deposits are huge and have been exploited now for hundreds of

years.

It is still being mined or gathered extensively throughout the Baltic region. One of the most

prolific mines is at the Palmnicken site in Russia which is still working and remains one of the

largest producers. Records show that to date most, 90% of amber extracted is poor quality and

requiring further processing into varnish. The remaining 10% is suitable for jewellers and

artisan use.

Amber also had its ancient uses, and amongst other things was used as a varnish for musical

instruments and oil paintings. The following link to the Amberalchemy web site explains the

musical connection in more detail. Shellac is also a commercial derivative product of amber,

more details can be found by taking the link.

Non Baltic Region Origin

Almashite

See the Rumanite entry for this section.

Ambrite

This is a fossilized resin originating in New Zealand but is not the kuari Gum for which the

region is so rightly famous but a true fossil resin that occurs on the North island. It is

extracted from lignite beds found on the North Island of New Zealand.

Amekit

This is fairly recent discovery of true amber located in South Eastern Nigeria. The source is

located in Eocene clay sandstone of the Ameki Foundation which presumably gave this amber

its name. Tree origin at this time is unknown.

Burmite

Burma up until recent years had been China’s major source of amber. The Burmese had

mined and dug for the amber which was then sold to Chinese traders who would sell on to

crafts people who prized the gem for its qualities and mythical properties.

The amber was extracted from the Northern parts of the country. The mining shafts were lined

with bamboo canes sunk down 10 -15 meters through clay deposits. ‘The Mineral Resources

of Burma’ published in 1934 noted 200 pits aimed at extracting amber near the village of

Shingban. Photographs from this period show these mines as potential death traps. The author

is uninformed about the situation regarding amber mining within this region at the current

time. Most records refer to activity up until the 1930’s, but none later. The age of Burmite has

been established as Eocene through indicator fossils present in the amber deposits. The tree

origin has been determined as Nummulites Biaritzensis.

Chemawinite

Amber from the Cretaceous is rare, but Canada has some remarkable deposits originating

from this age. Cedar Lake in Manitoba is probably one of the most commonly written about

sites. The Cedar Lake deposits were found on the South West lakeside shore as washed and

tiny pieces ranging from .5cm to 2cm in diameter. Highly fossiliferous by all accounts

containing many examples of both flora and fauna.

Various scientific expeditions have brought back several hundred pounds of amber from this

site. In the 1950’s a project was set in place to begin commercial development of the site. The

venture later failed.

This site has now been lost to science because of the flooding of the area. The former lake

side shore is now hidden beneath the new water level. Reports have been made of amber

beginning to appear on the new higher shoreline. So far these reports have been

unsubstantiated.

Dominican Republic Amber

Dominican Republic amber, probably the world’s second largest deposit, is following that of

the Baltic amber region, strangely does not have a unique name but can be called amber

because of the presence of Succinic acid though not to the same level as Baltic amber.

It is commonly referred to as Dominican Republic amber.

Throughout the island are numerous mines which tap into different deposits of amber. Laid

down in successive layers the age of the amber extracted can vary from between 15 - 40

million years. The tree origin has been established by Poinar as Hymenaea protera.

Hachettite

This is a semi transparent fossil resin that has a dull yellow appearance. It occurs in Savigno,

near Bologna, Italy and in the now abandoned mines of Merthyr Tydvil, Wales, United

Kingdom. It some respects it is said to resemble Copalite.

Loban

Referred to as the 'Balm of Mecca'. This fossil resins exact site of origin is unknown but it has

been recorded as occurring close to or in the vicinity if Mecca.

Muntenite

See the Rumanite entry for this section.

Mexican Retinite

Mexican retinite is mined in the Chiapas region, in the war torn area of Simojovel. It is

Miocene or older Oligocene in age and of leguminous tree origin. Newspaper reports and

stories of the abject poverty experienced by the people mining this source make sorry reading.

