“What is burshtyn?” - a very often asked question, and the people who ask it, somewhere, even at a subconscious level, know the answer to it, at least this word seems painfully familiar to them. And this is not surprising, because few have ever heard of amber, and it will be about it.
Amber name: where did it come from?
Now, when it became clear what exactly this same burshtyn is, a translation is not required, it is only worth noting that this word is taken from the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages. But the name “amber”, more familiar to everyone, came to the Russian language from Lithuanian, it sounds like gintäras and has come into use relatively recently. But of course, it was not the Lithuanians who discovered and named this beautiful stone; it was known to many peoples since ancient times, and the name is attributed to the Arabs its name. When this happened, it is not known for certain, however, it was under the Arabic name anbar that the Romans learned about it, designating it as ambre, and a little later, transforming into amber, the word also entered other European languages.
The Origin of Amber: From Legends to Scientific Evidence
So, having understood what burshtyn is and where its name came from, it’s worth talking about where it came from, and this is even more interesting. The Arabs who gave it the name, with all seriousness, believed that amber was nothing but the dew hardened in the sun from the Garden of Eden, falling from heaven as a reward to the righteous.
The first who expressed the opinion that amber was somehow related to the resin of conifers was the "learned" husband of ancient Hellas - Aristotle. Later, the idea that Burshtyn was “a stone of wood” was picked up by Theophrastus and Pliny.
However, none of them presented any evidence to this, or any justification for this version, or even attempted to do so. And it is not surprising, therefore, that for 2000 all this has remained nothing more than a version, and the dark minds of the Middle Ages gave rise and multiplied a lot of legends. For the first time, the idea expressed by Aristotle received scientific confirmation already in the middle of the 18th century, proved by the most enlightened people of his time, Karl Linney and Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov.
Appearance of amber: what is it like?
You may, of course, not know what burshtyn is, but it is simply impossible not to know what it looks like, everyone has ever seen it, held it in their hands, tried it on themselves. But few people know that there are several varieties of amber, significantly different in density, transparency, color and many other characteristics. Usually, an amber stone has microscopic voids in its body, formed by the ingress of air into it, making it as if porous, and the more of them, the worse its quality, although visually it looks very beautiful.
There are 5 main types of this wonderful stone, all of them are either completely dissimilar to each other, or very remotely similar, nevertheless this is the same good old amber-burshtyn:
Bone is the most resistant type of amber, it is completely opaque and looks very much like ivory, from where it got its name.
Bastard is the second most dense cavity, also opaque and not of particular value, but is great for polishing and is the best among brothers, but only for various kinds of crafts.
Cloud - a very beautiful stone, but also not very valuable, has a translucent structure, often "foggy" veins and a bright, saturated color.
Foamy - the worst in quality of all varieties, quite beautiful due to the abundant interspersed air, making it somewhat similar to pumice.
Transparent - the most valuable among the above, devoid of the slightest cavities, the only of all types of amber, related to precious stones of the highest class. Often in his body are prehistoric insects, such specimens are valued above all.
The use of amber: properties and products
Now it’s not even so important what burshtyn is and what it is, more important than the other is its use in the modern world, and it is simply amazing how important and versatile it is. Amber is used all over the world for the manufacture of very beautiful, but, unfortunately, not very durable crafts, the problem is that in contact with open air an inevitable oxidation process occurs. This wording seems somewhat strange applicable to a stone, but do not forget that it is still not a crystal, unlike other precious and semiprecious stones. Transparent amber is used to make beautiful jewelry, valued no less than products from rubies and sapphires. Lesser quality amber products are used for the manufacture of luxurious haberdashery and luxury jewelry. In limited proportions it is used in the manufacture of electronics; for a long time it has become an integral part of pharmaceutical and perfumery products, but what’s most interesting, even the food industry!
Amber deposits: the sad consequences of total mining
In fact, there are very few such places on the entire planet, its reserves are depleted every year, and the price of Sun Stone is constantly growing. According to experts, over the past 70 years of unceasing amber extraction, its deposits have decreased by about 11%, and this is an irreparable loss for future generations. And it doesn’t matter at all what it is called - amber, Bernstein, Burshtyn, the translation no longer makes sense - its reserves are depleted. You can select only a few places around the world, 80% filling the market for this wonderful stone:
Russia - Kaliningrad region, Far Eastern region.
Ukraine - Rivne and Volyn reg.
Greenland - Hore Island.
Alaska is the port of Barrow.
Minor amber deposits are found on the island of Sicily, in Burma and in Mexico.