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| A fine specimen of white ambergris from the West Coast of Ireland - Courtesy of www.celticambergris.com High quality Ambergris like this can fetch upwardly of €99 per gram |
Pieces of Ambra are either washed ashore on various temperate ocean coasts and islands, or they are found inside the whales when these great mammals are captured for their oil (spermaceti oil). There is no particular area where Ambra can be found or searched for with regular success. The "big" finds in the history of Ambra are those of New Zealand, East India, West Africa (near Dakar), Southwest Africa, Madagascar, Indonesia, Brazil, Norway, Etc. Actually, all the seashores of the seven seas have brought Ambra to the whaling ships at one time or another. There is ample literature in scientific and popular periodicals and even in newspapers about individual finds from time to time.
Ambra is a pale grayish or creamy-yellow to brown or dark brown waxy solid mass which melts in boiling water. Its odor is rather subtle, reminiscent of seaweed, wood, moss, with a peculiar sweet, yet very dry undertone of unequalled tenacity. There is rarely any animal note at all in a good grade of Ambra. On ageing, the material lightens in color, particularly when exposed to daylight and salt water. Consequently, it can be expected that floating pieces of Ambra from the sea (surface) are of superior quality in many cases. This is not a rule, but ageing is generally considered a necessity in order to obtain full maturity of odor.
Ambra is never used as such in perfumes. From the powdered Ambra (e.g. powdered with an inert grinding material), Tinctures and Extracts are produced. The greater part of a good grade of Ambra is soluble in alcohol. By concentration of the tincture, the so-called Resinoid of Ambergris is obtained. In terms of the definition in this book, the so-called resinoid is an alcoholic extract, resembling the so-called Resin Absolutes. When concentrated 20 times, the ambergris tincture turns into a light brown, semi-solid mass, which could be called "20-fold tincture of ambergris".
True absolutes are not commercially available or regularly produced by the supply houses. It is generally believed that ambra tinctures must mature 6 months or longer prior to their use in perfumes. Thus, it serves no purpose to concentrate much further than the above mentioned 20-fold. This concentrate will usually contain about 50% solvent. If the tincture has been prepared with heat applied, the result is actually an infusion. This extract will contain significant amounts of fats (waxes), soluble in hot alcohol, but not in cold alcohol. This waxy matter is responsible for the semi solid consistency of dilutions of the 20-fold tincture.
Hydrocarbon solvent extracts of Ambra have been prepared, but they do not seem to offer advantages over the alcohol extracts beyond the fact that the hydrocarbon extracts make it possible to eliminate some of the insoluble and odorless substances in Ambra.
Ambra and tinctures and extracts thereof are mainly used in perfumery. It should not be thought, however, that Ambra has a limited application. On the contrary; it is possible to introduce this material in countless perfume types, and with good results. But the irregular availability, the lack of experience in selecting good from poor raw material-or tincture (if so purchased), - and the comparatively high cost of good ambra has made it rare item on the perfumer's shelf. Until the very recent identification of some of the most important constituents in the odor principle of Ambra (by Firmenich & Cie.) the perfumer had to use various "ambre" bases when true Ambra products were unavailable or too expensive. These "ambre" bases are made up from certain fractions of laudanum extracts, from sage clary oil, terpeneless cypress oil, delta-methylionone (beta-isomethylionone), cedarwood derivatives, chamomile oil Moroccan, nerol, isobutyl cinnamate, undecenal, oakmoss fraction, seaweed extracts, beta-caryophyllenes, agar wood oil, etc. Countless "ambre" specialities are available; some of them excellent.
Ambra Tincture ("ambergris" tincture) is often used in combination with at least one other "animal" material. Ambra has comparatively little diffusive power, but it has tremendous tenacity. Musk or Civet are required to improve the "wearability of a perfume. Consequentially, Ambra Tincture is particularly recommended in the more delicate florals, e.g. muguet, sweet pea, lilac, freesia, cyclamen, white rose, etc. In the modern aldehydic "fantasy" perfume bases, the use of Ambra or a similar "bouquetting" agent is a necessity in order to "round off" the stubborn chemical notes of aliphatic aldehyde's.
Tincture of Ambra is also used in flavors, mainly as a bouquetting additive to round off and mellow the blend of synthetic flavor materials. Fruit flavors, tobacco flavors and liqueur flavors are frequently improved with this exquisite material.
Ambra is obviously subject to adulteration. It is characteristic of many of these rare perfume materials that ones finds their best evaluators among the suppliers, not among the perfumers. In London and New York, certain houses that have specialized in dealing with comparatively few natural raw materials for perfumes and flavors, can be proud of having on their staffs some of the worlds finest experts on Ambra. However, samples or deliveries of Ambra or preparations thereof should, in all cases, be subjected to thorough olfactory examination prior to purchase or use of these delicate materials.
Mainly in order to avoid confusion with the fossils resin Amber, the author has preferred to use the more international word Ambra for the material which is better known in English-speaking countries under the name ambergris.
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