Re: amber/amber paste

October 18, 2003

I would try the good scents company. they have a website that has a really

obvious name but i'm not exactly sure what it is. the owner there has set up

data on A LOT of perfumery items and he is very knowledgeable. maybe it's

goodscents.com . . . just put the whole name in your search engine and it will

come up. you'll be on his site for hours!

kim in pa

amber/amber paste

Hello Everyone.

I hope all is well with everyone. I have an interesting question.

Does anyone know where I can find info about amber/amber paste? I

am trying to find out more about it and what can be done with it.

TIA

Clesha

http://www.simplyclesha.com

October 19, 2003

Hi Clesha:

This is from: http://www.edenbotanicals.com/about_amber.html:

About Amber, Amber Essence & Amber Resin

Amber Essence is a rare, precious and highly sought after scent that is

shrouded in mystery. No one really seems to know exactly what amber resin

is. In order to help clear up the confusion surrounding amber essence, amber

resin and amber oil, we offer this information.

What is Amber?

The term amber generally refers to either Baltic amber or to fragrant amber

resin. Baltic amber is fossilized tree resin and is used primarily in

jewelry. Although it is often called " Baltic " amber it actually is found in

many parts of the world. It is found in colors ranging from pale yellow to

reddish, brown and green. Although it is not thought of as being fragrant,

it is! In order to experience its balsamic aroma, take a piece of pure amber

(not reconstituted) and shave off small pieces with a knife. This will

release a faint aroma. Next take some small pieces and place them on a lit

piece of charcoal. The resin will burn and release the fragrant smoke. Be

sure not to burn reconstituted amber, which contains plastic polymers or

synthetic resins.

The fragrant amber, such as Eden Botanicals' Amber Essence (Amber Essence is

our trade name for our exclusive amber resin), is a semi-solid mass of tree

resins or gums mixed with essential oils, bees wax and fragrant plant

powders. Amber resin is not simply a resin that is tapped from a mysterious

tree growing somewhere in the Himalayas! If it were there would be a pure

amber essential oil or amber absolute. Amber resin is always a blend of

different ingredients from many different sources. Every manufacturer of

amber, or amber oil uses a different blend of ingredients, hence the

consistency and aroma varies considerably. Each amber resin maker uses his

or her own, unique and secret formula.

The color of amber resin depends on the ingredients used to make it. Colors

range from golden (called honey amber) to reddish, brown and near black. The

consistency also varies from very soft to quite hard. Some ambers are

waxier, while others contain more crystals. But perhaps it is the aroma that

we are most interested in, and this varies greatly as well. There are sweet,

flora ambers, and woody, musky ambers. There are also the animal ambers,

meaning those which actually include animal scents or synthetic variants.

At this point one may question, why is amber resin called amber. We believe

it is because amber resins are attempting to imitate the scent of ambergris.

Ambergris means gray (gris) amber. Ambergris is a gray, black or whitish

colored substance that was originally collected from the surface of the

ocean by fishermen or from pieces that have washed ashore. It is thought by

many to be one of the most sensuous fragrances known, and has been used in

perfumery for a long time. The ambergris comes from the sperm whale, which

excretes the substance from its intestinal system. For the whale, it is a

substance that helps to sooth the intestines after eating cuttlefish.

Because ambergris has also been collected from sperm whales that have been

intentionally killed, we do not use it in any of our products. Neither do we

use synthetic ambergris. True ambergris is a very rare substance.

Manufacturing Process for Amber Resin

Amber resin is manufactured primarily in India, where it was created as an

Ayurvedic formula for stress reduction. (Amber resins are also manufactured

in the Middle East.) In India it is called amber dhoop and is sometimes

burned in shrines or applied to the forehead for its calming and meditative

qualities. As we mentioned, each amber maker uses a different (and highly

guarded) formula and method of manufacture. For this reason we can not give

you a recipe or an exact ingredient list. However, there are some basic

ingredients that are commonly used. These include a resinous base of Styrax

tree resin from the benzoin tree (Styrax benzion or Styrax tokinensis [which

is the more fragrant and finer variety]).

We have also come across several references to storax gum sometimes called

sweetgum or Levant styrax being used in amber resin. It is a resin obtained

from the liquidambar tree (Liquidambar orientalis), which is native to Asia

Minor. It is an ancient incense substance which was used in the Middle East.

However, after sampling two types of storax gum and storax essential oil, we

feel that it is unlikely that this gum is used in amber resin. The samples

that we have obtained all have a strong and unpleasant chemical aroma.

It is probable that the styrax resin is refined prior to making the amber.

We say this because amber is less sticky than raw styrax resin and contains

a greater quantity of crystals. In addition to tree resin, bees wax is often

added in the base to keep the resulting amber from crumbling. We have seen

some ambers with few crystals and lots of wax, and visa versa.

To the resin and wax base, the amber maker adds essential oils or fragrance

oils or ambergris. The types of oils used will determine the final scent of

the product. Fragrant plant powders such as sandalwood powder are also added

to some ambers. The types of oils typically added include sandalwood and

patchouli. Almost any other oils may be added to get the desired scent. A

spicy amber may have cinnamon, cardamom or ginger added. A sweet flowery

amber may have geranium, rose or a hint of ylang ylang added. Other oils

that may be used in certain ambers include: vetiver (khus), spikenard

(jatamansi), frankincense, myrrh, cedarwood, vanilla, ambrette musk, etc.

I have also experimented with various mixtures of labdanum (cistus) and

benzoin resins with small amounts of sandalwood, clary sage and balsam peru

essential oils to replicate the paste, but the result (while similar in

scent), is a sticky mess! :-Þ

Cat

> I hope all is well with everyone. I have an interesting question.

> Does anyone know where I can find info about amber/amber paste? I

> am trying to find out more about it and what can be done with it.

October 19, 2003

Hi all...I was given a small piece of Ambergris over 20 years ago. I keep it

in a tiny leather pouch. Everytime I open it, the perfume is wonderful !

Still as strong as it ever was. Of course, I am hoping that it is a piece

that was washed up on the beach and not stolen from the whale ! I wish we

had smell-a-putor so all of you could smell just how wonderful it is..Hugs,

.

----- Original Message -----

From: Cat>^-.-^< <catzilla@...>

.. We believe