The article talks about how to clean amber at home. After all, even a sun stone needs periodic updating. In order for the warm colors of honey and summer to always remain attractive, jewelry should be given cleansing baths and showers. There are other recipes for refreshing fossilized resin, which the ancient Greeks called electron. Caring for jewelry with amber involves polishing and the use of special tools.

Wash off the dust

It is considered correct to store amber jewelry separately from other stones in a dark, dry place. But if the ring or pendant is not removed from the box for a long time, they cease to be attractive. It seems as if the connection of the stone with the sun has been lost, so it has become dull and ceased to shine.

Dust that has covered amber in a necklace, ring or earrings can be easily washed off in the shower. After drying in air at room temperature, the shine will return. You can enhance the effect of the water procedure with a refreshing bath.

At the same time, water is poured into a cup and ice cubes (2-3 pieces) are lowered the same. Decoration is soaked for 6-7 hours. Then you need to blot with a clean cloth and dry it in the air or use a hair dryer with low jet heat. However, the soaking method is suitable only for amber, where stainless metals are used as a frame.

The sun harms the sun stone

Let us explain how to care for amber so that the stone retains its beauty and sunshine. The first thing that is required is to determine the storage space. In the prepared box, it is better not to contain other jewelry, especially with sharp edges in frames or edges.

Amber is a soft stone that is sensitive to abrasive materials. The slightest touch of hard diamonds or other durable minerals will leave indelible marks on its surface.

Keep the box away from heating appliances. High temperatures (50-90 degrees), as well as too low temperatures (below 0 degrees), have a negative effect on amber. At high it is deformed, and at low it becomes brittle.

Prohibited cleaning products

Given the softness of amber, it must be handled with care. This applies to storage, maintenance, and cleaning of the stone. Pay attention to the restrictions:

• it is impossible to clean amber with the help of ultrasonic technologies;
• it is forbidden to use chemicals that act aggressively on the surface of jewelry;
• it is not recommended to use alcohol and alcohol-containing liquids for wiping;
• not suitable for use in the care of amber means for cleaning metal surfaces;
• steam generator cannot be used;
• do not use brushes with hard bristles and, of course, abrasive substances.

Only soft fabrics will help to polish amber. Hard-to-reach holes and other places should be treated with cotton swabs or brushes with natural bristles.

Treatment of amber with alcohol is not permissible, because after wiping a white coating is formed, which is difficult to remove. Spirits must be handled with care. Even a drop falling on a stone will change its color.

Using soap and toothpaste

For a more thorough bathing of amber, it is recommended to use liquid soap. A few drops are added to the prepared container with water. A china or glass plate (deep or half-portion) usually works well. Such a volume will completely cover any product - beads, a ring, a bracelet.

Instead of liquid soap for cleaning amber, you can use grated household soap (1 tablespoon of shavings per 1 liter of water). You can simply lather your hands and wash off the foam several times in a cup. After lowering the jewelry into the soapy solution, carefully wash each stone or bead with your fingers. For wiping, use a soft cloth, sponge or toothbrush, which will slightly polish the product.

Finally, rinse with tap water and dry with a cloth or as described above. The last chord is to rub each stone with olive oil.

For dry cleaning of amber at home, you can use tooth powder. Using a soft brush, it is applied to amber and each stone is rubbed to a shine. In no case should you use toothpaste, which clogs scratches with its consistency, highlighting them more than they really are. In the future, these places will become green.

Velvet polishing

How to clean amber from dust is now clear, but how to restore beauty to a stone if the cause of withering is not at all dust. In this case, polishing will help. In simple cases, when there is no damage on the stone, it is made at home on their own.

To do this, use flannel fabric or velvet. The stone is rubbed in circles. Gradually, it will restore its original color and begin to shine again. Usually, inserts into rings, pendants, or earrings are processed in this way.

After cleaning, wipe the jewel with olive oil. But be careful not to overdo it. Once in the cracks, the oily product will attract additional dirt.

Polishing by hand is not very suitable for the care of beads. It will not be possible to quickly clean a large number of small stones. It may take several hours. Below we will tell you how to process amber assembled into beads.

Salt baths

In order not to bother with rubbing each stone in the beads, use a salt bath. Prepare a cup, pour water into it and add salt (about 1 tbsp without top per 1 liter). It is not necessary to heat the liquid, the salt crystals will dissolve well and quickly.

Jewelry (only with a stainless metal frame) is placed for 6-8 hours in a container with saline. The cleaned stones are then air-dried and oiled with olive oil. Polishing of amber in this case is done with a woolen cloth.

The described processing of amber will not give the desired result if cracks or other defects appear on it. In this case, it is better to use the services of a workshop and give the stone to the jeweler for renovation.

Paraffin and ammonia

Paraffin will help restore the shine to the stones. However, it needs to be mixed with tooth powder.

You can grate the paraffin, and then mix the chips with tooth powder. Get a home remedy for processing beads. When using the same ingredients in the second way, it is supposed to rub a dense piece of matter first with paraffin, and then pour the powder there.

Any of the methods cleans and polishes the surface well. Especially if the stone is already cut into a cabochon.

We mentioned above how to clean amber in beads. There are other methods that are used for very severe pollution. In this case, an ammonia solution (ammonia) is indispensable. A few drops are added to a glass of water and a bracelet or beads is placed in the liquid. It takes 10-15 minutes for the jewelry to shine again with amber rays.

