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Hello Nancy.
It would seem unlikely that Amber beads purchased in Denmark would be Copal. If you rub these beads against a cloth like Denim to create friction and warmth, if it is Baltic Amber the pine type scent it gives off is pretty unmistakable. Even the African and South American Copal I have seen does not smell this way.
A few years ago on a vacation trip to the Dominican Republic, I attempted to purchase some raw Dominican Amber. I was told that Dominican amber could no longer legaly be exported unless it was made into beads, jewelry or at least polished localy. When I asked why, I was told by more than one person that during the first half of the 20th Century, huge quantities of Dominican amber were exported to Europe to be made into jewelry and sold as Baltic Amber. To keep the Amber revenues in the Dominican Republic I was told a law was passed. The people I talked to said at that time it was cheaper to Import this Dominican Amber than to use Baltic Amber.(it does nt sound logical, but that is what was said) Two of the countries specificaly mentioned to me were Denmark and Germany.
At the risk of being off the topic of beads, I would like to mention one more thing. Dominican Amber when rubbed to create a scent, smells nothing like Baltic Amber. It smells(to me)more like man made plastic, and even when burned could be mistaken for such. So some Amber beads represented to be Baltic Amber could in fact be Dominican amber and even thought to be plastic. (but still wont dissolve in acetone) just a little more confusion to add to an already confusing subject. I do hope this was helpful to you. Michael All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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