Possible ambergris?

[Hawaii]

broke a piece off and almost vomited from smell had it curing for a while now it definitely smells like the wood shop any input appreciated thanks it weighed in at 22 lbs

 

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[trdking]

details?

 

[Deftone]

You must have a strong stomach drinking Tecate from a can! Just kidding and hope you find out what it is.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

I might suggest that you re-post your thread here... Rocks/Gems

Nice find, but kinda tough to display in your living room.

Dave

 

[Hawaii]

i Feel life is way easier if You are stupid ya don’t wanna show um that your not or they’ll run all over you common sense lol.

 

[Hawaii]

Details I live on the windiest side of Oahu very stony onshore trade winds about ahead ago we had a couple months of very strong wind and one morning during that time I was the first to the beach and saw this wash up in the rubbish line. Ambergris? Idk but it passed the needle test the smell was on point and I dug out a small radula what other details would you like? Lmk aloha

 

[Hawaii]

Strong not stony that’s my middle name

 

[RW]

Sure looks like it could be ambergris. Being so white, if it is ambergris, it is old. If it is old, it is extra valuable. If you are in Hawaii or the U.S. it is illegal to own or sell and might be difficult to get rid of. See if the chunk you broke off melts easily with a hot needle. My wife goes nuts for ambergris perfume but I think only synthetics are available in the states. Good luck, could be worth thousands...

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sure looks like it could be ambergris. Being so white, if it is ambergris, it is old. If it is old, it is extra valuable. If you are in Hawaii or the U.S. it is illegal to own or sell and might be difficult to get rid of. See if the chunk you broke off melts easily with a hot needle. My wife goes nuts for ambergris perfume but I think only synthetics are available in the states. Good luck, could be worth thousands...

Typical. Something that can only be found by chance, is extremely valuable, so the govt makes it illegal to possess or to sell.

 

[RW]

Typical. Something that can only be found by chance, is extremely valuable, so the govt makes it illegal to possess or to sell.

I think it became that way as part of the attempt to stop the slaughter of sperm whales. Legal to possess/sell or not, if I am on the beach I keep my eyes peeled. Must not enforce the law much because I think you can buy it by the gram on Etsy and maybe eBay, but could just be in other countries I don't know.

 

[trdking]

Typical. Something that can only be found by chance, is extremely valuable, so the govt makes it illegal to possess or to sell.

Not being able to own or sell this makes no sense what so ever. Its not like the whale dies to harvest it. Stupid rules

 

[dozer dan]

What is ambergris?
Ambergris is only produced by the sperm whale or pygmy sperm whale. Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and primarily feed upon squid. The average sperm whale will consume around a ton of squid a day, equating to several thousand squid beaks and other debris which, after a while, start to build up in the sperm whale’s four stomach chambers. As a rule, sperm whales will regularly vomit this mass of sharp and indigestible squid remains; however, very occasionally, these pass further into the whale’s digestive system and this sets the scene for ambergris to be formed. A world expert on ambergris, whale scientist, Dr Robert Clarke has described the several-year process of creating a lump of ambergris deep within the intestines of the whale.
As the tangled mass of squid beaks passes through the intestines en route to the rectum, it becomes saturated with faeces. This mass of squid remains and faeces bind together in the whale’s rectum, which itself is teeming with bacteria. Under these conditions, the mass grows ever larger and, over a period of years, forms a ‘boulder’ which increasingly obstructs the whale’s rectum. Sometimes the whale is able to excrete the mass and survive, but in other cases – maybe because the lump of ambergris has grown too large to be accommodated in the whale’s gut – the unfortunate whale suffers a fatal rupture. Either way, the ambergris is ejected into the ocean, where it may float at the mercy of currents for long periods of time before eventually washing ashore.
It is clear, then, that ambergris only develops in rare and specific circumstances. Indeed, scientists estimate that ambergris is found in the intestine of only 1-5% of sperm whales or pygmy sperm whales and, despite current media headlines, it is more accurately described as ‘whale poo’ rather than ‘whale sick’! Once excreted, the ambergris may float in the ocean for many years, becoming more solid over time, before eventually being washed ashore.
What does it look and smell like?
Ambergris takes many forms, but is most often an egg-shaped or round lump which can weigh many kilograms: the largest-recorded ambergris ‘boulder’ to date was retrieved off Australia in 1913 and weighed 455 kgs! By contrast, the lump found recently on Anglesey weighs just over a kilogram. Its colour varies from black, to shades of brown, gold-brown and even grey and tends to lighten over time. Similarly, the smell of a lump of ambergris is more pungent when newly-excreted and again, tends to mellow over time. It has an odour variously described as reminiscent of farmyard manure or the smell of seaweed – certainly many people find it objectionable, yet others claim it’s quite pleasant!
What is it used for and is it valuable?
Ambergris is traditionally used as a fixative in the perfume industry, highly prized due to its ability to ‘fix’ a scent on human skin. Despite the existence of synthetic alternatives, it remains sought after by perfumiers. For this reason and due to its rarity in the natural world (remember that it is produced by less than 5% of sperm whales), it is regarded as highly valuable and thus has earned the nickname ‘floating gold’.
In recent years, ambergris salvaged after being washed up on beaches has fetched high prices and the lump found on Anglesey is estimated to be worth around £7,000.
Have sperm whales ever been killed specifically for their ambergris?
In the past, sperm whales were primarily killed for their oil but even the chance of discovering ambergris was a motivating factor. Just think of Moby Dick: a whaler could make a fortune from selling the ambergris obtained from a single sperm whale as it was so much in demand by the perfume trade. Today, the subsistence hunt of sperm whales off Lamalera, Indonesia, is possibly the only example of sperm whales killed, at least in part, because of the chance of finding ambergris.
Is it legal to possess or sell ambergris nowadays?
Yes and no. In most countries, including the UK and the rest of the EU, it is currently perfectly legal to salvage a lump of ambergris from beaches and sell it, either at auction or on sites such as eBay. All whale and dolphin species are strictly protected under EU law and international trade in whale products is banned. However, ambergris is treated differently, since CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) regards the substance as an excretion, like urine or faeces, and therefore, as a benign byproduct and hence not requiring to be covered under the Convention. The EU is currently happy to support this definition.
The situation is very different in the US and Australia, where possession of, or trade in, ambergris is banned.
In the US, sperm whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which prohibits the use of any product from an endangered species. However, ambergris is regarded as a bit of a ‘grey area’, being a waste product and thus capable of being ‘salvaged’ without needing to harm whales.
In Australia, ambergris is considered to be a whale product and therefore, its export and import is regulated under part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999.
However, there is a bigger issue of course: trade in whale products or byproducts of any kind perpetuates the notion of whales as a commodity, with their parts to be consumed or used in some way by humans.

