The
Book Shop
Gemology,
Gemstones and General References
Buying
and Pricing Gemstones
Gems:Myth,
Legend and Metaphysics
Jewelry
Making and Metal Working
History
of
Jewelry
Jewelry
Appraising
Mineralogy
Individual
Gems
Diamonds
Sapphires
and Rubies
Jade
Opals
Pearls
Amber |
|
Lebanese
Amber:The Oldest Insect Ecosystem
in Fossilized Resin
by
George Poinar, Raif Milki
This concise volume covers the
major aspects of Lebanese amber--
its origins 130 million years
ago, its role as a commodity in
ancient cultures, and its study
and collection today. .
|
|
The
Amber Book: Ake Dahlstrom and
Leif Brost (Rocks, Minerals and
Gemstones)
by
Lief Brost
This excellent
book on amber contains details
of amber's formation, geographical
locations, history, folklore,
identification and present-day
importance in jewelry. Although
small in size and number of pages,
this book is packed full of useful
and fascinating information about
amber and its past.
The
authors have included all the
relevant scientific information
that is required to examine and
identify amber from its imitations.
With nearly 100 photographs, 65
in full color, the book is a visual
pleasure to read and enjoy. A
historical timeline is presented
in chart form to help put the
formation of amber into perspective.
Amber has trapped within it a
multitude of ancient plant and
animal life giving us a window
into the past. World maps show
the present and past locations
where amber is found, with interesting
photographs to reveal how amber
is harvested. Curious stories
describe myths and folklore. The
details of testing and sorting
amber from its imitations are
well explained even for the layperson.
A two-page bibliography and a
list of major amber collections
complete this book. |
|
Amber
by
Andrerw Ross
This lavishly
illustrated work tells how amber
is formed, where it is found,
and how to distinguish genuine
amber inclusions from fakes. Demonstrates
the many uses of amber in art
as well as science, and recounts
the search for DNA from insect
inclusions. Detailed keys and
color photos provide an identification
guide to all the insects and other
animals found in amber. Ross is
curator of fossil arthropods at
The Natural History Museum, London. |
|
Amber:
Window to the Past
by David A. Grimaldi
Grimaldi,
chair of the American Museum of
Natural History's Department of
Entomology, has skillfully combined
the natural history of amber with
coverage of its uses throughout
history in art and sculpture.
He discusses the properties of
various types of amber, its most
common localities, the types of
life it typically preserves, and
examples of past forgeries. . |
|
The
Amber Forest: A Reconstruction
of a Vanished World.
by
George Poinar and Roberta Poinar
Long thought to be unique to the
Baltic region, amber--fossilized
tree sap, often bearing the remains
of ancient plants and animals--is
widely distributed throughout
the world. Here entomologists
George and Roberta Poinar take
readers on a tour of one out-of-the-way
amber bed, located in the rainforest
of the Dominican Republic, that
formed over a period between 45
and 15 million years ago. This
particular amber, formed mostly
from the pungent sap of the algarrobo
tree, attracted many curious creatures,
including stingless bees and scorpions,
as well as bits and pieces of
material that happened to be floating
by: hairs from a long-extinct
Antillean rhinoceros and a saber-toothed
tiger, spider webs, and seeds
from plants that now take on slightly
different forms. The Poinars'
findings show that the prehistoric
Antilles region, formed from large-scale
volcanic and tectonic events,
has declined in biodiversity,
and they help give a more complete
picture of the ancient climate
than has hitherto been available.xcellent
book... superb photographs...
delightfully written... careful
research... compact format. Ward's
books are consistently well done. |
|
When
Life Nearly Died:
The Greatest Mass Extinction of
All Time
by
Michael Benton
Today
it is common knowledge that the
dinosaurs were wiped out by a
meteorite impact 65 million years
ago that killed half of all species
then living. Far less well-known
is a much greater catastrophe
that took place at the end of
the Permian period 251 million
years ago: 90 percent of life
was destroyed, including saber-toothed
reptiles and their rhinoceros-sized
prey on land, as well as vast
numbers of fish and other species
in the sea. |
|