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Original Message:   Not copal beads
According to Wikipedia:

"The term copal describes resinous substances in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between "gummier" resins and amber".

I saw a few examples of beads made from copal in the defunct Bead Museum formerly of Glendale, AZ. The beads looked nothing like old amber or phenolic beads and reportedly are fragile. Copal will become sticky if tested with a drop of acetone because it is not as highly crosslinked as amber.

I see the term copal used now and then to describe old phenolic beads but this is clearly incorrect, so I think we all need to be cautious about using the term copal. I also see the terms "copal amber" and "African amber" applied to old phenolic beads. Both terms are misleading but unfortunately continue to be used by sellers.

There are newly made phenolic or other polymer resin beads being sold that are colored to look like amber and I have some of them. I'm working on possible quick methods of testing them to determine the composition, but that may not be possible without using industrial analytical lab equipment.

What did these beads smell like when you burned them?

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