Stages of processing amber

If you found amber on the seashore and want to process it yourself, we will give you some recommendations. First you need to saw off a thin slice and look at the clearance to determine how it looks in the finished product. No matter how the master’s hand polishes the stone, transparent specimens will always be smoother. Cloudy minerals will show a wavy texture. Then the steps follow:

• peeling the patina with a large sandpaper or file;
• giving the desired shape;
• leveling the surface with a sandpaper with medium grains;
• grinding with the finest sandpaper;
• cloth polishing.

Please note that the skin should be wetted during work, like a stone. Therefore, choose materials that are resistant to water.

Polishing Compounds

Soft fabrics are suitable for polishing amber - felt, felt, flannel. Soft leather can also be used. When using an electric grinder, grinding wheels are also selected from soft materials.

Today we will talk about how to process amber yourself at home with your own hands. We will also consider the methodology and technology for cutting, cutting and polishing amber, as well as the manufacture of various jewelry and handicraft products from amber. How to make artificial amber at home

Amber is a mineral of organogenic origin; it is the fossilized resin of trees that no longer exist. This gem was formed as a result of the evolution of the earth's flora.

Due to global warming, coniferous plants have increased the volume of resins released, while lowering the viscosity of the substance. After several centuries, the dead wood decomposed, all the soluble parts in its composition were washed out with water. After that, the process of petrification was completed and resin (resin) was covered with young deposits.

Insects, tree leaves and other inclusions got into the resin when it was still liquid. The chemical composition of the mineral is 78% carbon compounds, 11% oxygen and 10% hydrogen, a small amount of inclusions (no more than 1%) was also noticed. In nature, the gem is found in the form of fragments of different sizes.

Most often, the appearance of the mineral depends on the degree of solar heating. Transparency and uniform coloration is characteristic of the gem, which was warmed up by the sun when flowing down the trunk. Hardening, the resin solidified in massive drops. If the resinous secretions did not completely merge, then the mineral turned out to be brittle and layered. But this type of amber almost always turned out to be transparent, and inclusions are more common in it than others. The stone reached its greatest popularity in the 17th-18th centuries.

At this time, a new method of processing amber arose. Its plates were connected to each other using frameless technology. Thanks to this method, it became possible to create large sculptures, huge vases, large candlesticks and decorative vessels. The craftsmen of that time used all their skills in processing amber to create the Amber Room in the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, whose searches are ongoing to this day. In this decoration, amber products, decorative elements and 22 panels were used.

To remove the outer weathering crust and give the workpiece an approximate shape of the future product, you can use a knife, a trihedral file, chisels and sandpaper. To make products that have the shape of bodies of revolution, you can use a desktop lathe. The spindle of the machine must rotate at a speed of 1500-2000 rpm. For sawing and processing of amber raw materials, in addition to an ordinary hacksaw, circular saws and drills are used. Grind and polish amber products on felt and felt wheels mounted on a household electric grinder. Due to the significant viscosity of amber, it is processed at increased rotation speeds. For example, for drilling amber blanks, you need to use a spade or twist drill, and its speed should be up to 2500 per minute, so circular saws should be installed directly on the shafts of high-speed electric motors. To save raw materials, the thickness of circular saws should be no more than 0.4 mm, diameter - 100-150, tooth pitch - 1.5 mm. Sharpen the teeth of the saw on a profile abrasive wheel or file.

Amber can be polished not only with a felt, felt, but also with a calico circle with a paste of amber shavings, chalk and paraffin applied to it (chalk - 47%, paraffin - 50%, green crocus - 3%).

It is always important to know when buying amber where this mineral is found. And they find it in Kamchatka, Siberia, Romania, Holland, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal, Spain, France, Sweden, Croatia, Australia. Very beautiful specimens have been found in Sicily, Africa and Austria. Green amber was found in the Dominican Republic.

Over the past 50 years, the Kaliningrad Amber Plant has been successfully mining the gem. It is here that the production of amber is advisable, since this is a unique place where both the extraction of the mineral and its processing are carried out. Kaliningrad stone is known all over the world.

Until the forties of the last century, mining was primitive, but with the beginning of a new period of time, with the advent of new technology and a more modern method of mining, this process became more perfect. The extraction was divided into several stages, which greatly simplified it. To do this, they first dug out a quarry, which was used for the next 30 years. With the help of earth-moving machines, an earthen layer of several tens of centimeters was removed. Rocks were eroded by powerful hydromonitors. The rocks were pumped out by dredgers.

After that, the amber rock was loaded with the help of excavators onto electric trains and sent to the places of processing. There, on the overpass, the amber raw materials were crushed and sent to the factory for further enrichment. At this stage, the rock is divided into amber and waste rock.

With the advent of modern computerized technology, mining has become more advanced, and work costs have been optimized.

Amber processing involves the use of a lathe, cutters, files and jigsaws. Each stone is polished with pumice, emery, chalk and soapy water. Places that are difficult to process are covered with amber varnish. If you look at a natural stone under a microscope, transparent pores of small sizes are visible. After exposure to hot oil, the mineral softens, and the pores disappear, replaced by scaly cracks. Glued amber fragments will disintegrate if they are doused with boiling water.

