What is Amber?

Amber is one of the organic gemstones, being the time-hardened fossilized resin of pine trees. Sometimes the dripping resin trapped insects, leaves, bark and other things we now call inclusions. Amber varies from about 20 to 60 million years old. It appears surprisingly light and warm to the touch, and readily produces static electricity when rubbed. The ancient Greeks knew it as elektron, and it is from this name that we have obtained the word electron for the negatively charged particle, and also the word electricity. Amber is known in German as Bernstein because in the middle ages, powdered amber was burnt as aromatic incense. Amber jewelry is a treasure to own. Amber is one of the few gems not of mineral origin (others are ivory, pearls, etc.).

Amber Comes in Many Colors
Amber can be highly polished and as such, it is used in making jewelry and other ornamental objects. Amber is most usually similar colors to honey, varying from golden yellow, through rich orange and red to brown, but some can be white (milky Amber), dark brown almost to black, blue or green. Black amber often originates as other colors, but is smoked to achieve this tone.

Clarity
The best amber is usually clear and translucent, but inclusions can enhance its beauty, rarity and value. Some amber containing a number of naturally occurring gas bubbles, has an appearance similar to goose fat, and is known as fatty. Amber with larger quantities of bubbles making it appear cloudy is known as bastard amber, although this is still a true amber. White or whitish amber is sometimes called bone amber. Some amber contains inclusions known as sun spangles, with the appearance of nasturtium leaves.

Inclusions
Well preserved specimens of extinct insects and plant material, have been found in amber. These are valuable evidence for geologists and zoologists. They can also add interest to amber as jewellery. Insects are also found in copal resins, and have been used in pressed amber and other imitations for sale to collectors and tourists (sometimes fraudulently). Experts can distinguish fakes because they use extant rather than extinct insects, and there is often air trapped around the included insects, and other evidence of manufacture.

Centuries of Amber in Jewelry
Amber jewelry as been made for more than ten thousand years! During the Roman Empire it was called "Gold of the North". Amber jewelry features a variety of colors; with or without inclusions and can be obtained as manufactured items or one-of-a-kind treasured amber jewels.

For centuries, Amber jewelry was worn only by nobility and was not affordable to common people. Because amber was ascribed with many healing properties, it was used medicinally in many cultures. As time and observation led to the discovery of more Amber deposits, more and more people had access to or could afford to purchase amber jewelry. Even today, it is thought that wearing amber jewelry (such as a ring, earrings, bracelet, pin or necklace), will instill confidence in the wearer, balance a person's mood, and lessen depression and anxiety.

Because amber is soft, it may be thought to be unsuitable for use in jewelry, but as with other materials, hardness is not always the same as durability. Amber is occasionally facetted, but is normally cut or polished as a cabochon or as beads. Because it is relatively inexpensive (today), and is of light weight, Amber is often used as large stones in rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings. Amber is often set in silver. There is no reason why it should not be set in gold. It certainly matches and complements the warm color of gold, or even platinum.

Amber is often seen as large beads. Because of its light weight, it is excellent for this purpose. Also because of its soft warm feel, it has an uplifting spiritual quality, and makes excellent tactile "worry-beads".

Amber Popularity Today
The fascination and attraction to amber jewelry was renewed in the mid-20th century and is soaring in popularity today, especially due to the impressive pieces from the Baltic Sea area. But caution; not all amber is genuine. Technology has advanced and found ways to fool your eye. Genuine, amber was formed 20 to 60 million years ago, and most we see today was obtained from deposits found in Poland's Baltic Sea area. However, there are many other sources of amber, usually with different characteristics and colors, and often regarded as different varieties.

Burmese amber is usually redder than Baltic amber and is known as Burmite. It is harder, denser, and often contains calcite.

Amber found in Sicily, along the Simeto river near Catania is reddish brown, fluorescent, and is known as simetite.

Amber is found in many parts of Romania, is known as roumanite, and can be very variable in color. Amber found at Gdansk or Danzig is known as gedanite. This is softer and lighter than most other amber. There are numerous small deposits of amber in the USA.

Imitations
There are many imitations of amber; some are natural and many are synthetic. The natural imitations, known as copal resin, are very closely related to amber. They are also from fossilized pine resin, but from different varieties of pine trees, Copal resin is also less ancient than true amber. A variety from New Zealand is known as kauri gum, and is the product of the kauri pine). Most copal resins, being younger than true amber, are more susceptible to attack by solvents such as ether. Other synthetic imitations include plastics such as bakelite (phenol formaldehyde), celluloid, casein, urea-formaldehyde resin, perspex and polystyrene. Many of these can be colored to create convincing imitations of amber.

Glass is also used to imitate amber, although it is too heavy, too hard, and has a cold feel. It is not particularly convincing.

Hardness: Generally 2 to 2.5, but can vary from 1.5

Back to the Beadery