Re: Amber essence

["Cunningham, Betty" <bcunning@nssi.com>]

     One of the ways to tell if the jewelry you own is real amber or 
     colored plastic, is that amber can give off a musky-pine-ish scent 
     under the right conditions.  It's very mellow and not as pungent as 
     copal.
     As a matter of fact, true amber has ben used in the perfume industry.
     
     -Betty


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Amber essence
Author:  aimnet!aol.com!Lightwaves
Date:    1/10/96 5:50 PM
     
We brought back some of the matrix from our dig in the Hell Creek Formation 
last summer, and I found a tiny fragment of amber in it. (about the size of a 
ball tipped straight pin). It was far from hard, and crumbled to dust while I 
was rolling it between my fingers. That's not surprising, but the scent of 
Western Cedar like they make shingles out of, sprang into the air.  A 
wonderful surprise to smell the essence of  a tree at least 65 million years 
old. Too d___ bad I couldn't save it. Has anyone else experienced this? The 
Cretaceous enviornment must have been a wonderful place. (Even without the 
dinos).
     
Roger A. Stephenson
lightwaves@aol.com(for now)