To improve the decorative characteristics, special processing is used. To do this, the gem is calcined at a temperature of more than 200 degrees in a furnace with sea sand. As a result, the mineral becomes transparent, and its color changes from light golden to dark cherry (depending on the time of heating). In addition, with such an impact, fan-shaped cracks appear inside the stone, making amber sparkling. When heated without access to air, the petrified resin becomes more plastic. This property is used by jewelers during pressing. The addition of a special dye and a certain pressure regime make it possible to obtain a stone of different colors and structures. Jewelry is made from such material, and in technology it is used as an insulator. Such "melted" amber is used in furniture production to cover furniture, as well as to cover musical instruments. Printing inks and rosin are also made from this material.

Gem for jewelry is often pre-treated. The most expensive, sparkling stone is obtained during heat treatment in autoclaves with further cooling. Jewelry made of amber (beads, rings, pendants, earrings) of this quality gives off an incredibly beautiful “sunny” glow.

Opaque stones are boiled in flax oil with further calcination. The bubbles inside the samples are filled with fat and acquire the property of transmitting light. It has long been very popular gem, painted in red-brown and blue-violet shades. A low-quality stone is used in religious ceremonies. When burned, it exudes incense, better known as frankincense.

Along with natural semi-precious stones, jewelers work with ambroids - chemically processed and pressed small amber crystals.

Amber is a popular material for making jewelry. Ease of processing, a variety of shapes allows you to create a variety of jewelry.

The great popularity of amber products led to the manufacture of artificial stone in artisanal conditions. For this, special equipment, turpentine resin, shellac and white rosin are used. Given the cost of natural stone, the production of imitation is a very profitable business. Therefore, when purchasing an ornament or other product, it is very important how to distinguish amber from an artificial fake.

Most often, cheap resins are used to make imitations, which are very easy to distinguish from a natural gem. Unlike natural material, fake is characterized by softness and a peculiar "forest" smell. In addition, they can be scratched with a fingernail, while this cannot be done with amber. You can also distinguish with the help of an ordinary tenfold magnifying glass. Resin fakes are characterized by wavy formations that are formed during the sintering of particles. It is much more difficult to distinguish imitation from copal, a hard resin similar to amber, but of little explored origin. The cost of such products, as a rule, is lower than that of a natural gem. However, the price may be too high - to more closely match the amber products. Therefore, it is difficult to navigate the price factor.

In stores, you can often find glass fakes that are the easiest to distinguish. To do this, you can run a copper needle over the stone - a trace will remain on a real mineral, but not on an artificial one.

If you suspect that you have a plastic imitation in your hands, try to break off a piece. Plastic will flake off and real stone will crumble. .

There is another way to determine the naturalness of a gem. To do this, take a glass of plain water with three tablespoons of salt. In such an environment, amber will float, and imitation will go to the bottom. After such procedures, it is imperative to rinse the stone from salt, which can spoil the surface of a natural mineral.

There are three types of raw amber: ornamental, pressing and lacquered.

Ornamental - these are large pieces of good shape and color, used for carving, highly artistic jewelry.

Pressing (ambroid) - remelted amber from small-sized, substandard amber and amber production wastes (dust, cuttings, etc.). It has been used since the end of the 19th century. After grinding, amber flour is cold pressed and then heated to 220-230 degrees. at a pressure of 14 kilobars. It is also used in jewelry and carvings. Such amber is characterized by the presence of oriented striae and bubbles and, as a rule, by a darker, saturated color, which is valued in some countries - for example, in Germany, opaque amber of the color of dark cognac - antique.

Lacquer - all the remaining out-of-grade amber is used for the manufacture of amber varnishes, rosin

Most of the amber products are inexpensive bijouterie, less commonly used as a carved material or for inlay. All amber on the Siberian market used by local jewelers is imported. Works easily with copper and steel tools. Usually use hand tools - hacksaws with narrow and thin blades. Shaping the product can be done manually - filing with a thin file. Amber is drilled with a hand or electric drill, or with a drill - with steel drills at low speeds. Periodically, the drill is cleaned of amber chips to avoid sticking to the tool.

Amber can be cut. For this, fine-grained cutting diamond wheels with a grain size of 10/15 microns are used. In the case of using a free 8-12 micron abrasive (silicon carbide) for cutting, cast-iron or lead faceplates are used. Afraid of overheating. At a temperature of 150 degrees it becomes plastic ("flows"), and at 250-300 degrees it melts intensively. It should be borne in mind that transparent varieties of amber are more fragile than opaque ones, so it is advisable to use heated amber blanks. At a high speed of the peeling wheel, areas of point melting may occur. Peeling is carried out with a thin free abrasive (silicon carbide 12 micron powder) on a lead or cast iron wheel. Pumice stone on fabric or wood is also used for grinding. After a fine sanding treatment with an abrasive cloth, tripoli or crocus on felt, cloth or wood is also used. From improvised means, as a fine grinding abrasive, tooth powder (chalk) is used on the fabric. For polishing - crocus in oil, followed by dry crocus on a calico circle. They also use tin oxide on the leather, with a final polishing by hand with the same composition on the flannel. It is polished with aluminum oxide on a wooden (waxed) or wax wheel. At the final stages of polishing, GOI paste on cloth or felt can be used. To avoid melting during polishing and peeling, water is used for cooling. The ability of amber to melt is used in the disposal of amber production waste. By the way, there is a possibility that most of the raw materials of amber with inclusions of insects and plants are replicas and imitations.