The low levels of Succinite make this deposit Retinite and not amber in classification.

Pigotite

This is extremely rare occurrence. It is an ancient fossil resin which contains traces of

aluminum within its chemical makeup. It has only been found to occur within certain types of

granite.

North American Amber

Amber has been found in numerous places within the United States of America. Susie Ward

Aber’s Web Site contains a detailed breakdown of some of these sources and the reader would

be advised to visit this site to learn more about this particular aspect of amber studies.

Rumanite (Almashite and Muntenite)

Romania has several scattered sources of amber. Probably the most famous being that situated

around the village of Colti in the Buzau district. Rumanite probably originated from a

leguminous tree as the presence of succinite has been analysed to be generally less than 5%.

This would therefore make the correct nomenclature of this deposit retinite and not amber.

Particles of wood have been found within these amber deposits and have been identified as

Sequoioxylon gypsaceum. The age of Rumanite from Colti has been established as Oligocene.

Almashite and Muntentite are both names that have been used to describe amber originating

from different geographic regions within Romania, Almashite from Piatra and Muntenite

from the Oltenia region. Amber has also been recovered from the Cretaceous age at Sibiu in

the Carpathians.

Rumanite has had a chequered history as regards its extraction. Known of and recorded by the

Romans the mining probably reached its highest point in the 1900’s. The mining was

nationalised in later years but never proved a commercial success and the mining was

officially abandoned. Examples of this deposit are extremely difficult to come by today.

Visitors to Colti may visit a recently opened museum of amber in the village.

Simetite

Sicily has probably been the source of the most beautiful amber/retinite ever seen. A

subjective assessment but one which was shared by many people who came into contact with

this type of retinite in the early part of this century. The reason for this was the wide range of

exotic colours reportedly found within these particular deposits. Blue, orange, red, green

being but some of the hues. The word Simetite is derived from the Simeto river where the

amber is known to have occurred.

Oligocene in age and again known of by the Romans, Sicilian amber is now practically

unknown. It contains no succinic acid and therefore should be called retinite. It is speculated

that the tree origin is not pine but an angiosperm and could be related to the current day

Burseraceae protium.

Arnold Buffum wrote a book in 1896 which has entered into amber lore and history, entitled

‘Tears of the Heliades or Amber as Gem’ the book in partial travelogue style describes

Buffum’s first introduction to Sicilian amber and its history. A famous picture is located at the

front of the book; a water-colour of a Sicilian amber necklace the author encountered around

the neck of a peasant girl.

If this is a true likeness of amber found and worked in Sicily then the deposit was truly a

remarkable one. Sadly Sicilian amber is no longer found and amber which was discovered and

worked at the beginning of this century or earlier has lost all of its colour and radiance.

Buffum himself wrote: ‘Roumanian amber is usually of a dark-brown hue, of a rich and

subdued beauty, with shining gold and silver flecks and bluish and greenish tints. German

amber is yellow in various shades, sometimes running into white or brown, but all the colours

in the prismatic spectrum are met with in the Sicilian variety’.

Valchorite

This is amber from the Cretaceous period. In appearance it resembles Copalite but is

significantly older and somewhat harder. It is found in Valchov near Boshovice.

COLOUR IN AMBER

Amber comes in a variety of colours and can be indicative of its geographic origins. Cherry

red amber is the distinctive colour of Burmite, amber originating from Burma. Dark brown

and opaque is typical of retinite from Borneo.

Unfortunately this convenient and distinctive factor is not consistent, and many deposits

produce amber which vary widely in their colour. Baltic and Dominican Republic amber

being two primary examples

Baltic amber has such a wide spectrum of colour that a unique language has grown up to

describe and identify different types of amber. Click here to review some of the terms used.

PLATT, GARRY (1998). "Types of Amber, Copal & Resin". Amber Home. http://www.gplatt.demon.co.uk/typesof.htm.