Amber is a fossilized resin that has gone through a number of changes over millions of years. The oldest amber is registered to be 345 million years old, and the oldest known amber containing an inclusion comes from approx. 146 million years ago.

It can take years to learn from such a folkloric gem stone, but before you begin searching for that special Amber Inclusion or Amber Jewelry, you should keep in mind that Amber has been commercialized for thousands of years. Pieces of amber imbedded in plastic are commonly found on the market today.

Natural

Amber can be found worldwide, mainly at the east coast of the USA, recently in New Jersey (sold here on Ebay), Canada, Burma, Mexico, Lebanon, Borneo, Russia, Sicily and other regions. However, the world’s two current major deposits of amber are Dominican Republic and Baltic area.

Dominican & Baltic Amber:

Most of the Amber used in the commercial production of jewelry comes from the Baltic area or the Dominican Republic. It’s usually used for necklaces, pendants, bracelets, brooches, earrings, rings, etc.

• Baltic : Age 40 – 50 million years old. It is found on the Baltic Sea shores. Highly treasured, and the only national gem of Lithuania. Baltic amber is also considered to be the best variety of amber. It is typically of a yellow, honey-like color, but may occur in many shades from pale yellow to dark brown. Bluish and greenish colored pieces are very rare. Some pieces of Baltic amber are transparent and clear, and others are cloudy and opaque.

• Dominican: Age 25 to 40 million years old. The amber in the Dominican Republic is not as old as the Baltic one, but has much more fossils and rare inclusions of plants and small animals. For this reason is highly appreciated by scientists and collectors. An important fact about Dominican amber that makes it stand out from the amber found in other regions: It occurs in several colors you will not find in any other part of the world in this way.

Genuine Amber

This classification can be confusing, especially if is use for selling strategy. Amber made out of small pieces of amber that have been melted together under high pressure is called "genuine amber". It is a legal way of cheating and it is hard to discern the illusion except for the price.Genuine or Pressed amber is generally very even and in shape, Natural amber is never as even, since Mother Nature does not industrialize colors or shapes.

But keep in consideration that there are skilled and gifted artisans that will shape a piece perfectly.

Copal

Resin from ancient trees (in the Dominican Republic, the tree is Hyemnaea or Leguminous trees. In the Baltic area, either pine trees or eucalyptus, gum trees), when placed in the proper conditions, turns into amber. There is an intermediate stage where the resin might look like amber, but is not changed enough (polymerized) to be considered real amber. This 'young' resin is called copal. Copal is always much younger than amber and has some characteristics which distinguish it from real amber. For instance, copal is generally less dense than amber.

1.-  One fairly good way to determine fake amber is the 'hot point test'. This is where the fine point of a very hot needle is put in the amber. Real amber has a piney smell (or burnt resinous smell) and fake amber can have an electrical, plastic or sweet smell to it. The problem that you will have with this test is that most folks are not willing to sacrifice their potential prize piece of amber to this test.

2.-  Another test is the acetone test. Acetone is the odoriferous chemical that is used to remove nail polish. Copal is slightly soluble (hasn't hardened enough over the millions of years) in acetone, so the surface will get sticky. Regular amber is not soluble and therefore acetone should not do anything to it. With plastic fakes, acetone can dissolve the outer layer, which can sometimes be a shellac coating.

3.-  Amber is fluorescent. That is, when ultraviolet light (UV) is directed on the amber, it will fluoresce. Common fluorescent colors are yellow, blue, green and orange. The intensity of the fluorescence can be different with different types of amber. Dominican Republic amber usually fluoresces blue. This is a simple test if you happen to have a black light. Just shine the black light on the sample and observe the 'shine'. This is the safest way to test your piece.

Now that you have a scoop when shopping for natural amber, go do your search confident as Ebay has trustworthy sellers with beautiful natural inclusions, and real amber jewelry. Just keep in mind  that your best bet is to purchase amber from a reputable source.   

Find some of my desings from Natural Amber.