What is the difference between Baltic amber and amber?

Contrary to popular belief, amber is not a rock or gemstone. Amber is actually fossilized tree resin and can be found in many regions throughout the world. Baltic amber is specifically amber from the area near the Baltic Sea, including areas in Poland, Lithuania, Germany, and Latvia, just to name a few.

What is special about Baltic amber?

One of the most unique aspects of Baltic Amber, is its ability to preserve articles which became trapped around 50 million years ago - creating the world's very own time capsule. Trapped objects such as insects and can render the stones so much more rare and valuable.

Is Baltic amber the best?

A combination of amber colors is probably the best solution to the question of which amber beads to use. It is important to use Baltic amber, amber from the Baltic region of Europe.

What is the best type of amber?

Baltic Amber is the highest quality Amber in the world, with more than 250 different natural shades available on the market.

What color amber is the strongest?

In general, the most valuable color of amber is rich yellow of medium to strong darkness. Red pieces are also considered of high value. The most important quality that determines the value of amber's color is its intensity.

Baltic Amber - Explained

How can you tell good quality amber?

All you have to do is mix two cups of warm water with a quarter cup of salt in a bowl, then stir the mixture until the salt has completely dissolved. Once you have done this, place the piece of amber in the solution. If the piece of amber floats then it is indeed authentic amber.

What is the rarest color of amber?

Blue amber is the rarest of all the colors of amber. However, blue amber is fairly new to the gem industry. It must be caught in the right light, or it will look like every other piece of yellow-brown amber.

How do I know if my Baltic amber is real?

Real amber has air bubbles, and if clear enough to let light pass, you'll see imperfections within the bead, cracks, etc. Real amber is warm to the touch and has a slight 'tacky' feel (verses slick like glass). It also feels lighter in your hands than you would expect it to.

Is raw or polished amber better?

Since raw amber does have more succinic acid than polished, raw is considered to be more potent than polished. Polished Baltic amber has been heated and pressure-treated to make it shine. It still contains succinic acid but in a lower amount.

Why is Baltic amber expensive?

Natural Baltic Amber is a Unique and Precious piece of natural polymer out of resin of Prehistoric Pine Trees. It can be expensive when it is exquisite or even contain rare inclusions such as Plants and Insects that are preserved for years already.

Are there different grades of amber?

Clarity Grade

Dominican Republic has the clearest amber in the world, Grading the clarity is quite a task. 100% Clarity is very rare, the larger the specimen the more difficult it is to find. AAA- No Inclusions 5% of all amber in the world is AAA clarity. AAB- Total Opaque even color through the Amber.

Are there different types of amber?

Types of Amber. One method of classifying amber is by color and degree of transparency. This criteria correlates to an optical classification of amber varieties. Colors of amber include yellow, orange, red, white, brown, green, bluish, and "black" (dark shades of other colors).

What country has the best amber?

The most type of amber is Baltic amber, which comes from the Baltic Sea shores. Baltic amber is thought to be the highest quality, which makes it valuable.

Why is it called Baltic amber?

Baltic amber is the most common type of amber used in amber necklaces, bracelets, as well as aesthetic pieces which are not worn for pain relief. Baltic amber comes from amber from the Baltic Sea region, which includes coastal areas along Poland.

Can you wear amber everyday?

The primary reasoning behind wearing your Baltic amber jewelry on a daily basis is that Baltic amber simply works best when you wear it regularly. The more regularly succinic acid builds up in your system, the more effective the compound will be in providing pain relief.

What hand do you wear an amber bracelet on?

There is no any rule or rules about which wrist to wear Amber Bracelet.

Why do adults wear amber necklaces?

Wearing amber jewelry can reduce anxiety:

Another great benefit of succinic acid is that it can help reduce anxiety, especially in adults. Succinic acid is a soothing agent and when it is absorbed into the body, it can help cause reduce some of the stress that can lead to anxiety in many people.

Is beeswax amber real amber?

“Beeswax” amber, a common trade name used in the Chinese gem market, refers to yellow amber that has a semitranslucent, opalescent, milky appearance with greasy luster. Among the beeswax ambers, “chicken-fat yellow beeswax” is very popular for its bright color.

Do amber necklaces lose their effectiveness?

Over time, with exposure and constant rubbing, the amber will become spent. So it will lose its effectiveness over time and can be considered expired. It becomes brittle, more likely to split and crack with age. The length of time amber beads are good for depends on how they are used and cared for.

Does real amber float or sink in water?

Real Amber should float in this water easily while majority of fakes will sink fast. The main drawback of this method is that it is not very suitable for testing Jewelry that has some metal or other components in it; however it works well for loose beads.

Is Baltic amber expensive?

Baltic amber is generally more expensive than Dominican amber. Pieces containing insect or plant inclusions fetch higher prices than clean pieces without such inclusions.

Can amber be faked?

Types of Fake Amber that Exist

Real amber is warm to the touch and has a wax-like shine to it -- it will not appear as a glossy shine. Common imitations for amber are casein, celluloid, copal, glass, kauri gum, plastic, and phenolic resin.

Why does amber turn black?

Red Ambers can vary from orange to deep black. Often, the rare color is obtained artificially – by heating transparent amber to oxidize it. The most abundant color, which occurs about 70% of the time, is various shades of yellow, but this type of Amber is often cloudy, not transparent.

Do trees still make amber?

Most amber is from pine trees or other conifers, though there are a variety of trees that they can come from. However, most amber is from extinct species because the resin was exuded so long ago.

Is green amber real?

Green Amber is both a natural and man made rarity. Like all Baltic Amber, Green Amber passes through the exact same process in its journey to becoming the semi precious beauty that we know and love. However, certain green can be achieved artificially through the manipulation of the light's effect on yellow amber.