& he had a 1400 gram silver teapot that only went for $5000...only half of what that 1 amber bead sold for! Remarkable...! :)
I love to smile at these preposterous amounts for amber & coral....I can't imagine how this 1 bead would go for that! That's absolutely remarkable. Fred, what's a shill bidder?..will have to go look that up. Lynne
As a longtime fan of Thorstein Veblen, one recognizes the symptoms.
Remember the post that observed that the Chinese pearl markets were flooded with women shoppers, while the trade bead and antiquities venues were the preserve of guys?
"Mine's bigger."
Losing piles of money gambling is also deemed to be impressive.
In the past we were more familiar here with the washed-up amber from Poland, Lithuania.
I bought some end 90's, because the opportunity was there and I had never seen this dark brown colour before. Probably because it was commercially not the best colour.
I have never seen/ heard of green-and-blue amber from the Caribbeans.Is there anyone who has some to show?
Thank you for sharing. I wasn't aware there was such demand for Baltic amber as well. I see it everywhere, & it's seemed to me as if there is more than ever flooding the market. It's incredible that it's now become the next "blood diamond"....
Martine, I've never seen blue or green amber before either. I have purchased red amber in the Caribbean and Mexico, & was told it was very rare. I have to dig up those necklaces as I haven't seen them for awhile, but it was a lovely dark maroon more than a red. The people I bought from had a gallery, & one of them gave me a big chunk of raw amber, which I had out on a bench displayed in a previous apartment. Unfortunately, I have not seen this for some time...It's large enough to not miss (probably the size of a child's fist) & I unfortunately think it may have been taken or thrown out by someone in my home. I'm going to need to start digging for it in hopes that it is some box somewhere. I treat my Nigerian, Yemen & Moroccan amber with such favoritism, but I have to say I pay no attention to the other more translucent type I bought when I was younger. I guess I need to start rethinking that. Lynne
