The Brookhaven leader., 1884-01-24

| JoNCl anu WOTH as SUC0. In an lrlS0
tumulus cup of amber has been found
that would hotd half pint. The Car
OF Russia possesses n tea set cut from
amber blocks that are probably worth
much more than treble their weight in
gold.
''For commercial purposes the raw
material is separated into different
classes. The finest generally goes to
Constantinople, there being made into
mouthpieces. The next class, COM
posed of smaller PIE cs, is made into
beads. They find lively sale abroad,
but go off rather slow here A set of
amber jewelry-pin, ear-rings-can be
bought very reasonable here, but at
present there is no call for it. The low
! price is on account of there being no
duty on it; curiously enough, it comes
under the head of gum and is admitted
! free. For the last year nearly $4,000
worth of it was imported, showing that
there is some demand for it, but, as
have said, it comes from smokers. The
dealers here buy it by the weight;
where about two hundred and fifty
pieces make pound it is $3.50, but
where four pieces go to the pound it
runs upto fifty dollars or hundred dol
lars, as the case may be. 1t has many
colOrs. Green is most valued, though
others prefer black, that matches well
with colored meerschaum. The real
amber yellow, however, brings the best
price; the cloudy is pretty, but not so
valuable.
IMITATION AMBER.
"Curiously enough" continued the
speaker, ''there is more money in the
imitation of amber than there is in the
real article. Various compounds are
used, glass paste being the principal.
Another mixture is of turpentine and
caoutchoue, while linseed oil, gum
mastic and ltharge is also used. To
the latter powdered copal is added,
which gives the appearance of veins.
If you add to this precious compound
ants of decalcomanIa you will have the
material out of which about all the cheap
amber goods are made. The same thing
was on exhibition at the Centennial and
many were deceived by the excellence
of the work. However, there is a very
simple method of determining the good
from the bad. which is to burn a piece.
If it burns with some noise and does not
drop or run, il is all right; but if it
| melts away and drops, you may be sure
it is some of the concoct;ons ment oned.
Celluloid also makes u good imitation
of the real thing. Speaking of frauds
reminds me of curious one that seems
to be a regular business. | happened
to be up TO it, however, and was not
caught. | stopped at a railroad station
III
man of pronounced type stepped up
and tod me a long and affecting yarn
about having a Job offered him in Balti-
more, ending up by asking me for the
loan of Sl.50, offering us security a
handsomely colored meerschaum pipe,
with fine amber mouthplece. He said
| could see it was worth thirty dollars,
but | saw the amber was bogus at a
glance. However, taking the pipe,
said All right; I'll try it, He raised
all sorts of objections, but walked into
the bar, filled up the pipe and when ]
turned about he was gone. The first
application of heat turned it as white as
paper, and the coloring was some kind
of oil. gave the pipe to the bar-keeper
as keepsake. Probably some one
buys such one every day in the year.
"Yes, real amber ranges from black
to white. In Constantinople pipe
stem of real milk-white is valued at fifty
dollars or more. An equally valued red
hue is produced by treating the yellow
kind to the action of sulphuric acid.
Green amber comes principally from
America, but the black variety is kind
of puzzle and, chemically. entirely
different from the others; in fact. it is
not true amber in the strict sense of the
word, but variety of jet or highly oXy-
died bitumen, and, chemically, it lies
between camel coal and torbanite.
Amber is worked in this country and in
certain temperatures is flexible. Work
men now hold it over lamps and actu-
ally draw it out by hand into required
lengths and shapes, and in this way
pipe-stem nearly two feet in length has
been drawn from piece of amber 6Xi
inches in size. In working it for jew
elry it is first cut into the general shape
required with knives and is then turned
with lathe and polished by various
methods. Amber dust is used as a
varnsh, and vast quantities are sent to
China, where to burn it is considered
the highest mark of respect that can be
paid distinguished guest. ."-PhitadeL-
pitiG Times.