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Hi Snap, It is not really practical to try to mold amber—so we can be reasonably certain the faces are carved. One of the things that distinguishes amber from other natural resins is its high melting point and volatility. If you melt amber, it does not turn into a liquid (like any recent resin would do). Instead, at best, it becomes a hot gummy sticky material. Then, the temperature to get it to this state must be carefully modulated. A few degrees too low and the amber is still stiff. A few degrees too high, and it catches fire. This is how we can be reasonably certain that in earlier times, people did not melt amber to make "pressed amber" or "ambroid," prior to the sophisticated development of the Germans in 1881. 19th century technology, relying on thermometers, heating chambers, and hydraulic presses, were able to do this work. Suggestions that 'anyone' could have pressed amber—be these folks in antiquity, or modern but mechanically unsophisticated folks—is presumptuous. But it's a mistake that has been made many times. It's all predicated on the lack of understanding that amber doesn't melt. Even when pressed amber is made in the present time, the gooey melted mess is quickly centrifuged and pushed into a mold (making rods, plates, or blocks), and is then cooled. Once it's cool and firm, the ambroid is cut and carved into ornaments. Consequently, when we see a bead or artifact of "amber" that has casting or mold marks, we know it's not real amber, and not even real pressed amber. The places that make real pressed amber are: Germany, Poland, and Russia. I appreciate your kind remarks! Jamey All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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