As I understand it, the Chiapus amber is very clear and beautiful. When you drill it with say a 100 grit diamond drill
Why are you drilling with diamond drills? I think of amber more like
drilling plastic and have always used a common twist drill bit and
drilled slowly.
I agree; I’d never want to gum up my diamond drills with amber. And
I’ve tried the slowest speeds possible and still end up with the
white smoky streak around the hole.
Apparently I’m 16 years too late on this (!) but I just wanted to say amber makes really lovely stud earrings and they run very little risk of abrasion or exposure to heat when worn. I totally agree its too soft for use in a ring, although in Gdansk, Poland, where they specialise in amber, they make a remarkable variety of jewellery with it. I think there are different qualities of amber, which will cover a range of hardnesses. Copal is way softer than real amber and I suspect a lot of ‘amber’ sold is actually copal.
As a young boy I found a “stone” on the beach
in Denmark. The colour and location led me to believe it was amber.
And of course the shape and the petrified pine needle inside.
The colour was murky and obviously
not of gem quality.
But any way I started grinding and polishing the stone, by hand, and it was hard like a proper stone so after doing two sides I gave up.
I think I was in the early teens.
Still the description here do not correlate
with my experience with this sample.
Can it have been something else?
Regards Per-Ove