RARE BLUE AMBER NUGGET. ... (Total: 7 Items)

Description

RARE BLUE AMBER NUGGET
Oligocene
Dominican Republic
Under artificial light, or when backlit by the sun, this nugget appears to be of a normal yellowish hue, but when placed in direct sunlight, it springs to life with the beautiful glow of rare blue amber. A variant of the usual form of fossilized tree resin, blue amber is found only in the amber mines and deposits around Santiago in the Dominican Republic, and in some parts of Mexico. The phenomenon is similar to phosphorescence, or fluorescence, and its exact cause has not been categorically established, although many put it down to the presence of anthracene, and the fact that it comes from the Hymenaea protera tree forests which once blanketed what is now Central America. Only a part of this nugget has been polished, creating a window into the interior surrounded by an unprepossessing grey crust that belies the translucence within, and it measures 3½ x 1½ x 1½ inches.

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