Beschreibung:

Oligocene-Miocene 25 million years old Dominican Republic Resin from the extinct tree Hymenaea protera is the source of Dominican amber and probably of most amber found in the tropics. Blue amber reportedly is found mostly in Palo Quemado mine south from La Cumbre. Dominican amber, especially Dominican blue amber, is mined through bell pitting, which is extremely dangerous. The bell pit is basically a foxhole dug with whatever tools are available. Machetes do the start, some shovels, picks and hammers may participate eventually. The pit itself goes as deep or safe as possible, sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal, but never level. It snakes into hill sides, drops away, joins up with others, goes straight up and pops out elsewhere. 'Foxhole' applies indeed: rarely are the pits large enough to stand in, and then only at the entrance. Miners crawl around on their knees using short-handled picks, shovels and machetes. There are little to no safety measures. A pillar or so may hold back the ceiling from time to time but only if the area has previously collapsed. Candles are the only source of light. Humidity inside the mines is at 100%. Since the holes are situated high on mountainsides and deep inside said mountains, the temperature is cool and bearable, but after several hours the air becomes stale. During rain the mines are forced to close. The holes fill up quickly with water, and there is little point in pumping it out again (although sometimes this is done) because the unsecured walls may crumble. The present specimen is the largest blue amber specimen of which we are aware. Weighing just under 1000 grams its size is particularly impressive. Weighing approximately 960 grams and measuring 6 x 5 3/4 x 3in