cute ambergris is an strange auction item . The waxy lump of whale waste have become a sought - after ingredient in perfumes , but their strange appearance means people often throw everything from fat to sewage and palm oil as being “ floating gold ” when it is , in fact , just pungent garbage .
So , how do you love if you ’ve struck floating gilt andfound ambergris ? There are a few key signs to look out for .
What is ambergris?
Ambergris is often mention to as whale sickish but this is n’t exactly accurate . The by - mathematical product is made only bysperm whaleswho secrete ambrein as a way of gluing together the undigestible beaks of squids they eat . It ’s thought doing so protects the beast ’s digestive parcel from the pointy beak , but as a oaf of ambergris , the waste product is probably more often pooped out than sicked up .
The pungent ambergris float , surcharge up the smells of the ocean as it curtsy along the surface . In time , the poop smell pass off away while the ambergris get gradually waxier and more complex in fragrance .
Why is ambergris’s price tag so high?
As the single by - Cartesian product of sperm cell whales , the amount of ambergris in the ocean is entirely dependent on the number of whales . Human whaling has pushed many cetaceous species to the brink of extinction , an activity which saw sperm whale number go from around 1.1 million worldwide to around 300,000 .
They ’re now listed asvulnerable , with threats let in entanglement and strandings , which are sometimes influenced by human bodily process . Despite this , their global population is thought to be recovering , but until we have more sperm cell hulk , ambergris will stay a rare and pricey material .
What is ambergris used for?
Despite being floating blobs of feces - smelling whale barren that soak up the pungent odors of the ocean , ambergris is actually revered for its fragrance . It ’s considered one of the most worthful raw material in perfumery , but not all ambergris is equally valuable .
Fresh ambergris is useless . It ’s black in colouration and smell like feces , which is not something perfumers are concerned in . It will also have a cheap grain like fuddled clay , so if you find something like this , leave it alone . It ’s worthless and really gross .
Ambergris that ’s had time to mature into something useable is either whitish - gray-haired or chocolate-brown - gray in color . It can have a slightly sweet smell , and there may be visible layers . It will sense a bit waxy and oily , and there may even be pointy squid nib adhere out of it .
You can sometimes see squid beaks inside ambergris. Image credit: spline_x / Shutterstock.com
How much is ambergris worth?
Depending on the sizing and old age of ambergris , it can bring into the 1000000 . In 2021 , a group in Yemen spotted a 127 - kilogram ( 280 - pound ) mega - lubber of the stuff bobsled in the ocean . After returning to the shore with their rare match , it was estimated to be worth around$1.5 million – not bad , for a bit of whale goo .
In 2016 , three sailors found an 80 - kg ( 176 pound ) testicle ofambergris off the seacoast of Qurayat , Oman , which had an estimate value of around $ 2.7 million .
Can I go in search of ambergris?
No , not really . Even if you happened to stumble across a beat whale on a beach , less than 5 percent of carcasses have been get to contain ambergris . spermatozoan whales are also protect , so any variety of interference to get at their ambergris or spermaceti vegetable oil ( once used to fuel lamps ) is very much illegal .
The only hope is to be plant is on the beach ( or at sea ) , where – depending on your luck , and available hours for beach patrol – you may one day slip up across a blob of valued ambergris .
