Copal is young tree resin, not a mineral, and not amber. It is softer and paler than amber, and it is often sold as 'young amber' or simply amber.
Organic (young tree resin; not a mineral)
Copal
Copal
- Palette
- Yellow Orange White
- Mined in
- Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Madagascar, New Zealand
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0–2.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Nahuatl copalli, meaning incense
- Also sold as
- young amber, copaline, copalli (Nahuatl), pom (Maya), kauri gum
- Intention
- Calm
- Looking for
- Peace
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Copal is young resin and is not usually dyed, but it can be sealed or heated in an autoclave to harden it and is sometimes sold as amber. Ask whether beads are raw, sealed or pressed.
Not in our pieces now
68%
In 1859 Americans took 68 percent of the East African copal trade, which ran through the Sultan of Zanzibar, while Germany took 24 percent.
ACETONE
A drop of acetone or chloroform makes the surface of copal tacky, which is how it is told from older amber.
HUITZILOPOCHTLI
Bars of copal incense lay in the Templo Mayor offering beside a boy dressed as the war and sun god Huitzilopochtli and a jaguar dressed as a warrior.
What it is
Copal is young tree resin, pale yellow to golden or milky white, lighter in color and stickier than true amber. It has not had time to fossilize, and some is only a few thousand years old. It is often sold as 'young amber' or simply amber, and it is also burned as incense.
Where it comes from
Copal is young tree resin: Colombia and South America are the main commercial source, with New Zealand kauri gum, East Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar) and Central America also named.
In history
Copal is a tree resin that people in Mesoamerica burned as incense; its Nahuatl name, copalli, simply means incense, and bars of copal were among the offerings recovered in front of the Templo Mayor in Mexico City, about 500 years old. In the 1700s European varnish makers began coating furniture and carriages with it, and by 1859 the East African copal trade was shipping most of its output to the United States.
What's said about it
The books we use do not profile it, so we have no crystal lore to report. Its story is cultural: in Mexico and Central America copal has been burned as incense in prayer and ceremony for a very long time.
The word comes from the Nahuatl copalli, meaning incense. A Maya diviner's clear stone was prepared by burning copal before it.
Today it is mostly burned or kept in a bowl, and worn only with care because it is so soft.
How people wear or keep it: In an incense dish, in a small bowl on a shelf, or on the wrist, kept dry.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, copal is paired with the sacral and solar plexus and throat chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in an incense dish, in a small bowl on a shelf, on the wrist, kept dry. People reach for it when they want peace, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSacral, Solar Plexus, Throat
ZodiacAquarius, Leo, Libra
ElementFire
Also calledyoung amber, copaline, copalli (Nahuatl)
Care
- Much softer than amber and the hardest stones: it scratches and dents easily, so store it alone.
- Keep it dry and away from perfume, hairspray, nail polish remover and other solvents; a solvent can make the surface sticky.
- Heat and strong sun can darken it or make it tacky, so keep it out of hot cars.
- Wipe with a soft dry cloth only.
How to tell what you have
- Copal is lighter in color and softer than amber, and a drop of acetone makes its surface turn tacky where old amber stays hard. It is often sold as young amber, so ask the age and source.
What sets the price
Copal is young resin, not true amber, so it costs less than amber; within copal, clear amber-yellow pieces are the cheaper type and milky white pieces cost more, and passing copal off as amber is what lowers value.
Rules and sourcing
Copal is young resin that can be sealed or heated in an autoclave to harden it, and it is sometimes sold as amber. A seller should say it is copal and disclose sealing or pressing. The FDA warns against resin teething jewelry such as amber necklaces and bracelets because of strangulation and choking, so copal beads are never sold for babies or for teething and should not be worn by an infant or while a child sleeps.
Questions people ask at our table
Is copal amber?
No. Copal is young resin that has not fossilized, while amber has hardened over millions of years. Copal is softer, lighter in color and more easily marked.
Why is copal sold as amber?
Young copal can look much like amber and costs less, so it is sold as 'young amber' or passed off as the real thing. Sellers sometimes also heat it in an autoclave to clear it for jewelry.
How can I tell copal from amber?
Copal is usually paler and more lemon-colored, and a jeweler's drop of acetone makes its surface tacky. Do not try this on a piece you want to keep, because the spot stays marked.
Is copal meant to be worn?
It is more traditionally burned than worn. If it is made into beads, handle it as a very soft resin and keep it dry.
Do you carry copal?
No. Golden tiger eye and lemon jasper are the stones in our pieces with a similar yellow-gold color.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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