Blue amber is the rarest amber in the world

Blue amber. Photo: blueamber.jp Organic

An unusual variety of amber with a delicate celestial hue, which is mined in only one place on earth. Many of us have come to associate amber with the sun, for its pure and pleasant honey hue. But, in fact, green, red and even white specimens are found in nature, and the rarest and most exceptional of them is blue amber.

The one and only

There is still debate about when the most mysterious of the amber family was formed. Some scientists claim that its age reaches 40 million years, others insist on a mark of 23-30 million years, and still others stop at 15-20 million.

Raw blue amber. Photo: dominicanblueamberwholesale.com

The blue variety of amber is mined in only one mine - the Palo Quemado mine. It is located on the island of Haiti, which is washed by the Caribbean Sea. They do it by hand - first they cut through small mines, and then carefully extract the petrified resin from them. But this is not the only factor that makes blue amber exceptional against the background of its other varieties.

Mystery of blue

Unique blue amber. Photo: sumatraamber.com

This age-old resin has a rich spectrum of blues and blues. The color scheme can range from sky blue to bewitching azure and aquamarine. What exactly influenced this color change? The reason for this is the chemical compound perylene present in blue amber. It has the ability to refract the rays of light, and after that they change their shade. The more such a substance in a piece of hardened resin, the richer its color.

Mysterious glow

Blue amber is also amazing in that it is capable of phosphorescence. He seems to glow from within. This is because during the formation process, particles of volcanic ash fell into it. It is they who create such an amazing effect.

Blue amber in jewelry

Faceted blue amberFaceted blue amber

Despite its beauty and rarity, blue amber is not as soft and malleable as its counterparts in other shades. Only jewelers who have considerable experience behind them can cope with his capricious character. This is another factor that affects the price of the final product.

We advise you to read:  Orange "daughter of the sea" - precious shell of the Incas

"Hostages" of beauty

If inclusions are rare in yellow or any other amber, then in blue they are found in every piece. These are all kinds of bugs, butterflies, frogs, lizards, and various microorganisms, enclosed in the embrace of resin millennia ago. One of the most amazing finds inside blue amber was a 4 cm long spider. But it is not its size that is remarkable at all - hostage of amber lived 20 million years ago!

In blue amber, various inclusions are very common. Photo: religionmuseum.com

Despite the fact that blue amber holds the position of rarity, its Baltic counterpart is the most mined and popular all over the world.

Source