Amberglass

Amberglass is the resin of the amber reed, a virid tropical plant which has been cultivated for millennia in northeast Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera. The translucent resin can be heated or treated with other chemicals to make it into a liquid, which can be blown or moulded to make bottles, plates, bowls, jewellery, window panes and endless variety of other products. Amberglass production and manufacture is a major industry in Harthera.

Natural liquid amberglass is a biopolymeric compound contained in the sap of the amber reed. Biologically it serves as a nutrient medium, repels pests, and as a hydrophobic which allows the reeds to be tolerant to both waterlogging and extended drought, since it hardens when dessicated putting the plant in protected state of suspension.

The resin is extracted in liquid form by crushing the stems of fresh amber reeds. The sticky golden-brown liquid resin is then strained and refined to extract impurities. Different varieties and different processes can produce a higher or lower grade of resin, used for a variety of purposes.

In ancient times amberglass was primarily used as a lacquer, to strengthen, decorate and preserve a variety objects, such as plates, bowls and religious items, made from a variety of base materials such as pottery, wood and bone. Several applications of amberglass lacquer creates a tough and durable golden finish.

Amberglass can also be moulded to create glass-like items, or carved to create more intricate designs. Amberglass is “cured” by heating the mould to a high temperature. This changes the chemical composition, vaporising water and the more volatile organic components and forming strong chemical bonds. Cured amberglass is hard and brittle, and can be polished to a create a highly glossy finish. Uncured amberglass is more flexible and lighter in colour, but is less long-lasting.

It is also popular for window glazing. Traditionally windows were made of small pieces of amberglass, which could be soldered together to form a latticed panel. Latticed windows are both expensive and relatively fragile. During the Hartheran Commonwealth period, craftsman developed the hot float-glass technique, whereby warmed resin is poured onto a hot dense brine in order to create flat amberglass sheets suitable for windows. The resin must be kept at a temperature warm enough to let it flow easily, but not so hot as to cure it, as cured amberglass sheets would be too dark and brittle. The exact nature of this process remains a secret, making sheet-glass a valuable Hartheranplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHarthera

The Hartheran Union, commonly named Harthera, is an imperialist maritime nation state dominating the northeast of Anásthias. It is one of the two great powers of the modern epoch, arguably the most technologically and militarily powerful nation in the world, only matched by the vast size and wealth of its neighbour, viridOrorrMEOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorr export.

In Ororr a similar process was developed by pouring warmed amberglass onto a flat metal surface. This creates oval or circular sheets with distinctive wavy imperfections in the upward side. This accounts for the Ororran fashion for circular windows which flourished particularly in the last century.

Warmed amberglass can also be blown, creating a bubble of resin. Since the temperature required quickly cures the amberglass, this creates spherical vessels. In Hartheraplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHarthera

The Hartheran Union, commonly named Harthera, is an imperialist maritime nation state dominating the northeast of Anásthias. It is one of the two great powers of the modern epoch, arguably the most technologically and militarily powerful nation in the world, only matched by the vast size and wealth of its neighbour, viridOrorrMEOrorrOrorrOrorrOrorr these are used as containers for high quality domestic use, most famously the highly valued wine, auray.

Most recently amberglass has been used to create plates for printing, and as discs for Ambertone sound machines.

Traditional amberglass is translucent with a rich golden colour, and tends to darken and become more opaque with age. Amberglass reeds were originally harvested from riversides and wetlands, but today most amberglass is grown in plantations. There are many modern varieties of the original plant, bred for colour, durability, speed of growth and tensile strength.

The highest ideal of amberglass farmers has been to produce a totally translucent and colourless resin. This has almost been achieved, but today even the highest quality amberglass retains a slight yellow tint, and has the disadvantage of being weaker than the more golden varieties.

Today amberglass products range in colour from a deep umber, through the traditional gold to almost clear. There are also shades of pink, red and orange. Other colours can also be achieved using dyes and mineral additives.

There are also some scented varieties. They are more brittle than traditional amberglass and not suitable for large pieces. Instead they are used particularly for small items of jewellery of as a lacquer for combs, brushes and other personal items. Scented amberglass is also burned as incense.

As an organic material, amberglass is far less durable than vitreous glass. Although it is strong and slightly more flexible than glass, meaning that amberglass utensils are less likely to smash, amberglass items degrade over time, eventually becoming dull, brown and brittle.

Amberlite is a new material formed by heating liquid resin with a blend of industrial chemicals and mixing with silicate minerals. The resulting material is opaque, much tougher than pure resin, and can be moulded into a variety of different shapes.

Amberlite has recently become hugely fashionable for ladies' toilet items like fans, combs and hair slides.