“Sun Spangle” in Amber
Fractures often diminish a gemstone’s beauty and appeal. To reduce the detrimental effects caused by fractures and to enhance appearance, many gemstones undergo treatment. But not all fractures are undesirable. One such example is the circular stress fracture in amber (see above) recently encountered by the author.
Minute gas bubbles in amber cause cloudiness, which can be removed by heating the material. If the amber cools too rapidly, it may develop internal circular stress cracks called “sun spangles.” Sun spangles are considered desirable and are often created deliberately, such as the attractive example shown here. The concept can be likened to the Japanese art of kintsukuroi or kintsugi, in which broken pottery is repaired with gold undisguised, embracing the piece as more beautiful for having been broken.
