西峡琥珀

    琥珀别名血珀、云珀、江珠、兽虎等。俗话说：“千年琥珀，万年茯苓”。琥珀是古代松科或金缕梅科植物松或枫等树木上渗出来的树脂，久埋地下，经过千百年后，逐渐转化为化石，形状多呈不规则的粒状、块状和钟乳状，体轻、质脆、易碎。色泽不一，有血红、黄棕、褐、黄、黑等多种颜色。红色为上等，又名“血珀”。棕色次之，黄色较差。从表面上看，又可分为有光泽和无光泽两种。
      
    另外还有一种器珀，它是用松香制成，形如坠状，称“琥珀坠”。质坚硬，有红、黄二色，表面有光泽，体透明，仅用于装饰品。
      
    我省西峡县盛产琥珀，历史悠久，埋藏量丰富。它集中在一个九里宽，二百里长的狭长地带。这昊的琥珀藏量大，质量居全国之首。琥珀是一种'窝子矿'，大窝可挖到几千公斤，小的也可以挖到几公斤，一般在几十公斤以上。1980年，西峡县挖出一大窝重达6784斤，价值248，600多元。1980年，西峡县重阳乡挖出罕见的大琥珀，重达5.8公斤，中有昆虫花纹。颜色紫红，半透明，有光泽，呈方形或菱形结晶块，松香味甚浓，系上等药用琥珀。西峡琥珀因项链质量最佳，引起国内外注视。


    
    Ambers, with other names of Blood Pearl, Beast Tiger and so on, are fossils made from resin of ancient pines or maples. They are always in irregular, lump or stalactitic shapes, having light weight, crisp and fragile quality, and many colors like blood red, yellowish-brown, brown, yellow, black, etc. Among them, red ones are the best, brown ones are the second and yellow ones are the worst. Besides, they are also divided into two kinds according to their appearance: glossy ones and unpolished ones. Furthermore, there is another ware amber which is glossy and transparent, with plummet shape, red or yellow color and hard quality, and is only used in ornaments.
      
    Xixia County teems with ambers which are historic and in a large quantity, whose quality occupies the head position in China. It attracts world's attention for its high-quality necklaces. In 1980, a rare big amber was dig out in Chongyang Village in Xixia, which was high-quality and a superior medicinal amber.