The Nature Company - Amber South American -Copal Hand Polished 15-24 mm 10 pc

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The oldest known substitute for amber is copal, a resin which is very similar in appearance" The term "copal" was derived from "copalli," a Spanish word meaning incense, which is what copal is used for as well as in varnish. Rice (1993) stated copal can occur in a semi-fossilized form or fresh, gum form, usually ranging from 1,000 to 100 years old Copal can fluoresce white under short-wave ultraviolet light (amber usually fluoresces blue or yellow) and it contains inclusions of extant plants and animals (as opposed to extinct forms found in amber). One test for copal vs. amber can be by applying a small drop of ether, which evaporates quickly on amber leaving it unaffected, while it makes copal and other recent resins sticky