Amber Jewelry - To Balance Your Mood

Executive Summary about Amber By Dr. Mark Clayson

One of the most precious gems we have is amber. It has been used by ancient people for ornament and decoration - amber jewelry.

Amber gems are divided into four. The most abundant is the Baltic amber or most often called succinite amber. It was called succinite because it contains considerable amounts of succinite acid and most of it came from pine tree resin. Burmite (Burmese amber), Semitite (Sicilian amber), and Rumanite (Rumanian amber) are the other three groups of amber and these are considered rare and extinct. Burmite can only be recovered through mining and its principal colors vary from red to brown. Sicilian amber is recovered from an area around Simento River in Sicily and displays the darker shade of red while Rumanian amber shows the darker colors of red that looks like almost black in color. Some amber gems can also be found in Russia, USA, and Germany and even in Dominican Republic.

Amber is capable of being highly polished. It was a treasured jewelry item in Paleolithic people as well as Greeks and Romans - termed "Gold of the North" at the height of the Roman Empire. Many would be surprised to know that Baltic amber naturally occurs in 250 colors and can therefore complement virtually any color of clothing.

An example of amber with an inclusion is the one used in the famous movie "Jurassic Park". Because of that film break, amber jewelry became more popular. Amber jewelry is now easily available on the open market but frequently embellished with other enhancement techniques to enliven and brighten the stone

For centuries, wearing amber jewelry was thought to bring good health to the wearer as it is thought to balance the person's mood, and even lessen depression or anxiety.

Amber gems are divided into four. The most abundant is the Baltic amber or most often called succinite amber. Burmite (Burmese amber), Semitite (Sicilian amber), and Rumanite (Rumanian amber) are the other three groups of amber and these are considered rare and extinct. Burmite can only be recovered through mining and its principal colors vary from red to brown. Sicilian amber is recovered from an area around Simento River in Sicily and displays the darker shade of red while Rumanian amber shows the darker colors of red that looks like almost black in color. Amber is capable of being highly polished. It was a treasured jewelry item in Paleolithic people as well as Greeks and Romans - termed "Gold of the North" at the height of the Roman Empire. Many would be surprised to know that Baltic amber naturally occurs in 250 colors and can therefore complement virtually any color of clothing.

Amber jewelry is now easily available on the open market but frequently embellished with other enhancement techniques to enliven and brighten the stone

For centuries, wearing amber jewelry was thought to bring good health to the wearer as it is thought to balance the person's mood, and even lessen depression or anxiety.

How to Identify Real Amber from Imitations

Executive Summary about Amber By Natalie Inger

Because amber is a lightweight organic fossil resin, imitating it using lightweight plastics and synthetics is possible. Imitations or more comonly made to fake an insect inside rather than making a fake piece in general. There is a substance known as copal (immature resin) which is often passed off as amber. Plastics and synthetics, such as celluloid and bakelite, also react differently to the tests than amber.

The most common and easily made imitations of amber are plastics. Celluloid is a thermoplastic mae of cellulose nitrate and camphor. When these materials are rubbed together though, they give off the aroma of camphor and do not create a strong electrostatic charge as amber does. The following are the easiest and most available tests for real amber:

Simple 2 minute "Do it yourself" tests

1) Static Test

Amber has an interesting property of becoming electrostatically charged when rubbed, as well as being warm to the touch. The charge attracts lint and dust particles. So the simplest and safest way to test for amber would be to simply rub your specimen and observe if it becomes charged.

2) Solvent Test

Immature resin copal and fake plastic amber deteriorate when in contact with a solvent. Plastics are quickly attacked by alcohol (95% ethyl alcohol), acetone (100%), and ether. A few drops of acetone (fingernail polish remover) or alcohol dripped over the surface of the piece will reveal if it holds up to the solvent. If the surface becomes tacky, it's not amber. Amber does not dissolve or deteriorate when in contact with these solvents.

3) Heat Test

Heating amber produces a pleasant aroma of burning pine wood and white smoke. Amber used to be used as incense for this fine property. If the amber is real then the odor should be smooth and pleasant, burning plastics or celluloid will give off an unpleasant smell or the odor of camphor. Be careful with this method, as it could ruin a nice piece of amber.

4) Buoyancy Test

Amber is very buoyant and floats in seawater. If seawater is not available, you can saturate water with salt. Just take about 2 1/2 tablespoons per cup of water, and you will see that most imitations sink in salt water.