Have I Found Ambergris?

[ramblinrick]

After looking for years I have found this today in Massachusetts. It's slightly pliable, waxy, and has an extremely oceanic scent, more similar to oysters.

I have smelled real ambergris in tincture form, and ambroxan, cetalox etc. I'm not noticing any of the warm vanilla, amber, or textured smells I get from those, but maybe just because it's fresh?

 

[Darren Alan]

Not sure what that is, but it doesn’t look like any ambergris I’ve ever seen before.

 

[pkiler]

Try the hot needle trick.

 

[mnitabach]

There is zero chance that is ambergris.

 

[Bon et Copieux]

Google "to test for ambergris". The hot needle will melt the ambergris surface instantly and the melted liquid residue should be glossy and sticky with a jet black or caramel colour.

How to identify ambergris, colour, smell, ambergris tests

Ambergris Connect connects Buyers and Sellers.

ambergrisconnect.com

 

[Darren Alan]

The hot needle trick will not tell you anything other than if the material you have will melt. The material you have looks waxy (possibly paraffin), so of course it will melt. Ambergris is not translucent or pliable. What your Have looks like some type of wax or solidified fat.

*Edited for typos

 

[Mr.P]

Looks like grease or lard… some kind of fat or wax but that in no way resembles the ambergris I have been shown. Sorry… I guess any oily stuff floating in the ocean is going to absorb some of that oceanic scent.

 

[Solua Botanica]

That dosen't look like ambergris to me, maybe some kind of congealed fat or wax.
Could have value if those speckles are gold flakes beneath the surface !

 

[pkiler]

The hot needle trick will not tell you anything other than if the material you have will melt. The material you have looks waxy (possibly paraffin), so of course it will melt. Ambergris is not translucent or pliable. What your Have looks like some type of wax or solidified fat.

*Edited for typos

Hot needle use has other results that you fail to mention, such as what odor is produced, which is, after all, the important idea.

 

[Darren Alan]

Good point! In regard to the odor, do not expect it to smell like ambroxan or cetalox….genuine ambergris has a faint nuance of those materials but in my experience smells much more briney, animalic & fecal (depending on the grade/color of ambergris). But I can tell you without even seeing it in person that this is not ambergris.

 

[Jay-Lux'eau]

Could be ambergris no? Just googled brown ambergris and some of the pictures are similar looking. Keep us posted!

 

[mnitabach]

Could be ambergris no? Just googled brown ambergris and some of the pictures are similar looking. Keep us posted!

Zero chance that is ambergris.

 

[Thioacetone]

Zero chance that is ambergris.

why

 

[Mr.P]

“The hot needle trick will not tell you anything other than if the material you have will melt. The material you have looks waxy (possibly paraffin), so of course it will melt. Ambergris is not translucent or pliable. What your Have looks like some type of wax or solidified fat.”

Hot needle trick is not about merely melting the substance. The behavior of the melted material is the indicator. With ambergris you get little threads of dried material when you remove the needle, whereas with fats or waxes that stringiness won’t be there. Scent as well is indicative..

 

[Darren Alan]

“The hot needle trick will not tell you anything other than if the material you have will melt. The material you have looks waxy (possibly paraffin), so of course it will melt. Ambergris is not translucent or pliable. What your Have looks like some type of wax or solidified fat.”

Hot needle trick is not about merely melting the substance. The behavior of the melted material is the indicator. With ambergris you get little threads of dried material when you remove the needle, whereas with fats or waxes that stringiness won’t be there. Scent as well is indicative..

Yes but my point was that in this case scent will not be an issue because this is not ambergris.

 

[thescentguru]

does it have tiny beaks inside it? I've lived and worked along three oceans in my life and I've never seen anything like that but then again I saw something new fished up quite often.

 

[pkiler]

just because it's fresh?

Fresh smells like poop. Because it came out the rear end.

 

[vintageone]

It's not