Amber with cracks

[Yoda]

Question for the Amber experts : 

 

Recently I was looking at some of my Amber (Burmite) with inclusions with my magnifying glass 

Quite a few of them have internal cracks. 

 

Is this likely to become a problem some time in the future ?

Are the cracks likely to develop further ? And possibly ruin the piece ? 

Any way of preventing that ? Soaking in some sort of consolidant or oil ? 

[Randyw]

Hi! The sad truth is that amber ages and degrades over time. Even in the short length of time called the human lifespan.Once its out of the ground and exposed to light and heat etc it speeds up. How fast depends on heat, cold, temperature variations, sunlight, etc. it even happens to pieces in the amnh. This is also what makes the larger older pieces more rare. But cheer up! There are things you can do to slow and/or prevent it. From what i’ve read The amnh coats their pieces with a thin epoxy once the damage starts. but you have to be really carefull or you will ruin the piece. However there are easier ways! First protect your pieces from sunlight and heat and cold changes. And humidity. Too dry or too wet speeds up crazing. Dont hang your piece in the sunny living room window becuase the sun looks pretty shining through it kind of thing. And now the most fun thing to do! Handle it! What you ask..? Handle my precious jewel? Yes. Without gloves.. once or twice a year handle your pieces the natural oils on your skin will help protect them. I keep my pieces in my finished basement so they are out of the sunlight and the temperature and humidity stays fairly constant. Doing these things should keep the piece stabile for longer then we will live anyway..hope this helps!

[Yoda]

@Randyw

Thanks for the info.

 

While doing some research online, I read somewhere that suggested storing Amber in a vegetable based oil or coating them with vegetable oil to prevent surface oxidation / degradation. (Can't find the source again )

Is there any merit in this ?? 

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by Yoda

[daves64]

*Amber should not be treated with or stored in vegetable or mineral oils (even for a short time for examination or photography), or come into contact with alcohol, disinfecting agents, hydrogen peroxide, or other destructive solvents or mixtures, since any of these materials can irreversibly damage the amber.* From Science Direct

Also things like hand lotions, perfumes & the like should be avoided as well (as in coming in contact with).

As for the internal cracks, there really isn't anything that can be done about that, other than treating the pieces gently. Don't store them with anything hard & don't drop them. I have pieces that have many internal fractures & they are fine. Exterior crazing can't be avoided entirely, but as @Randyw said, handle them. The natural oils on your skin will help keep the exterior from crazing quickly. But, since amber is a "living" gemstone, they won't last forever, no matter what's done to protect them. Long term direct sunlight dries out the natural oils in the amber, causing them to eventually crumble, as does long term exposure to UV light.

 

[Yoda]

@daves64

Thanks for the info. I won’t use any products on the Amber. 
My pieces are stored in a cupboard, so not exposed to sunlight. 
 

And most of them are in these that cases that they were sent to me in. 
 

I have just noticed that one has this fracture pattern.  Is this on the surface damage to which you were referring ??

 

 

[Randyw]

That looks to me like old heavy surface crazing. As in from before it was found. It looks like they polished it off to expose the insect. If the insect is deep enough in the piece and if this piece was mine I would finish taking it off. But thats just me. And it would just be for asthetics. Crazing can be anything from fine lines to heavy cracking and flaking. Obviously you never want to let it get to that point. Nice set of pieces by the way.

[Yoda]

10 hours ago, Randyw said:

That looks to me like old heavy surface crazing. As in from before it was found. It looks like they polished it off to expose the insect. If the insect is deep enough in the piece and if this piece was mine I would finish taking it off. But thats just me. And it would just be for asthetics. Crazing can be anything from fine lines to heavy cracking and flaking. Obviously you never want to let it get to that point. Nice set of pieces by the way.

What's the best way to do that ?? 

Sand paper ? 

 

Thanks

I have a few more of these squares 

[Randyw]

Yes. If you dont have a buffing and polishing wheel then sandpaper works. But remember amber is soft! So you want to do it slowly and gently. I’d practice on an unimportant piece if you’ve never done it before. I start out with 800 grit sandpaper and work my way down to 3,200 grit. I’ve got some 6,800 grit too but thats hard to find….

[Crusty_Crab]

See this paper: https://bioone.org/journals/american-museum-novitates/volume-2012/issue-3734/3734.2/Variation-in-the-Deterioration-of-Fossil-Resins-and-Implications-for/10.1206/3734.2.short

 

From the abstract: "amber collections should be stored in an environment with stable humidity, relatively low heat, and minimal exposure to light. Anoxic sealing and storage, and particularly embedding amber samples in a high-grade epoxy, may be beneficial."