^{ambre jaune materia medica}

The faking of fossil material is an activity that still takes place today (e.g. Kraus, 1990; Milner et al., 2001). With motivations including trickery, the boosting of personal reputations and the destruc- tion of those of rivals, the prime reason for trade in fraudulent fossils must be economic gain. The pro- duction of synthetic amber substitutes was certain- ly an extensive industry during early modern times (King, 2014a); varnishes, as well as decorative and ornamental “ambers” were produced in this way, in addition to pieces containing insects and other types of inclusion (King, 2014b; Grimaldi et al., 1994). Recipes for counterfeit amber were recorded by such luminaries as the French astronomer and physician Antoine Mizauld (Mizaldus; 1510—1578), and the Swiss alchemist, physician and philosopher Johann Jacob Wecker (1528—1586). The recipes were gene- rally based upon finely ground rock crystal (quartz), with some kind of binding agent (usually mastic, gum Arabic or whites of egg), a colouring material (com- monly saffron or turmeric), and sometimes even a mordant (often “argal crude” — potassium hydro- gen tartrate, a crust developed on the sides of wine vats) being added to the mix, which was then boiled, sometimes for several days. The traditional tests for counterfeit amber depended upon the physico-che- mical and olfactory qualities of the material: amber has a specific gravity of approximately 1.08 and floats on a concentrated salt solution (also wine and beer; King, 2014a: 89); because of its complex polymerisation, amber does not become sticky when a few drops of ethanol are added to the surface; when rubbed vigo- rously with a coarse cloth, a faint resin smell can be detected on the surface. Whilst numerous examples of substitutes for true amber are known in early mo- dern collections of decorative, ornamental and scien- tific amber (King, 2014b; Grimaldi et al., 1994),