Amber is an incredibly fascinating and unique material, and although it’s not technically a crystal, it needs a moment to shine.
What is Amber?
Amber is fossilized coniferous tree resin that has hardened over millions of years. When trees “get hurt” and have an exposed area, it exudes the resin which works as a patch in order to protect the tree. This process seals and sterilizes the hurt area. This tree resin can stay on the bark of a tree, fall off onto the ground or get transported into water by many natural occurrences. The resin gets buried deeper over time while getting pressurized and heated up. Over a long period of time, the compounds in the resin chemically react with each other in order to produce what we know as Amber.
Where is Amber found?
Throughout the world there are more than 160 sites to find Amber, but I will be focusing on the most active and popular sites. The oldest amber on earth actually comes from Illinois where the amber was found in a coal seam. This type of amber dates back to 320 million years ago. These select pieces are quite small (quarter size or less) and don’t contain any fossils.
Most of the amber deposits that contain fossils are 125 million years old and younger, with one deposit in the Italian Alps dating back 230 million years.
What are some of the most famous Amber deposits in the world?
Baltic Amber- this Amber is estimated to be between 34-38 million years old. It comes from the northern shore of Europe's Baltic Sea and the most studied specimens come from what is now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. 3,500 species of fossil have been found in this amber.
Dominican Amber- this amber is estimated to be between 15-25 million years old. Authentic Dominican Amber came from the Hymenaea Protera tree which went extinct around 25 million years ago. 1,000 species of fossil have been found in this Amber.
Canadian Amber- this Amber is between 78-79 million years old. It’s primarily found in the Western province of Alberta at a site called Grassy Lake. 130 different fossil species have been found in this amber.
Which Amber do I carry?
The spheres and eggs in my shop are indeed Baltic Amber. This Amber may be more expensive than others that you can find, but the locality and inclusions make the piece more unique and valuable.
How do I know if I have genuine Amber?
There are a few key ways to knowing whether you’re holding a genuine piece of Amber so let’s discuss.
1. The color
In general, Amber should be a rich yellow color to a deep golden or brown color. Red amber is also another natural color. Blue amber is a particularly rare form that specifically comes from the Dominican area.
3. The inclusions
Since Amber is made of tree resin and natural materials, it should have some imperfections in it. The biggest one is that air/gas bubbles are a good sign. (Genuine crystals should NEVER have air bubbles but this is different!) The amber specimen shouldn’t look perfect on the inside and layering, bark and insects are all good signs.
4. The weight & feel
Amber is an extremely light material, much lighter than you’d expect, and this is no reason for alarm. If it’s heavy, that can be an indicator of an altered specimen. Amber should also be warm to the touch.
5. The UV reaction
Genuine Amber will fluoresce under a UV light most typically in a yellowish/greenish color. The whole Amber piece should light up and you want any bark or plant inclusions to fluoresce as well.
6. The fingernail test
Real Amber cannot be scratched by a fingernail. But, a piece of glass or a knife will scratch the Amber.
7. The lighter test
Genuine amber will not melt under a lighter (or any flame) which is a really good way to see if you have a piece of resin. Heating up resin & plastic will cause it to melt and smell like plastic, but genuine amber will crackle and you’ll get an aroma of old pine trees. I do not recommend doing this unless you’re willing to sacrifice a piece.
If your Amber piece doesn’t pass these tests, it would seem like you barked up the wrong tree for Amber… get it?
Fun facts!
- The Amber we see today are from trees that are now extinct
- Amber has been used since the Stone Age
- Clearer Amber is from resin excreted on the bark, whereas cloudier Amber comes from inside the tree
- 2-2.5 hardness on the Mohs scale
- The Gemological Institute of America gives Amber a chemical composition of C10H16O
- It’s polish luster is resinous like plastic