Characteristics of Hydrothermally Treated Beeswax Amber

Abstract

lions of years ago when sap from ancient trees hardened and fossilized. Scientists, gemologists, and collectors treasure amber that contains suspended insects or assorted plant fragments, creating a fascinating time capsule (Ross, 2010). Amber has become increasingly popular in the jewelry trade. It is usually translucent to opaque, and its opacity is caused by the reflection and scattering of incident light by an abundance of internal tiny bubbles. “Beeswax,” a term commonly used in the Chinese gem trade, refers to amber that is semi-translucent to opaque with greasy luster. Beeswax accounts for about 60% of natural amber production globally. Due to the saying “Millennium amber, million years beeswax” in the Chinese gem market, many Chinese consumers mistakenly believe that beeswax takes much longer to form than amber. This misimpression has driven demand for beeswax and significantly raised its price. Among beeswax, the “chicken-fat” yellow variety is highly desired in China for its vivid color, but limited in global production. It is worth noting that in the international rough amber trade, transparent and opaque materials are usually mixed together for sale, just as they are mixed together in nature. There is usually a layer of weathered skin on the surface of both transparent and opaque rough amber, making it impossible to choose them individually by hand under normal lighting. There is no price difference between the two. Quality is judged according to weight, size, shape, and impurities. Due to the popularity of beeswax in the Chinese market, however, amber processing enterprises have preferred to purchase and store rough beeswax materials, artificially driving up the price of the rough ma-