Depending on the degree of transparency and color, jewelers divide amber into transparent - it has all shades of yellow; smoky - unclear, with "dusty" areas and gaps; bone - opaque, light, similar to ivory; amber foam - opaque, light, similar to frozen foam ...

Amber is very valuable, containing inclusions: insects, small animals, moss, plant pollen, pieces of bark, mineral formations, sand, pyrite, calcite, etc. All of them were captured during the extraction of the resin, which made it possible for them to survive to this day. Such specimens, in addition to jewelry and collection value, are scientific material of the greatest importance, giving an idea of ​​life and its development in distant geological times.

The second stone, which stores solar heat, has a number of advantages: softness (hardness on the Mohs scale 2-3), lack of cleavage, viscosity, soft polishing, making it possible to process it with improvised means.

Manufacture of products from amber in a typical case is reduced to such techniques as peeling, cutting, "shaping", grinding and polishing. Before starting work, you should carefully study the available material, it is likely that some samples may contain inclusions. For this purpose, transparent stones are chosen (they look at a strong light source), and then, first, from one side, then from the other, thin slices are cut with a hacksaw. The resulting faces are polished with a fine sandpaper and viewed, as through a prism, into the light ... The nature of future work and processing methods completely depend on the characteristics of the raw materials available. For transparent stones, the front side is always more even, without noticeable recesses; in cloudy (to white) - they have a more pronounced wavy or cloudy texture. Large ones are mentally cut into blanks necessary for a set of crafts, taking into account the possibility of including an amber crust. After diagnosing stones and determining the content of future work, they proceed directly to technological operations.

Peeling - removal of the patina crust formed as a result of weathering, with the help of a coarse-grained sandpaper, a file, a light touch on the rotating stone of the electric burner. The resulting amber "flour" is collected in a separate container to obtain (as it accumulates) home-made varnish. Peeling always starts from the transparent side of the piece, which was once facing the sun. The lower cortical part can become an excellent background for a future product that depicts a corner of the underwater kingdom, caves, grottoes, fabulous flowers...

Molding - giving the workpiece the intended shape. With the help of the same tools and devices, the stone is given a certain volume, silhouette, spatial pattern.

Cutting (sawing) is a technique used to obtain plates of various thicknesses, blanks of a certain size. The tool is a hacksaw for metal with a short blade, a jigsaw. The stone is clamped in a clamp or in a vise, after being wrapped in paper or cloth. In all cases, the cut is not completed by about 1/4-1/5 of the thickness of the material in order to avoid chipping. Then the stone is released from the clamp, turned over and washed down. The movements of the "cutting" tool are light, free, without noticeable effort. After making several movements, the file is removed from the cut and the adhering sawdust is cleaned into the container.

Alignment - the product obtained after peeling, molding or cutting has a rather rough, with noticeable scratches, rough appearance. Sandpaper of medium grain (Ns 40-16) carefully smooth the entire surface. Smooth areas - placing a smooth plate under the skin, rounded ones - in the hands, bending the skin with a groove, a tube. The movements of the skin or stone are light, without pressure, circular, rotational.

Grinding is a technique that exactly copies the previous one, only the skin is taken with a finer grain size. It is advisable to carry out this technique in several passes, gradually, reducing the degree of graininess. Take a waterproof skin, process it by moistening the stone or skin. The old craftsmen successfully used moistened pumice powder for sanding, applying it to fabric or wood.

Some more information about the processing of amber:

Polishing is the final operation that gives the product a finished “marketable” look. It is done by hand on felt, leather, felt, flannel, calico or electric sharpener, rotating circles made of the same material. The existing polishing composition is applied to the base: GOI paste (chromium oxide), tin oxide, Crocus (iron oxide) in oil, tooth powder, paste, chalk. In production, amber products are polished for

Coarse calico circle, rubbed with a special paste of amber shavings, paraffin and chalk.

Polishing by hand is done with light circular or figure-of-eight movements. On rotating wheels - with a light touch and constant movement of the polished surface. If the speed of the polishing wheel is too high or if you press it hard, the surface of the stone burns, as it were, and a melted crust forms. This is due to the fact that at temperatures above 100°C, amber begins to soften, and at 300°C, it melts. To avoid melting the stone, they resort to reducing the speed by applying 1/3 voltage (about 70 V) to the electric sharpener, drill or cooling the workpiece with water. It is possible to eliminate the defect that appeared during polishing only by repeating the processing operations: coarse and fine grinding (with medium and fine grained sandpaper) and polishing.

The end of polishing is determined according to the principle of the mirror effect: with high-quality polishing, all objects are reflected in the smooth surface of the stone, as in a mirror. The old amber craftsmen have a little trick borrowed from the craftsmen of the Ancient East. After polishing the stone, its surface is rubbed for some time with dry fingers (this technique can be carried out on the road, in between times, without wasting time on purpose). Having finally wiped the stone with a piece of suede or flannel, it is placed in the allotted place of the collection, inserted into the frame, strung on a thread, fastened with a chain, glued to the base, etc.

When assembling jewelry from amber, it is often necessary to make holes - through or to a certain depth. You check with a hand drill or a drill (at low speeds), a drill with a diameter of about 1 mm. The drill can be replaced with a sewing needle with a broken eye, a short hardened steel wire with a sharpened tip, etc. At the time of drilling, after each penetration of 1-2 mm, the drill is removed and cleaned of chips. Drilling is best done before the final polishing, which makes it possible to hold the stone well in the hands and avoid scratches from the tip of the drill. To prevent stone (especially small) from cracking during drilling, it is sometimes dipped into water or oil during operation. With through holes, it is advisable to drill in the opposite direction, up to half the stone on one side, and then on the other. This avoids the formation of chips at the moment the drill exits the workpiece.

