Minerals - Amber - English Italian Hand

"I've always been drawn to amber, even to the point of considering it my birthstone, though it isn't stone. In fact, tho collected as a gemstone, amber isn't a mineral at all. Amber is fossilized resin of an extinct species of pine which grew 45 million years ago. Amber often contains a variety of preserved inclusions such as insects or plant materials which can increase its value & collectibility greatly. This specimen from my collection contains a chunk of bark from the tree of its origin. Amber was known as electrum to the ancient Greeks due to it's ability to hold a static charge.

I loved playing with the creation of this exuberant English-Italian Hand cap "A." In this hand, sometimes the initial "over turn" hairline of the m or n small letters were elevated as shown here. This trait is a carryover from the older original French & Italian styles from which English-Italian Hand evolved. As part of the flourishing, I have integrated a medieval alchemical sigil for amber, the bit that looks like a "23" with a dot in the counter of the "2.""

~2012, Don Marsh~
©2012 Don Marsh