TERA Gallery - African Art and Antiquities "Altering The Way You View The World Of Art" |
Type of Object:
Ethnic Group:
Dimensions:
- Copal Beads
The oldest known substitute for amber is copal, a resin family
product which is very similar in appearance. Experts vary in their
assessment of the age of copal in a semi-fossilized form or fresh,
gum form however the maximum age is usually less than a million
years.
There is so much confusion around Copal Amber and Amber.
Copal is a very young amber that has not gone through the entire
fossil process. It is hard and often has insects inside. Natural
Amber will not craze, crack and will not melt as will Copal. Copal
is very pretty and lots of jewelry is made from the beads or
pendant pieces. Natural Amber is harder to work with as it will
chip and fracture.
These beads are very nicely matched with many desirable
qualities of its own.
Ethnic Group:
- Ethiopia
Dimensions:
- 28 inches
