Antique African Amber

Although there are many imitation amber beads on the market masquerading as genuine amber, the real deal can be found.  There are many tests available for amber, unfortunately, not all of them work correctly and we must rely on the word of the seller that the amber passed it's tests.  Bidding on beads by photos is difficult, so here are some easy ways to guess if amber beads may be genuine or not: 

1) If the beads all the *exact* same color, there is a good chance they are imitaions.  Real antique amber comes in all different colors, with variations of color even within one bead.  While it is possible to have beads with similar colors (often a lighter, opaque color mixed in), beware of beads that appear to have exactly the same size, shape, and color.  Look for inclusions and bits of variation in the beads.  Some imitaions do have swirls of a lighter color, but it tends to look like swirled colors found in plastic.  African amber can be either completely opaque or totally translucent. 

2) Shapes and sizes vary considerably from very small to very large with no "perfectly shaped" bead.  Trying to match beads is a difficult task as they always look slightly different.  Genuine African amber almost never comes in special shapes, such as squares, perfect cylinders, spheres, etc. 

3) Antique African amber is slightly softer than Baltic amber, so expect the beads to have some natural chips, often worn smooth with age, but chips and dings none the less.  "Perfect" beads often mean imitation, but not always.

4) Antique African amber usually has a matte patina, but is occasionally rather shiny.  Wear patterns from being strung with other beads are very important; often beads will have very large holes and the beads will have a greater diameter than width, giving them a "wafer-like" shape.

5) If the price is super low and the seller sells a lot of the same beads, it is most likely imitation amber.  Genuine African amber is old and old beads command more money.  Occasionally you may find a deal with someone who does not recognize the treasure that they have; happy hunting!

We hope that this guide helps you a little in your search; please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Cheers, Abderrafie and Hillary