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1702 Carling Ave., Ottawa, Ontario, Tel: 613-728-0000 |
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Right at the entrance you will have a chance to explore the map of the ancient amber routes from the Mediterranean world to the rich amber deposits of the Baltic Sea. Amber Garden's menu has items from all the countries from this trail. |
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Here are some interesting links about amber or you can take a look at a brief history of amber below.
Amber has for centuries captured the imagination of artists who use it to create magnificent pieces of jewelry. History of amber is filled with legend, romance and intrigue. The Greeks called it elektron. They were the first to discover that amber develops a static charge when rubbed with a woolen cloth. Thus it was that amber gave its name to what we call "electricity." (Our name for amber comes from the Arabic, ambare.)
Amber's magic has inspired writers for centuries. Sophocles, the Athenian dramatist, named his heroine Electra for her fiery temperament. Shakespeare, Burns, Pope, Tennyson and Carlyle all used amber in their poetic imagery. But probably the most beautiful reference to amber is found in the Greek legend that describes amber as the sunbaked tears of Phaeton's grieving sisters.
Amber's real origin is less lyric, but no less intriguing. It is formed from the resinous gum of the ancient coniferous tree Pinites succinifer, which flourished during the Oligocene period, over 30 million years ago As with pine sap today, insects and bits of bark and leaves often got caught in the resin, and these "inclusions" were imprisoned within the golden droplets as they became fossilized. The most luxuriant stands of the ancient amber-producing pines were on a part of the then-wooded European mainland chat is today covered by the Baltic Sea.
After the last Ice Age, primitive tribes began discovering lumps of amber on the Baltic shores. The gem became a prized possession, a talisman so valuable it was buried with its owner. As trading and travel began to flourish, Baltic amber became a sought-after commodity, and thus began "the Amber Road." This important trade route, which thrived until the Middle Ages, stretched from the source of amber in the Baltic countries to Greece, Rome, the Middle East, Tibet and China.
Amber varies in color from white through shades of deep gold to red and even black. Different civilizations have valued different colors according to their own fashions and superstitions. For example, white amber, very rare and valuable today, was also in great demand during the Middle Ages for making rosaries. Earlier, however, the ancient Romans thought it worthless and burned it for its pleasant pine odor.
The Romans prized clear golden amber, both as jewelry to ward off evil and as a medicine. Roman mothers put amber amulets around their babies' necks to protect them from evil. More recently, Old Order Mennoniccs, denied any form of adornment, were allowed to wear amber for its curative powers.
Since they first gathered it from the Baltic shores, the Germanic and Slavic peoples have made amber an important part of their cultural heritage, as the famous Black Madonna of Czestochowa, Poland, illustrates. Encircling this most revered Polish Roman Catholic icon are strand after strand of amber and coral beads, forming perhaps the largest single collection of amber anywhere in the world. The strands were given one at a time in gratitude for miraculous healings. Recently, Lech Walesa added his Nobel Peace Prize medal to the necklaces at the Madonna's feet.
It is ironic that North Americans are beginning to discover amber just when it is becoming scarce. As a result, prices have risen to four times what they were a few years ago. The Baltic countries used to be among the best sources of amber. However, the supply is running low even there, and the Soviet Union has imposed strict regulations forbidding amber export. Fortunately, amber from the Dominican Republic, once considered inferior to Baltic, is coming into its own and is still fairly plentiful. It offers a range of golden tones and a variety of inclusions.
Three of the rarest forms of amber come from Sicily, Romania and Burma. Today these are seldom found outside museums or royal jewelry collections. Ranging through all the colors of the rainbow, some burn with fluorescent or opalescent fire, while others have a subtle blue or green haze. The ancient Chinese were especially fond of brown Burmese amber and red cherry amber.
As the supply of natural amber dwindles and demand for it grows, more and more fake ambers come onto the market. In the Conan Doyle mystery A Study in Scarlet, the detective Sherlock Holmes discovers a whole industry involved in putting fake flies into fake amber; today, sophisticated techniques and countless synthetic resins and plastics can copy natural amber so closely only an expert can tell the difference.
"Ambroid," or "pressed amber," is made of tiny pieces of amber that have been heated, melted and pressed together. Ambroid is stronger than natural amber, which makes it very useful for fancy umbrella handles and pipe stems. (Smokers enjoy the smooth feel of ambroid on the lips and the cool smoke it gives.) As raw amber becomes scarcer, ambroid is being used to make jewelry, particularly beads, and is very difficult to distinguish from genuine amber.
Amber jewelry should be wrapped in a soft cloth and stored separately, to prevent it from being scratched by other gems. Contact with hair spray and perfume will permanently dull amber's natural gloss and ruin it forever. Keeping it shut away from the light for long periods of time also begins to dull its beauty. However, contact with the human skin enhances amber's lustre. The message is clear: wear it, enjoy it and let others succumb to its eternal magic.