 

[HuntinDog]

Dozer
That is a very interesting read.

Learn something every day here on TN

 

[mojjax]

x-ray

 

[Blak bart]

Do you see any bits of chiton ? Small inclusions like shed cat claws are the remnants of squid beaks and a good sign. They will be red brown to black. The hot needle trick is a good test too. Should go straight to liquid with a sickeningly sweet smell. If yours is truly ambergris it a good amount and quite valuable. I hunt for it every year in the bahamas where it is legal to sell and trade. My buddies got a similar size chunk 2 years ago and got 80000$ for it.....less than half its retail value but still a big payday. A lady friend of mine just got an 11 pound chunk swimming at the same beach last month and is shopping out of country right now trying to procure the best price. There is a french buyer bernard perrine....he is very reputable and has all the proper paperwork to make a deal here in the U.S. it seems there are loopholes around the laws and forigeners are allowed to own posses and transport this substance. Only us good old Americans are not allowed to trade it here in the states. That being said I prefer to only hunt in the Bahamas where its completley legal. Heres the most reputable bahamian dealer.....I'm sure he sells to the french buyers for at least double what he pays out to the hunters.....and that's fine by me !! https://m.facebook.com/AmbergrisBAH/
Any of the buyers can test and grade quality with a small sample.....1 gram....from there a price per gram can be negotiated. It's no joke....they pay and they pay well.....both french and Asian buyers will not hesitate to send an agent/buyer half way around the world to procure a large aged piece !! As for authenticity it's hard to tell by a picture....its all in the smell and texture. It's very hard to remove the smell from your skin and is known as a fixative for perfume. The smell can linger for days and I've been banned to the garage for days at a time when I've gotten into it really good. It will make you gag and you just have to smell it again over and over gagging each time !!

 

[Blak bart]

Ambre Gris and ambergris whale blocks, selling ambergris hes a great help and may be able to help you out.

 

[rick67]

So its a constipated whales terd and people buy it for the smell?

I am really in the wrong line of work.

 

[Blak bart]

Like they say in the commercial "it's better in the bahamas" everyone is busy diving, fishing, and metal detecting......all you gotta do is go beachcombing. The best part is 99.9% of people have no clue when they poke at it on the beach !! Its a crying shame they don't have a beachcombing forum on T-net. So many great treasures get found beachcombing !!

 

[toasted]

One of my banner finds is a colonial era pomander which is French for apple of amber. Amber meaning ambergris. The pomander would hold a solid perfume concoction often containing ambergris. Ambergris has been for a long time and continues to be a very valuable substance

 

[Blak bart]

They carried it back to europe on spanish galleons too.....its listed on manifests as part of the treasure !! I'll hunt over there on my days off from feb to may....I can't wait to get back over to hunt again !! Floating gold !! Its a crazy little top secret world of buyers and finders.