In some cases, it is necessary to firmly connect the details of amber to each other. When gluing, they resort to one kz of adhesive compositions: a fifty percent aqueous solution of caustic sodium or potassium (potassium or sodium hydroxide) lubricates the surface of the parts, slightly heats up and presses tightly against each other; alcohol solution of rosin or amber (amber varnish); a solution of solid copal in ether; celluloid solution.

Some pieces of amber, if they do not satisfy their decorative properties, can be ennobled by increasing their transparency (air bubbles and liquid inclusions are removed). For this purpose, amber is subjected to boiling, calcination in linseed or rapeseed oil. When boiling, it is important that the heating and cooling of the oil proceed as slowly as possible. Turbid amber is also clarified by dry calcination. For a long time, pieces of amber are heated in sand at temperatures above 100 ° C. When the clarified stones are cooled, microexplosions of voids occur inside them, as a result of which fan-shaped sparkles-flakes are formed, and the amber itself acquires a beautiful reddish-cherry hue. coloring amber in red, blue, violet, purple, green and other colors. For example, to obtain reddish and other shades of amber, it was boiled in honey or vegetable oil in the presence of organic dyes. However, the recipe, the composition of the dyes are not given.

Among the mechanical methods of processing soft stones, there is quite affordable and simple, but very time-consuming, hacktoaka - running in small pieces of amber in a rotating drum. The resulting pellets are an excellent raw material for making jewelry. Together with the stones, abrasive powder is poured into the drum (from time to time it is replaced with a finer grain) and all this is abundantly wetted with water or an alcohol solution for better surface adhesion of the abrasive and amber.

In production, pressed amber is obtained from "resin" processing waste. Unsuitable small pieces, after additional crushing, are heated under considerable pressure in a hydraulic press to a temperature of 140-15 ° C without air access. Melted amber is pressed into large blocks or bars (rods) are made, forcing through round holes of the desired diameter. Bars, cubes, the rods are sawn into smaller blanks, from which beads are turned or other ornaments are made, inferior in their decorative properties to natural stone.

Amber jewelry at home

Rings. In the past, rings carved from a whole piece of stone were quite widespread. The simplest of them are cut out from a plate, approaching the shape of the future product. An inner hole is sawn out (it is more convenient to make it with a tubular drill), after which the ring is brought to the required size with sandpaper or a file, carefully ground and polished.

More durable are massive stone rings with an expanding upper part ending in a flat platform on which monograms are engraved, miniatures are cut out, or simply left mirror-smooth. For such rings, cubes of first-class amber are sawn, holes are drilled or cut out, they are given the appropriate shape, the edges are leveled, after which - finish - processing.

In rings made of non-ferrous metals, amber is often used as inserts. It has a regular oval, flattened shape with a flat bottom platform (cabochon). It is convenient to make cabochons using the simplest device - a wooden stick (mandrel) with a smooth end cut. Using PVA glue, a selected pebble is glued to it with a polished bottom platform and in a circular motion (manually on skins or an electric grinder) is brought to a finished look. To remove the cabochon from the stick, just dip it in warm water.

The amber insert can be cut if desired. However, it is very difficult to “manually” maintain the ratio of planes and angles, so at least the simplest support sleeve, a mandrel retainer, should be made. Optimum cutting angles at the pavilion are 43°, crowns - 40-50°. After stripping on a thin abrasive, they proceed to faceting. It is better to conduct it on a fine-grained diamond wheel or silicon carbide powder on a lead or cast-iron wheel (faceplate). Polishing is carried out on a wooden circle.

Amber earrings at home

A distinctive feature of this product, beloved by women, is the production in pairs. In everything: in size, color, pattern, weight, material, inserts - they are identical. Therefore, the selected stone for inserts should be large enough, without defects, with a uniform pattern, color, and transparency. Preparation of amber (as well as any other material) can go in two ways. In the first one, the stone is processed to the stage of polishing in a whole piece, after which it is sawn into two identical halves, the cutting place is polished, holes or a groove for attaching the temples are drilled and brought to a mirror finish. In the second, two absolutely identical sections are found in sawn or existing plates. They are glued together (with PVA glue, having previously polished the planes), and then processed by eye or after marking the outline of the decoration with a pencil. Occasionally, when the earrings have a complicated shape, the inserts are made separately, constantly comparing with each other or checking according to the template. Earrings presented by several, mixed in processing or the same type of amber details look very original. The same principle remains here - pairing, although directly in a separate "pendant" stones can be presented, different in color, transparency, shape, depending on the artist's intention.

Amber brooches at home

The most interesting, large, transparent or translucent flat stones, unique in pattern and color scheme, are selected. Transparent gems with a “lemon” crust look impressive, which, as it were, reveal the inner hidden world of the stone. Brooch shape: oval, flattened, charcoal, slightly faceted, etc. largely depends on the available mineral. All of them, however, are characterized by a large mirror “spot” of decoration. Having such a “noble” surface at hand, it can be used to cut out cameos (an image raised above the background), intaglios (an image immersed in the background).

