Faturan
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Faturan amber designates the same of a semi-synthetic imitation amber, or “amberoid.” Note that yellow, light orange, or butterscotch Faturan amber is referred to as Misketa or Misket. Faturan amber was first discovered (invented) in the late 1700’s by the Egyptian chemist Faturan, after whom that material was named. The first colors were a dark red or purple, but eventually there became more colors, such as yellow, orange, black, and the very rare green and blue. The main reason that Faturan was invented, along with all other amberoids and false ambers, is because of the rarity and expensive price of genuine amber; amber imitations have been made for hundreds of years. This reason was combined with the fact that the amber of the region in which Faturan resided was very fragile and broke easily both when being carved or when the carved item was used, such as prayer beads breaking when being played with. The exact composition of the material is unknown, but the believed ingredients include: powdered Kahraman (Arabic) amber and/or copal, Mastic resin, Frankincense incense, phenol resin (the main component of Bakelite), turpentine, and natural dyes (such as vegetable coloring and wine). The exact percentage of actual amber powder used in the process in not known; some scholars believe that no amber powder was used at all, and that this rumor was started by Faturan himself to promote is new invention. Faturan amber was prized in the manufacture of prayer beads and worry beads. It was very common is Egypt, Turkey, and Greece. Faturan has also been produced in Iraqi, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Nepal, Africa, and Germany. The production of Faturan ceased in 1940 due to WWII, and the original formula as not been reproduced since. However, there have been several modern variations including German amber, Turkish amber, African amber, Yemeni amber, and Tibetan amber, although none of these have been able to achieve or surpass the quality of the original. Resins and plastic have also been used as a cheap copy. Today, Faturan amber is a highly sought after collector’s item, sometimes selleing for several thousand US dollars for a complete prayer bead strand. One may find these strands of eBay or bead Websites based mainly in Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East. With the possibly of the Faturan amber you buy being a fake, one may test it in several ways to prove it is real Faturan. A simple test is to rub the beads or hold it briefly to a flame. It will give off a smell similar to a combination of Bakelite, Frankincense, and pine. Faturan, when poked with a hot pin or heated metal, will leave a reddish-brown burn mark. This is sometimes done to decorate plain Faturan beads, mainly Yellow Misketa.
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