Forget looking for seashells with
the kids this summer. Instead hunt for ambergris.[1]
In 2012, this piece was found by an 8-year old English boy. It was valued at 60k. Not bad for a beach treasure hunt.
Ambergris is the waxy substance
secreted in a sperm whale’s stomach that is used to coat indigestible objects.
Once the sperm whale has coated a hard object (like a squid beak) with enough
ambergris, it vomits its prize up - kind of like how a cat vomits up a hairball, except not on your favorite comforter.[2]
 |
| Charles II supposedly ate ambergris with his eggs. Yum. |
Although ambergris smells like
feces when it first comes up, over time it hardens and smells quite pleasant….a
bit like the original Chanel #5. Which is why it is so valuable. Ambergris was once
used in Chanel #5 to make the scent last and is still used in high-end perfumes
today. [3]
You can read more about how Coco
Chanel invented her signature scent in my latest book:
Fashion Rebels: Style Icons Who Changed the World through Fashion
[1] If you find
it on a U.S. beach, don’t try selling it. It is illegal to sell ambergris in the
U.S. due to the sperm whale’s endangered status.
[2] Some
scientists think it more often comes out of the whale’s back end.
[3] You won’t
find it in Chanel #5 today. U.S. perfumes no longer use it. But it is fair game
in many expensive French perfumes.
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