Amber pendants at home

The manufacturing technology of these jewelry completely coincides with the production of inserts for earrings. The task is even simplified, since only one stone is needed, although a larger one. It is usually flattened, streamlined, teardrop shaped, transparent or translucent, often with a pleasing soft pattern. For the finished pendant, a chain or twine is selected, using a material that would most fully emphasize the beauty of the gem.

Amber beads at home

These products are most appreciated by women. Some prefer them because amber brings relief from various ailments, and in their beauty they are not much inferior to beads made of hard stones. The classic shape of the beads is round (spherical, oval), so they are mainly machined, since it is very difficult to get identical beads by hand. For amber beads, tumbled pellets, faceted round beads, small cubes with smoothed ribs, small plates, as well as ordinary pebbles, collected in abundance after a storm on the Baltic coast, are well suited. The latter are sorted by size, shape, color. If necessary, they are ground on a strong tinted nylon thread or fishing line. Beads in products can be strung in several rows. The rows themselves bend smoothly, sometimes forming a pattern to match the lace. Separate pebbles will stand out with their atypical shape, color, overhang with sparkling raindrops, icicles, reflected by trembling rays...

In addition to the mentioned amber jewelry, you can find or try to make yourself decorative hairpins, original tie clips, bracelets. Since amber as an ornamental material is the most accessible, preference in work is given to a whole group of products - sets. They make it possible to maximize the creative possibilities of the artist, the mysterious beauty of the stone. Accompanying materials play an important role here: metal, wood, leather, textiles.

In turn, in the creative series of works there are many such, where amber itself plays an auxiliary role. Used as color, texture spots, original inserts, jewelry details (handbags, purses, albums, smoking accessories, etc.), it allows you to emphasize the originality of the author's intention, more fully reveal the beauty of the object, fill it with new content.

Amber in applied art

Mosaic. Pictures, "written out" from pieces of amber, matched by color, size. drawing, have a rich history. The most significant monument of this type of art was the amber room erected in the Catherine's Tsarskoye Selo Palace (XVIII century) near St. Petersburg, called the "eighth wonder" of the world. Barbarously destroyed and taken out of the country by the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. The total area of ​​stone drawings was tens of square meters. Hundreds of kilograms of selected stone went into their manufacture. Efforts are now being made to recreate the lost marvel of sunstone. The best amber craftsmen are busy reviving a lost masterpiece.

Like any mosaic, the work is preceded by a careful development of a sketch, made in all the richness of the amber palette. Appropriate samples are selected (previously peeled) and sawn into plates with a thickness of approximately 3 mm. The basis for small works can be plywood, hardboard, board, chipboard, metal plate, etc., the thickness of which depends on the size of the "picture". The edges of the base are framed with strips of metal or thin slats, which sell the finished product to the product. In addition, they will prevent glue and pieces of stone from protruding beyond the edge of the mosaic. If decorative edges are provided, then the strips are installed removable.

Depending on the selected pattern, which is immediately transferred to the base, the type of mosaic technique is determined: ordinary - pieces of stone have approximately the same size, shape (in small works, about 5-6 mm) and are fixed on the base with a gap of 1.5 mm or Florentine (intarsia) - pieces of stone are as dense as possible, without gaps, adjacent to each other. For a simple mosaic, pieces of amber are “cut” or carefully split, a small area of ​​​​the pattern that has one color is smeared with glue, and the details are laid, leaving a thin, even gap. Work begins with the central part of the picture, moving gradually to its edges. In Florentine, the drawing is developed so that each color detail is completely cut out of one plate. The paper image is cut into separate parts, each of which is glued (PVA glue) onto a plate of a suitable color and size. Then the plate according to the image is filed with a jigsaw or filed on an electric grinder. “Cutting out” a stone detail, carefully remove the paper (after soaking it). A set of "pictures" is more convenient to keep on a glass plate, placing a sheet of tracing paper (so that the glue does not stick to the glass), comparing the resulting image with the original. Having finished the dry set of parts, the resulting pattern is fastened along the edges with strips, filled with glue, a base is applied and placed under the press.

The adhesive composition can be: putty, epoxy glue, BF-2, BF-4 glue, PVA and others. Glue BF-2 is more suitable for intarsia: the typed surface of the pattern and the base are degreased with alcohol, lubricated with a thin layer of glue, dried for 15-20 minutes, then glue is applied again and after 3-5 minutes the base plate is applied to the mosaic and pressed with a load. Drying lasts 1-2 days. PVA glue is very convenient in work. When water evaporates, it forms a hard, viscous, translucent and almost colorless film, which, however, has low water resistance. Based on this glue, putty (putty) can be prepared to fill voids in the finished product and repair them. For this purpose, crushed stone powder is moistened with glue and thoroughly mixed. After drying the glued pieces of amber, the cobweb of the lumen is carefully filled with a spatula, finally dried, polished and polished on the front side of the product.

Amber inlay at home

It is a kind of so-called mortise mosaic, when recesses with a flat bottom are cut into the base (hard wood, soft stone, metal, bone) according to a softened pattern, designed to insert thin stone plates into them. The edges of the recesses are cut at a right angle, trying to avoid chips, burrs. With the help of paper, the exact contours of the parts are removed (the paper is placed on top and rubbed with a pencil), cut out with scissors and glued to the plate or used when marking out as templates. After sawing out the details from the stone, putty or glue is applied into the recess (it is desirable that the composition does not differ in color from the base) and the plates are pressed in, trying to make the glue appear on the outside. After the bond has hardened, the entire surface of the mosaic is carefully ground and then polished. The described method of mosaic technique is widely used in the decoration of various products that are decorative and applied in nature.

