Guest guest Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 At 09:23 AM 11/29/2006, you wrote: > > > > > >I have been a lurker for some time. I've enjoyed reading the threads > > >and have learned quite a bit. I've gone through the old threads > > >looking for more info on how to use ambergris tincture but haven't > > >found what I am looking for. Can someone give me more info on how to > > >use a tincture. Do you use it as the base or will a few drops to your > > >blend be sufficiant? > > > > Hi Molly > > > > Ambergris should first be tinctured or infused for six months to let > > it fully develop its beauty. I tincture/infuse at 3%. > > > > Then, I don't use more than 3% in a blend. It's a modifier, building > > bridges between the top/middle/base. Think of it as a potent EO that > > doesn't seem strong, but shows its quiet strength when mixed with > > others. In tiny amounts. > > >Thank you Anya! > >What I have is a tincture already. While it doesn't smell very >strong, it is quite nice and difficult to describe. > >Molly Ambergris doesn't smell strong. I think there's so much written about its source, and the sometimes fecal scent that people can't get past, that everyone expects a strong stinky smell. Nope, it's rather rich, but light and almost transparent. It's most properly used as a modifier -- even though it's got the longevity of a base note, I treat it more as a middle note/modifier, loving its ability to marry the upper and lower notes, gliding up and down, keeping them all tweaked and happy. Anya McCoy Anya's Garden of Natural Perfume http://anyasgarden.com Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild http://artisannaturalperfumers.org Natural Perfumers Chat Group / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Good evening, Did anyone read the fox news ticker this evening about a woman in NY who has a hunk of Ambergris that her sister found on a nearby beach 50 years ago worth about US$18K. Apparently she would have problem selling it due to endeanger species law. regards, Poh Yee _________________________________________________________________ Your Hotmail address already works to sign into Windows Live Messenger! Get it now http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwme0020000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://get.liv\ e.com/messenger/overview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 --- Poh Yee Ooi-Holmes <pyoh@...> wrote: > Good evening, > > Did anyone read the fox news ticker this evening > about a woman in NY who has > a hunk of Ambergris that her sister found on a > nearby beach 50 years ago > worth about US$18K. Apparently she would have > problem selling it due to > endeanger species law. > > regards, > Poh Yee ********************************************* Yep, I read that. I don't think they have confirmed whether or not it actually is Ambergris. It seems they can't find someone who has enough expertise to verify it. Did you see that photo? Kind of gross-looking stuff it is. -Patty __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 21:30:33 -0600 (Central Standard Time), wrote: > Well think about it It's what's left after a whale ends up dying out in the ocean (whale blubber.) Uh? ???? Ambergris=Whale Blubber?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 20, 2006 Report Share Posted December 20, 2006 On Dec 18, 2006, at 7:30 PM, wrote: > Well think about it It's what's left after a whale ends up dying out > in the ocean (whale blubber.) My dad had a chance to gather some of > that stuff once on a beach, but passed it up because well, He didn't > have anything to cart it off in, and what what a country boy going to > do with whale blubber, so he let someone else gather it and reap the > benefits. The only reason that they outlaw it now is because they > cannot verify that it was naturally gathered. (i.e. That the whale > died and it was just floating on the ocean and washed up somewhere.) > One of the saddest things cause.... They can prove a man is in a room > with a specific cat, but they can't prove that a whale died of natural > causes and the fat washed up on shore and even if they did prove that > then there would be some idiot out there saying that every time he/she > saw a whale and wanted to get rich. Darn greedy idiots cause so many > problems.... Forgive me if I am misreading your message, , but it sounds like you are conflating ambergris with whale blubber, when they are actually two distinct substances. I have seen and smelled ambergris, and I lived for years in Japan and I can tell you that after having eaten whale blubber (at a formal banquet, at which I had been told that it was 'a kind of duck fat' before eating it, when someone said " uh, no, actually it's...it's...[much rustling of dictionary pages]...w-h-a-l-e... " ), which tastes of creosote and has the texture of solid fat with a rubbery, weirdly bubbly texture, that they are very much *not* the same thing. True, I haven't eaten *sperm* whale blubber; the blubber that I was served was probably from a minke whale, but ambergris is simply not blubber. And I think that the reason it is important to make this distinction bears on the way the two different substances are obtained: ambergris, from all sources I have read, is unusable to perfumers unless it has been floating on sea water, exposed to sunshine and oxygen, for years and years before it stops smelling fecal and begins to develop its telltale fragrance. Blubber is a substance for which whales were, and still are, killed. Nobody in their right mind would want a piece of blubber that had floated for forty years on the ocean's surface, and no one in their right nose would want ambergris that had just been pulled from a dead whale. Alfred in chilly san francisco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Could someone sell me 15 GRAINS of ambergris. I need it for a recipe of Edgar Cayce's for diabetes. I looked at Profumo's page and he wants $350 for 30 mls. I think. I don't need that much right now. Thanks. Georgia ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Never miss a thing. Make your home page. http://www./r/hs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 If you mean Apothecary Grains then that's a little less then 1 gram. at Perfumers Apprentice might be able to help you. http://www.perfumersapprentice.com/Natural_supplies/ambergris.html Most Ambergris you will find will be in a liquid. The raw ambergris is pricey anywhere between 40-50 dollars a gram. bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Quoting georgia redd <jawja11@...