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Are you selling amber or copal?
Although from an etymological point of view the word "copal" includes all resins -old or young- that have been employed as incense over the centuries,
in modern times "Copal" is used to refer to semi-fossilized resins or sub-fossil amber. In order to respect the
commonly accepted rules, we want to reserve the word "amber" for 'really' ancient tree resins and "copal"
for more recent ones. When we offer amber, we sell amber, old amber.
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How are the quality groups defined?
Quality of blue amber cannot be defined easily since everyone has his own definition based on use
and personal perception. For some it means that it should be dark and blue, with lots of inclusions
to give strong color and life to the stone. For others it needs to be clean and
without inclusions and still acceptably blue.
It is a fact that the rarest kind of blue amber is pure, clean, and still with blue fluorescence.
But almost as rare and outstanding is the very strong blue amber due to lots of inclusions with a shade similar to lapis lazuli.
We have created the following definitions merely as a help, but not as an absolute quality criteria.
BCC: undefined blue-green, or only blue with additional UV light source, many inclusions mixed with matrix
BBC: bluish-greenish in natural light (NL), with many inclusions
BBB: definite blue (NL), with many inclusions, opaque to translucent
ABB: blue (NL), with some inclusions, transparent
AAB: light blue (NL), little inclusions, transparent
AAA: light blue (NL) almost no inclusions, transparent to flawless
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We are aware that these descriptions are relative and that finally quality really depends on everyone's own taste,
opinion or purpose.
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Is the export of rough or raw amber from the Domincan Republic permitted?
The export of amber is not permitted unless it had been at least partially worked by native artisans. TO EXPORT COMPLETELY ROUGH / RAW DOMINICAN AMBER IS
ILLEGAL.
(Ley Nº 165, de 31 de mayo de 1967).
Therefore, if you find rough Dominican amber abroad, you know that it has been smuggled.
The purpose of these restrictions is to protect the national amber industry and their artisans as well as natural resources.
In order to comply with the law, you will find that our "raw" or "rough" amber will be semi-polished.
You will want to buy from reputable providers who are aware and respect the requirements as provided by the law.
We also recommend the use of official transport operators that handle your goods in a responsible way. Travelers, who are caught smuggling might get their goods confiscated and/or be liable to pay a penalty.
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Do you wholesale or retail?
We do both. But wholesale customers will receive a discount, because they buy more frequently and a larger volume.
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How do I become a Wholesale Customer?
A wholesaler who buys merchandise to resell to others needs a large amount of goods.
If you are a wholesaler, please let us know what quantities you have in mind to purchase.
Our discount levels depend on what, how much and how frequently you buy. After we evaluate the information submitted, you will
be marked in our database as wholesaler for future purchases.
If you are interested to become a wholesale customer, please CONTACT US.
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How do you ship?
We ship on a FOB (Free On Board) basis. The customer is responsible for the freight after it has been turned over
to the shipping agency. Please have in mind that we ship from the Dominican Republic and freight rates are rather high since shipped by courier.
We prefer to use UPS (expedited), in order to make sure you get what you order in the conditions it was meant to be, but we also use other carriers of your preference. There are minimum freight rates and in case of single pieces or smaller quantities and you will have to decide whether it is worthwhile for you.
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How do I pay?
We accept pre-payment by telegraphic transfer and money order.
Please read the corresponding information on our catalog:
Payment Information
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Can I return the goods if they are faulty?
Should you, in spite of our sincere efforts, receive a faulty product, we will find a way to either
refund you the payment or send you satisfying goods. Nevertheless, all claims expire 1 month after purchase.
Please do not send anything back to us without
previous agreement. Dominican custom officers are not easy to please and we might have difficulties
to receive what you send to us without very high expenses on tax and/or similar costs. We will not
reimburse you if you have sent back anything without our explicit consent. To the contrary, we might
have to charge additional costs. On the other hand, we try our best to keep you satisfied with our service.
For this reason we are very careful to send you what you have ordered in the quality you have
ordered being aware of the delicate situation. We want to do our utmost to gain your trust and
have you as a happy long-time customer.
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What are products marked as Custom Order Items?
Sometimes we have similar items as you see in the catalog on stock, but most Custom Order Items will have to be made specifically for you.
Depending on the quantity, we need some lead time.