Application from amber at home

Such works are the simplest and most accessible example of the mosaic technique. The basis is most often wood, carefully crafted, tinted in thick dark tones. You can also use fabric stretched over a stretcher, hardboard, plywood, glass, ceramic tiles and other planar materials. A schematic drawing, sketched in a free manner, is filled with separate thin, multi-colored, polished details. Sometimes at a considerable distance from each other, and sometimes almost touching the edges. Often the details are simply polished "slices" of sawn stone, with a smoothly outlined crust, contour. After dry typing of the drawing, having achieved its expressiveness, color saturation, layout, the details are fixed on the base, trying to prevent the glue from protruding. The product is covered with a clean sheet of paper, a weight is applied on top and dried.

Embroidery. Among the admirers of amber, there are those who offer to use frozen teardrops as a material for embroidery, adopting the technique of beads. Each bead is a small, “flattened”, slightly polished, almost completely retaining its natural irregular shape, with a drilled hole, a detail. An unpretentious pattern is sewn onto a stretcher with a stretched fabric or other material with an expressive weave, texture, using a thin fishing line or thread. In the rays of light, each pebble begins to play its own color melody, merging into a single composition that warms the soul.

Amber engraving at home

This technique is rarely found in the practice of artwork on stone. At one time (30s), jewelry made of oval or round transparent amber plates was fashionable. On the wrong side, a pattern was straightened, which was clearly visible through the polished surface. Basically, these were images of flowers, landscapes. The technique of engraving, borrowed as one of the ways of artistic processing of glass and crystal, has not found wide application. Currently, some craftsmen are again resorting to this technique, uncharacteristic for amber, using it to enhance the perception of the natural pattern of the stone. The crust removed from the front side of the transparent stone allows you to look inside the amber, to see the unique world of fairy-tale images. It remains only to “read” the opened drawing, to make the motive more distinct, slightly supplementing it with an engraved drawing, separate strokes of various depths and directions, while maintaining the natural appearance of the gem.

Tools - from ordinary steel woodcarving needles to a drill with a flexible shaft and nozzles. The latter is more convenient, because due to interchangeable heads it is possible to receive strokes of any shape. When performing a “negative” engraving on an amber plate, the outline of the drawing (in a mirror image) is marked with a pencil, after which it is carefully circled with a cutting tool, trying to remove the chips immediately to a given depth, without “burrowing” into the material and without leaving the surface.

Amber carving at home

The low hardness of the stone, weakly expressed brittleness (transparent varieties are more fragile than cloudy ones) make it possible to carve various miniatures, flat and three-dimensional compositions, figures from a whole piece of amber. Small carved plastic from amber is reflected in Japanese stylized carvings of people and animals (the art of NETSUKE - graceful, durable, smooth jewelry the size of a plum with a hole in the bottom of the lace, used as a counterweight - a keychain to hold a pouch with tobacco or a purse on the belt). Carved items were especially widespread in the 17th-18th centuries.

Traditionally, amber carving is carried out using a variety of steel tools: files with fine teeth, files, needle files, and chisels. Work goes much faster if you use rotating carbide, metal drill bits. To reduce the chance of cracking the stone, it should be kept slightly warm during operation.

The selected stone (without noticeable flaws) is drafted, with the help of a file, an electric grinder, and given the intended shape. Then it is gradually, with needle files, gravers, brought to the required purity. When choosing large cavities, use a file. Grinding of the entire surface is carried out with a fine powder of pumice or silicon carbide, using, if necessary, a lime stick with a tip cut at an angle of 45 °. The existing recesses are also polished with a linden stick, the tip of which repeats its shape. It is more convenient to polish a carved surface with special hair brushes used in dentistry (fixed on the rotating shafts of a drill, electric drill, sharpener), or with soft cloth circles coated with a chalk suspension or ash.

Occasionally there are works carved not from a single piece of amber, but from several horizontally glued plates, beautifully matched in color and texture. The glued amber block is processed as a solid stone, being careful.

Turning. From separate high-quality pieces of amber it is possible to carve balls, beads having a round or oval shape, as well as figurines (chess) or cylindrical items. In production, such works are performed from amber pressed into round rods. In amateur conditions, the stone is given a rod-like shape. Then it is inserted deeper into the cartridge (wrapped in a gasket) into the cartridge and processed at low speed with the help of cutters, files, files, skins, a soft cloth coated with a polishing compound. In some cases, a stone is glued with a polished platform to the end of a wooden rod and, holding the latter in the machine, is processed. Most often, works from turned parts are made in typesetting (candlesticks, mouthpieces, handles...), connecting the turned parts, sometimes adding carved parts, with each other using glue.

Amber sculpture at home

Having on hand amber stones of interesting shape, which are not of jewelry value, you can try to breathe a second life into them. One has only to take a closer look at the warm stone, turn it one way or another, as a revived animal, volume, monster will appear before one’s eyes ... Sometimes two or three movements of the chisel, file are enough, and the image becomes much more clear.

If one stone is not enough, try to make a composition of several, fastening them with drops of glue, stringing (pre-drilling) on ​​a thread, wire, metal rod. Particular attention should be paid to the shape of individual details, their correlation, color scheme, the ability of the stone to create the illusion of heat, light.

