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Amber or Copal?


jnicholes

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Hi everyone,

 

I was going through my rock collection, and I found a bunch of very tiny rocks at the bottom of the box. I immediately thought they looked like Amber or Copal. I took them out of the box, and I did the UV test. It turns out, I was right. It’s either Amber or Copal. I can tell by how it is glowing under the UV light.

 

I pulled out my microscope and looked inside it, and did not see any insects. Oh well, I said.

 

Then, I decided to do the hot needle test on one of the small pieces. During the test, the small piece broke, and it was kind of sticking to the needle a little bit. (The needle went in a little bit, making it stuck.) However, the needle did go in slightly before the small piece broke. 

 

Judging from the information I have, can anyone tell me if this is Amber or Copal?

 

If you need more information or another test, I will do it.

 

Pictures are attached,

 

Jared

 

 

57AAD286-B54B-4770-B15A-42B426BC8A2F.jpeg

8762FA91-0FD0-420D-B69D-8BB1CE36E99F.jpeg

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Ok i suppose i should expand my answer. It’s glowing like it should under the u.v. Light. One reason i don’t like the hot needle test is becuase it can cause the amber to crack when its applied. Wich is what happened to yours. The needle should have been very difficult to push in correct? So from what i see i’d say its amber

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That’s exactly why did the hot needle test on a small expandable piece.

 

Thanks for getting back, I appreciate it. I’m going to put it in a frame soon.

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5 hours ago, jnicholes said:

Hi everyone,

 

I was going through my rock collection, and I found a bunch of very tiny rocks at the bottom of the box. I immediately thought they looked like Amber or Copal. I took them out of the box, and I did the UV test. It turns out, I was right. It’s either Amber or Copal. I can tell by how it is glowing under the UV light.

 

I pulled out my microscope and looked inside it, and did not see any insects. Oh well, I said.

 

Then, I decided to do the hot needle test on one of the small pieces. During the test, the small piece broke, and it was kind of sticking to the needle a little bit. (The needle went in a little bit, making it stuck.) However, the needle did go in slightly before the small piece broke. 

 

Judging from the information I have, can anyone tell me if this is Amber or Copal?

 

If you need more information or another test, I will do it.

 

Pictures are attached,

 

Jared

 

 

57AAD286-B54B-4770-B15A-42B426BC8A2F.jpeg

8762FA91-0FD0-420D-B69D-8BB1CE36E99F.jpeg

I must commend you on the amount of information provided. It greatly helps

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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Amber vs copal

 

Apply a small drop of acetone to a smooth area, allow to evaporate, touch with a tissue. Copal will be rendered sticky by the acetone, amber is impervious.

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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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14 hours ago, snolly50 said:

Amber vs copal

 

Apply a small drop of acetone to a smooth area, allow to evaporate, touch with a tissue. Copal will be rendered sticky by the acetone, amber is impervious.

I’ll try that on an expendable piece when I get home from church. Does it have to be acetone? I might be out.

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Yes, as far as I know acetone is the recommended solvent. Other agents may exhibit the same properties; but I am not familiar with their employment for this task. The test is not absolutely destructive. If copal, the sticky bit will polish back to a smooth surface, if desired. This phenomenon has to do with the very nature of resin to copal to amber. It is a reflection of the degree of loss of volatile components over a long period of time. At least that's my limited understanding.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See

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After further review, the previous statement stands. It is real Amber.

 

Here is the evidence:

 

First, it’s past the UV test, obviously.

 

Second, it past the rubbing test. I was able to rub it in a palm of my hands, and it did not get sticky.

 

Third, it passed the static test. After rubbing it, I pulled out one of my hairs, to see if the piece of Amber built up static electricity. Sure enough, it did. My hair went straight to it. Got statically charged.

 

Fourth, it passed the acetone test. I put some acetone on a small piece, and it had no effect.

 

All of this leads me to conclude that it is real Amber.

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Yep! Though to be honest of the hundreds of pieces i’ve handled I’ve never had one that passed the u.v. Test fail the other tests. The u.v. Test is now my go to test especially when I’m checking large quantities or displays. I take a u.v. Flashlight with me when i go to the shows.

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