Amber: Golden Gem of the Ages: Fourth Edition [Paperback]

Patty Rice (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1425938493 | ISBN-13: 978-1425938499 | Publication Date: September 15, 2006 | Edition: 4

Amber: Golden Gem of the Ages, Fourth Edition is unique --· because it describes the Baltic amber industry which has utilized amber as a gem stone throughout the ages. It also describes a variety of fossil resins, their characteristic and locations. It includes the most recent research and directs other researchers to sources such the internet and publications. · The mining of amber in Kaliningrad and Gdansk hydraulic extraction are featured in a photo-documentation format. This feature is very unique. The book also includes photos of mines dug in Bayaguana and Santiago, Dominican Republic. · It includes illustration and descriptions of outstanding amber artists as well as the leading scientists studying amber as a fossil resin. The description of the Amber Room and its restoration that opened to the public in May 2003 is current and unique.The original version of this book was considered a definitive work-- a reference for other amber researchers and scientists. In the late 1980's modern scientific equipment revolutionized the thinking about amber. The fossil insects were studied to reveal information about evolution of the fauna and flora of prehistoric times. TheFourth Edition includes descriptions of work of David Grimaldi, Rob DeSalle, George Poinar, and Raul Cano, pioneers in DNA research from amber fossils. George Poinar donated photographs of many of his discoveries of "first" published representatives of various classes of insects and parasites. This book includes something for everyone studying amber from a variety of points of view. Even archaeological finds and mythological information gives amber a humanistic side since amber was used by primitive people in many cultures. &

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Rice received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Her extensive amber collection has received numerous trophies and first-place awards in mineral shows through out the U.S. ands Canada. She has travelled extensively to observe first-hand the amber industry and mining techniques, is a popular amber lecturer, has authored many articles in professional gem and mineral journals, and is an expert appraiser of amber holdings.Her work as a jewelry designer has received wide recognition.. She has lectured at Gem and Mineral Shows throughout U.S.A., Canada, and Poland.Dr. Rice has presented for Burgess-Jastak Arts Foundation andUniversity of Delaware Gallery, Wilmington, DE.; Loyal College Gallery, Philadelphia, Penn.; Kansas City Mineralogical Society, MO.; Toronto Gem and Mineral Society, Canada; American Polish Engineering Association, Detroit, MI.; Friends of Polish Arts, Detroit; Midwest Mineralogical Society, Detroit; Mt. Clemens Gem and Mineral Society,Ann Arbor Mineralogical Society, and Flint Mineral Society, MI. She was invited to present her "Artistry in Amber Exhibition" materials at the World Conference on Amber at the Museum Zeimi, Warsaw, Poland, in 1988, and to consult on amber in Bresia, Italy in 1996. She attended the International Symposium on Amber at the Gdansk Archaeology Museum in 1998 and visited the restored amber room in 2003 in Russia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse; 4 edition (September 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425938493
• ISBN-13: 978-1425938499
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 11 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,619,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure-trove of a book about amber!, September 10, 1998

By 

strega2 "strega2" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amber: The Golden Gem of the Ages (Paperback)

Patty C. Rice brings a passionate love for her subject to this wonderful book. She offers a very comprehensive study of this beloved gemstone, from a detailed account of its long history, to the folklore surrounding it, to a thorough study of its scientific properties.She explores the many sources of amber worldwide, and gives an exhaustive study of the amazing variety of amber. Most helpful to a collector, she explains in detail how genuine amber differs from its imitations, and how you can perform simple tests to determine if yours is authentic.The mechanics of working with amber as a lapidary or jewelry- maker are also discussed. I loved the wealth of gorgeous photos, many of them from Dr. Rice's own impressive personal collection from all over the world. Her book does full justice to the beauty and enduring fascination of amber, and if you love it as much as I do, her book is a must-have.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the subject, June 12, 2006

By 

Sandra W. Jaqua - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

If you have any book on amber in your possession, this is the one to have. Amongst amber aficionados, this is considered to be the "Bible". The chapter on differentiating between real amber and the vast number of fakes is vital for those that collect this wonderful gem. If you have the opportunity to get a copy of this book, don't hesitate!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but black-and-white photos are unfortunate, September 5, 2009

By 

Lisa (Hawai'i) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Amber: Golden Gem of the Ages: Fourth Edition (Paperback)

I agree with everything the other two reviewers of this book have said so far; that said, the book has a fairly serious problem.

Every photo within its covers is in rather grainy black and white.

This isn't a problem when the image is of something like a map, but of course as this is a book about amber, it's a serious shortcoming in the vast majority of images of amber within it.

The author will want to make a point about the coloration of an amber piece and provides a photo with a description underneath - the photo, in black and white, cannot illustrate the point at all. "Notice surface crazing," might be another caption for a different picture, and the stalwart reader peers at the inevitably black and white photo only to be thwarted by its sheer graininess; one can see no crazing through the graininess of the pic provided.

I have just opened to a page at random: p.229 Figure 6.14 "Baltic amber coated with barnicals[sic]" If the subtext didn't inform the reader that the lighter splotches in the image were barnacles, the reader would have no idea what they were based on the image alone and, in fact, would have no idea there was anything at all adhering to what appears to be merely an unpolished chunk of raw amber.

All of this taken into consideration, I ding the book one star. I still consider this book invaluable for any diehard lover of amber and would recommend it regardless.