>: > Could someone sell me 15 GRAINS of ambergris. I need > it for a recipe of Edgar Cayce's for diabetes. I > looked at Profumo's page and he wants $350 for 30 > mls. I think. I don't need that much right now. > Thanks. > Georgia Dear Georgia, it seems you have confused dome numbers while typing. A 30 ml bottle of ambergris tincture costs USD 130 and NOT USD 350. However a grain is an antique weight measure of exactly 64.79891 milligrams and therefore concerns RAW ambergris, not tincture. 15 grains for your receipe are nearly one gram (0,972 gr) Salaam www.profumo.it http://www.profumo.it/foBlog/default.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 > > > >>>>These two urls show pictures and give information......:-) > > Janita,many thanks....I will be keeping a keen eye out for ambergris and the group will be the first to know if I find any!There are many isolated beaches here in NZ and apart from the Far North most communities are unaware of the preciousness of certain beach debris. Thanks for you guidance.Isla > > > --------------------------------- > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Isla <islaqi@...> wrote: > > > >>>>These two urls show pictures and give information......:-) > > Janita,many thanks....I will be keeping a keen eye out for ambergris and the group will be the first to know if I find any!There are many isolated beaches here in NZ and apart from the Far North most communities are unaware of the preciousness of certain beach debris. Thanks for you guidance.Isla > > Pleasure Isla Sounds like a fun adventure... keep us posted.... Every good wish, Janita Janita Haan Natural Perfume Flowers of Myddfai project http://www.tiny.cc/flowers817 Janita's Attar http://www.janitasattars.blogspot.com --------------------------------- Support the World Aids Awareness campaign this month with for Good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 > > I've heard it said that sperm whales used to be killed for the > ambergris. I find that assertion suspicious because people have known > that ambergris needs to cure, at sea for many years, as long as > they've been using the stuff in perfume, which obviously is a long > time. That whales were hunted is undeniable; if it was ever for > " fresh " ambergris, which I imagine is useless, is to me unproven. > Anyone have any references, like hard proof? > As I understand it sperm whales were hunted for their oil, a huge commodity especially back in the oil-lamp days. The ambergris was not to my knowledge a goal... I used to know a bit back in my marine biology days but as for hard facts, I can't prove that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 > > > > I've heard it said that sperm whales used to be killed for the > > ambergris. I find that assertion suspicious because people have > known > > that ambergris needs to cure, at sea for many years, as long as > > they've been using the stuff in perfume, which obviously is a long > > time. That whales were hunted is undeniable; if it was ever for > > " fresh " ambergris, which I imagine is useless, is to me unproven. > > Anyone have any references, like hard proof? > > > > As I understand it sperm whales were hunted for their oil, a huge > commodity especially back in the oil-lamp days. The ambergris was not > to my knowledge a goal... I used to know a bit back in my marine > biology days but as for hard facts, I can't prove that. > > Hi Adam and , I don't have time to look for and give the references on this, but as mentions there was a large industry for spermaceti, and sperm whale oil - used for candles, fine oil, cosmetics etc. I think that the spermaceti was the main reason that sperm whales were killed. Also perhaps the blubber. Regarding ambergris, here are some thoughts that I do not have references for in the moment - so you might want to do your own research... Only about 5% of sperm whales produce ambergris - so no use killing them for ambergris. Also, if a whale was killed the fresh ambergris would be worthless - it would be intestinal crud. It does need to age and cure, the longer the better. There are several grades of ambergris, and the grading has to do with both the starting material (as it would vary from whale to whale) and the length of time and how it aged and cured. It can even continue to be aged and cured after it is found. Even though you can not kill a sperm whale to get ambergris, it is still possible that some people at some time did kill sperm whales looking for ambergris... People do strange things sometimes... But international regulations now state that ambergris is not a " product " of the sperm whale. Which means that you cannot kill one to get ambergris. Happy hunting (information that is!), Will Eden Botanicals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 > > > > I've heard it said that sperm whales used to be killed for the > > ambergris. I find that assertion suspicious because people have > known > > that ambergris needs to cure, at sea for many years, as long as > > they've been using the stuff in perfume, which obviously is a long > > time. That whales were hunted is undeniable; if it was ever for > > " fresh " ambergris, which I imagine is useless, is to me unproven. > > Anyone have any references, like hard proof? > > > > As I understand it sperm whales were hunted for their oil, a huge > commodity especially back in the oil-lamp days. The ambergris was not > to my knowledge a goal... I used to know a bit back in my marine > biology days but as for hard facts, I can't prove that. > > Hi Adam and , I don't have time to look for and give the references on this, but as mentions there was a large industry for spermaceti, and sperm whale oil - used for candles, fine oil, cosmetics etc. I think that the spermaceti was the main reason that sperm whales were killed. Also perhaps the blubber. Regarding ambergris, here are some thoughts that I do not have references for in