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- centuries and also shipped to China. Both amber and jadeite were sent over the old trade route through Yunnan province to the lapidaries of Beijing. Because both amber and jadeite coming from Burma passed through Yunnan province, sometimes Yunnan was erronously credited with having these commodities when in fact it was probably just the entry point of the Burmese raw minerals on their way to centres in China. However, in more recent years some deposits of amber have been found at Tengchong in Yunnan. Therefore, there is a possibility that these or other Yunnan sites may have
been exploited for amber at early dates.
The earliest European account of Burmese amber seems to be by the Jesuit Father Alvarez Semedo, who travelled to China in 1612 and in 1655. He writes that the province of Yunnan has amber but it is thought that he is actually writing about Burmese amber: � Yunnan is a great countrie, but hath little merchandise, I know not any thing is brought from thence, unlesse it bee that matter, whereof they make the beads for chapplets, which in Portugall they call Alambras; and in Castile, Ambares; and are like Amber, they are counted good against catarre it is digged out of mines, and some times in great pieces; it is redder than our Amber, but not so cleane.� The Dutchman, Father Du Halde, in 1738 also may have mistook Burmese amber as coming from Yunnan stating: �It produces red amber, but no yellow�.
The first Europeans to actually visit the amber mines of Burma were Captain Hannay in 1836, Dr. Griffiths in 1837 and F. Noetling in 1891. The latter carried out a geological study of the mines mentioning that Chinese traders were the main purchasers of the raw amber. The amber trade with Burma gradually decreased due to the collapsing Qing dynasty in China and due to the greater availability of European amber.
Although much of the amber of Burma seems to have been traded to China, there was a small amber carving industry in Burma. The earliest carved pieces were cylindrical ear ornaments. By the 19th century, burmite was also finding its way to Mandalay, where it was worked into mouth pieces for pipes, rosary beads, finger rings and small sculptures and amulets of elephants, monkeys, fish and frogs as well as figures of the Buddha. In the early 20th century both Mandalay and Rangoon had workshops producing
necklaces, brooches, and buttons for export.
The two most famous pieces of Burmese amber were an exquisitely carved duck sculpture of dark brown amber, which was once part of the Burmese Regalia of the Palace of King Theeaw (whereabouts now unknown) and a large clear red burmite ball (10 cm in diameter), which dated to the Royal Burmese dynasty prior to Kings Mindon Min and Theebaw, and was brought out each time a chief queen gave birth to a male child.
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