Shop closed from 20th October to 9th November 2024
I Dig Dinos home page BUY ONLINE NOW Amber and copal
Amber and copal
A fascinating collection of insects and other inclusions in amber and copal. When tree resin oozes and hardens it is called copal. Around 20 million years later it has had enough time to go through the chemical and physical changes to be amber.
Baltic amber
The most popular of all the ambers. Dated to between 40 and 55 million years old containing extinct species of inclusions. Insect preservation is outstanding with hairs and compound eyes exact in all detail. All pieces come from Kaliningrad in Russia but tend to be quite small with just a single inclusion.
Colombian copal
My favourite of the ambers due to the size and diversity of the pieces and inclusions. Although the insects are extant (still living) most pieces contain multiple inclusions and are very tactile. Aged up to 2 million years old they are only 1/5 of the price of similar amber pieces and great for studying.
Madagascan copal
Hardened tree resin with trapped insects. The youngest of the resins I have available with age estimates ranging from around 100 000 years to 1 million years old. This also makes then the most affordable. If you are buying rough or half polished pieces then details of polishing methods are available by email.