Amber: Window to the Past – David A.
Grimaldi (1996)
Sunlight solidified. That is how ancient man saw amber, initially discovered
washed up on sea beds and beaches, reflecting the bright sun with its rich, often
golden hues. It must have seemed like
such a magical material. Sometimes
completely transparent, sometimes opaque, this material came in a wide range of
colors, from green to bright red, and possessed seemingly magical properties. It felt warm to the touch, unlike other
stones, and built-up static electricity. One of only two items used as
gemstones that arise from natural, biological processes (the other being
pearls), amber remains highly prized and very beautiful. My fascination with amber has been lifelong,
and because I am not fortunate enough to reside in an amber-rich location, I
adore books such as this one by David A. Grimaldi, for they bring me not only a
deep and considered history of the precious material itself, but also countless
amazing photographs and reproductions from collections worldwide. My jealousies abound.
This wonderful book is divided into
two sections, Amber in Nature, and Amber in Art. The first chapter of the Amber in Nature
section details exactly what is considered amber, its origins, and its
properties. True amber is very old. Starting out as the resinous sap from a
variety of trees (many of which are extinct), amber is created when this sap
drips or falls to the ground and is covered by either water or oxygen-poor
soil. This allows the highly volatile
chemicals found in the resins to either dissipate or break down while
preserving the resin itself, sometimes for tens of millions of years. Erosion and other factors work to bring up
these deposits, oftentimes breaking off pieces and washing them away with the
tide. This is how early people found
amber on beaches near ancient deposits.
In a world with very few transparent substances, it makes sense that
amber was highly prized and divine.
While prized for millennia for its
gem-like qualities, in modern times the greatest value of amber lies in the
inclusions found within. Humans have
always prized amber specimens with visible animals or plants trapped inside,
often using these for jewelry or decoration.
Most did not know or understand how old the amber was, or the included
animals and plants. Scientists began to
understand that the animals and plants in amber were sometimes tens of millions
of years old, which led them to use the old amber collections for taxonomy
purposes. In even more recent times, the
rise of scanning electron microscopy and other even better microscopes helped
us see how much detail and preserved material was actually available within the
amber itself. Whereas most fossils found
in rock strata are compressed, flattened through time and pressure, the fossils
inside amber often retain their three-dimensional structure. It has been found that the chemical
composition of the amber not only sealed the specimens away from harmful oxygen,
but the process of desiccation within the amber preserved many soft tissue
organs, such as the brains, muscles and lungs of a hundred-million-year-old
fly, all plainly visible under the microscope.
Amazing. Even more insane is that
individual mitochondria have been preserved.
These are some of the smallest constituents of any living animal’s
cells. I cannot imagine the glee and
shock whenever a scientist first laid eyes on hundred-million-year-old
mitochondria. Those moments are truly
singular, and are what scientist dreams are made of.
Reading about the history of amber
in art and decorative pieces was also enlightening. While most amber is ancient, it is not an
inert material. Exposure to the
atmosphere and bright lights can cause the usually shiny amber to be covered in
cracks and crazed bits, rendering the outer “skin” of the amber opaque. Because of this, many of the oldest art
pieces do not glimmer or shine as they did originally. If left alone, the amber would eventually
crumble to dust. Due to its fragility,
amber was rarely used as a showpiece gemstone.
It did find much use in bead form, and as accent pieces for large,
crafted items. In fact, one of the most
widespread uses for amber was in crafting rosary beads, meant to be touched one
by one as prayers are recited.
My fascination with amber has
increased ten-fold due to this book. It
is a magnificent reference work and includes maps detailing the many places on
Earth where amber is either found in situ or mined. The closest location to me would be around El
Paso, Texas, a 12-hour drive away.
Seeing as how I have family living there, I will someday go hunting for
amber among the desert plants and animals.
If I am lucky my wife will come with me, although her loathing of dust
may preclude such adventures. Either
way, this book entertained and enlightened me, and I highly recommend it to
anyone seeking an expansive exploration of amber and its many uses.
Dust...
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