the moment - so you might want to do your own research... Only about 5% of sperm whales produce ambergris - so no use killing them for ambergris. Also, if a whale was killed the fresh ambergris would be worthless - it would be intestinal crud. It does need to age and cure, the longer the better. There are several grades of ambergris, and the grading has to do with both the starting material (as it would vary from whale to whale) and the length of time and how it aged and cured. It can even continue to be aged and cured after it is found. Even though you can not kill a sperm whale to get ambergris, it is still possible that some people at some time did kill sperm whales looking for ambergris... People do strange things sometimes... But international regulations now state that ambergris is not a " product " of the sperm whale. Which means that you cannot kill one to get ambergris. Happy hunting (information that is!), Will Eden Botanicals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 Will Lapaz wrote: > --- In , " scim > Even though you can not kill a sperm whale to get ambergris, it is still possible that some people at some time did kill sperm whales looking for ambergris... People do strange things sometimes... But international regulations now state that ambergris is not a > " product " of the sperm whale. Which means that you cannot kill one to get ambergris. > > Happy hunting (information that is!), > > Will > Eden Botanicals > Hi Will: Correct on the new international regs that it's not a " product " . I " m going to do a podcast about ambergris this weekend. Being a typical Libran, I'm going to give both sides of the story ;-) One thing about storage, and if Salaam is reading this, I'd like to hear from him: some say store the chunks in cloth like burlap and in a wooden box so it can breathe. Others say in an airtight jar. I've done both, and I like the jar better. Right now I have some in a box for over a year and it just gives off too much scent. I haven't had airtight ones rot or anything in the past, but it sure keeps the scent molecules in, and I don't like having them diffusing out so much in my office. I forget the book I read about the airtight jar, but I'll find it for the podcast. -- Sincerely, Anya Anya's Garden http://AnyasGarden.com - perfumes, aromatics, classes, consultation Natural Perfumers Guild + blog with daily updates http://NaturalPerfumersGuild.blogspot.com 1600+ member Natural Perfumery group - http://health./group// Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2008 Report Share Posted December 8, 2008 Will, Thank you so much for this valuable information. Your posts are always so helpful! Now I'm off to re-store my ambergris... : ) Cheers! Andrine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 > Hi there, > Since doing some self study on Ambergris, I have realized I have a piece that I put in with my shell collection many years ago. It is black, very light and very smooth from being in the ocean for a long time. It weighs 29g. > Considering it is hard to find and of some value, has anyone got any tips with dealing with it. I've read about how to tincture it, is there anything else? Are some pieces better than others? >  Hi , What a lucky find! How does it smell? I wonder if it lost any of its scent from being exposed to the air for some time - possibly giving off a subtle scent for all those years... Or not? The best way to get all you can from it is to make sure it's as fine as possible -- a fine powder -- before you tincture it. If you choose to tincture it, that is. As to whether some pieces are better than others, I'd guess that they are, probably based on how long a piece has been exposed to sea and sun, as well as other factors (I'm not an expert so I don't know what those would be - maybe different densities?). But I have no other info than that. I've only had stuff that I've bought from Will, and although I've been really happy with it, I'm just a novice with it, so I don't have experience with it from other sources, or with different ages of it. And really, since I've been happy with mine, there's been no incentive for me to look for it from other sources, even just to compare. Best of luck with yours! Cheers! Andrine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Subject: ambergris Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 6:16 PM Well, I finally got a chunk of the stuff today...and it smells like...well, shit and sea....both reasonably mildly...... . So what do I do now? Age it till it stops smelling like shit I guess...but how? in alcohol, in a plastic box? or open to the air? will it age quicker if I pulverize it? Ambrosia  _______Alfred responds: From what I understand, ambergris benefits from being stored in the air, and *not* from being closed in an airtight container. I had mine in a tiny mason jar until someone explained to me that the ambergris should be allowed to age in the air. so now I have it in a small mesh bag sitting in a small glass bowl with no lid. I've now had mine for a couple of years and the smell is definitely still developing.  The - er - fecal note will remain for a long time, but gradually over time diminishing while the other perfumalicious notes will increase. Don't know whether the smell develops more quickly if it is first pulverized, but it's a good idea to pulverize it before adding it to alcohol to make a tincture. I have always left mine in the original lump until I need to grind some up to make a tincture. A caution about grinding the ambergris: don't use an electric grinder. It's soft enough so that it doesn't need to be done that way, but also because the heat of the grinder might cause some of the fragrance to diminish, and plus, since ambergris behaves a lot like a wax when heated, it will be gummy and stuck to the grinder. I actually use a cutting board and a sharp knife to sort of shave slices off it as one would a truffle, and then crumble them into a mortar, finishing them with a light touch on the pestle. Alfred  .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Check out the info from Anya and Will in the early Dec 2008 messages. -Ross http://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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