The pictures on the catalog are only generic, general pictures. All of our amber is natural and original, therefore we
never have standard and 100 % uniform items. We depend on what is found in the mines. Since we produce Custom Order Items exclusively for you,
please understand that we expect advance payment.
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How I know that the amber is real and not unnatural or even fake?
A renowned biologist, Prof. Dr. Mark R. Mayer answers: 'First of all, beware of pieces that are too uniform or too perfect. Amberization involves processes that result in imperfection in pieces, imperfections that often give amber its personality. So, bubbles, plant debris, clouds, inner layers, cracks and fissures, insect parts, opacities, swirls and stress lines are present to some degree in most pieces and can help verify authenticity. Beware, for example, of a necklace of perfectly matched, transparent beads -- that would be most unlikely.
Insect inclusions that appear flawless or perfectly placed are also suspect, since most insects and animals entombed in amber show signs of struggle and attempts to flee before dying.
Free pieces of amber (obviously not mounted jewelry!!) are buoyant and will float in a saturated salt solution (15.4 grams of salt dissolved in 100 ml of water), similar to its behavior in sea water. But beware -- although some synthetics will sink in the salt water test, by no means all will.'
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How do I take care of my amber?
Amber is a natural resin. It is no mineral and no cold "stone". It is biological... almost still alive. It is very special. Therefore it should be treated as such, with care and love.
Do not expose amber to extreme or widely fluctuating temperatures, as the amber may crack. Exposure to chemicals (cosmetics, perfume, and hairspray) can ruin the finish of your amber permanently.
Store amber away from sources of heat and out of direct sunlight. Store your amber jewelry in a soft cloth, away from other pieces of jewelry which may scratch or chip it.
For cleaning, use warm (but never hot) water and a soft flannel cloth to gently wipe dirt and smudges from amber settings. Never use soaps, detergents, or ultrasonic cleaners. To polish it, rub the amber gently with olive oil and use a soft cloth to remove excess oil.
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What is the purpose of the item descriptions and pictures in the catalog? Are they legally binding?
The item and color descriptions you find in our catalog are subjective, a personal perception and are not legally binding.
They are annotations that do not describe quality, but only a subjectve impression.
They are limited to what can be seen without technical or optical aid.
For instance, translucent amber commonly lets the light shine through, but has inclusions.
Transparent amber is clear up to a certain percentage as loosely indicated.
Opaque amber does not let the light shine through or only to a certain degree.
Opaque and translucent amber is usually stronger in color, while transparent amber only shows a light hue of color.
Natural transparent amber, because of being very rare is the most expensive, but not necessarily the most beautiful.
It much depends on the chosen purpose of each piece and the taste of the observer.
The way you see the pictures depend much on the monitor you use. In case of bulk materials (i.e. rough amber)
the pictures are not order specific.
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Do I need a large piece of Blue Amber to make beads of the
same shade of blue?
Baltic amber is pressed into blocks for easier handling. Beads manufacturers who are
used to this kind of method would also want to do this with Dominican amber. But it is not a
feasible solution and much too expensive as large specimens are extremely rare.
To start with, it can never be guaranteed that a piece of rough amber, more over a large piece
of amber, has the same color all the way through.
In addition, you will have to calculate with a loss of up to 4/5 of the original weight of a rough blue
amber stone in its hull. If your beads should be clean, you might even have to cut out the inclusions,
if there are any in the rough amber you use. So the loss will be even greater.
If we want similar colors, we have to produce many beads from smaller stones and after polishing
sort them according to shades.
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Why are items made with Dominican amber more expensive than items made with amber from other countries ?
All our amber is 100% natural. We do not use reconstitution, physical or chemical methods to "enhance" it, clear it or change its color. It is natural amber, just as it comes from the mines. Therefore, differences in shades and inclusions are a proof of genuineness and authenticity. All items are handmade in the old, slow way. Compared with other countries, there is no amber "industry" in the Dominican Republic.
In contrast, the cheap amber items like beads and cabochons that are used for low-cost applications usually are made from artificially cleared (autoclave) and colored (heated and treated) amber or even from pressed waste material. Some well known manufacturers in European countries and Far East are specialized in these methods without the public being aware of it. Read more about this here . Dominican amber is is not abundant and only on the market in its natural form.
It all boils down to the question: what do you want and/or how much are you willing to pay for it.
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