How else to recognize natural amber at home

Amber is one of those minerals, crafts from which are easily confused with plastic, synthetic resin, glass, and bone. In addition to purely scientific diagnostic methods that allow you to distinguish natural stone from imitation, there are quite accessible to everyone.

a piece of amber easily catches fire from the flame of a match, giving a characteristic "resinous" smell;

if you rub the treated surface of the stone with some effort with a dry finger, it gives a pleasant, slightly perceptible “resinous” aroma;

when rubbed against a woolen scarf, amber becomes electrified and begins to attract small pieces of paper, straws, and hair with special force;

- amber sinks in water, but remains afloat in saline solution (mineral density 1.05-1.30).

How to distinguish natural amber from pressed?

Articles made of pressed amber differ in appearance from natural amber, primarily in a hazy hue (although there are also transparent varieties) and a modified form of included gas bubbles. The latter, in contrast to the natural (always spherical), have an elongated elongated appearance. It is best to observe them with a binocular loupe or microscope. In addition to bubbles of a characteristic shape, the following are striking in pressed amber: jet streams, the presence of rectilinear, curved, spiral formations; balls of dense ground mass; dye clots.

How to restore an amber product at home

A split pendant, brooch, miniature is glued together with one of the adhesive compositions (see above). After drying, the seam is carefully cleaned with fine sandpaper and polished.

Surface chips formed during careless handling of the product are leveled with a file and sandpaper with a medium grain. Then they switch to fine grain, after which the product is polished again.

Notches, shells, kinks are puttied with amber mastic, prepared from amber sawdust with the addition of PVA glue. If the mastic shrinks when dried, the composition is applied again, thereby achieving a smooth surface. After the “patch” has completely dried, it is sanded with fine sandpaper and polished flush.

The cobweb of scratches and microcracks formed during prolonged wear is removed by grinding the entire product with fine-grained sandpaper, followed by polishing. Faded, discolored jewelry is processed in the same way.

How can you use amber waste at home

In the process of processing amber, sawdust, shavings, small crumbs are formed in abundance. All this can be successfully used for the manufacture of high-quality varnish, which is used to coat small wood products.

Amber filings (1 v.h.) are poured with ethyl alcohol (1.5 v.h.) and heated for several hours in a water bath. The resulting solution is placed in a warm place and incubated for 3-4 days. The resulting liquid (lacquer) is carefully poured into a container and carefully corked.

Instead of alcohol, you can take an equal volume of dichloroethane or AKP-1S. The solution is kept in a warm place for 8-10 days, after which the resulting varnish is poured into a separate glass dish and rubbed with a lid.

In production, a significant part of the waste is processed into technical products, where, in addition to varnish, succinic acid, oil, and rosin are obtained.

Amber is rightly called a "sun stone", although it is not a stone at all, but a mineral, a compound of organic acids. It is classified as a representative of the group of combustible minerals.

Mining history

Its mining has its own history, calculated for thousands of years. From the most time-consuming and primitive ways to more efficient ones. The most ancient and simple methods include collecting amber after low tides, when it is thrown ashore by the sea, or on the shallows, they go there in boats and scoop out pieces of amber with nets. It was also practiced to tear off amber with the help of hooks and long, sharp peaks. Well, another ineffective, and at the same time very dangerous way is diving. Later, they began to practice the extraction of amber, using the loosening of the coastal zone, while mixing with earth water helped the mineral float to the surface, where it was collected. At the beginning of the 17th century, they began to try to extract amber from coastal cliffs, but this turned out to be unprofitable and extremely dangerous, and by the beginning of the 20th century, underground mining was stopped.

The so-called "sea method" was used - this is when the amber-bearing layers were lifted from the bottom by dredges, delivered to the shore and sorted there. Despite the effectiveness, this method was not widely used, as it was very expensive.

The most effective was the extraction with the help of open mine workings, when under the influence of a powerful jet of water the covering layer of the rock is destroyed, and the amber is separated from the “blue earth”, this is how the layers of the earth containing this beautiful stone were called.

Amber was mined in this way in large quantities, but the extraction was not constant, since the problem is that with this process the deposits are completely developed, and it is rather difficult to find new quarries.

Mining and production technology

By 1930, the extraction of amber was greatly facilitated due to the complete mechanization of the process. Overburden rocks began to be developed using an excavator method, using railway tracks, along which the worked-out layers were sent to the dump. But there was a threat of landslides, during which, due to the displacement of the soil, the quarries collapsed, and all transport equipment and equipment failed. And the next step in the modernization was the use of hydromechanical principles, when soil layers are torn with the help of hydraulic monitors and suction dredgers. It was at this time that the method of extracting amber became more successful and simpler. It was divided into several stages: a quarry was dug (the quarry was used in the long term - several decades), then the top soil was removed by excavators, and the overburden was destroyed by powerful jets of water coming from hydraulic monitors, the resulting pulp - waste rock washed out by water, through the pipeline thrown into the sea. The “blue earth” released from the soil is stored by earthmoving machines in cones, which are subjected to more intensive erosion by hydraulic installations to the state of a liquid slurry, which easily moves through pipelines, but the loss of amber is about 10%. If we replace hydraulic transportation with a conveyor system using powerful, multi-bucket, high-performance excavators walking through the quarry, then amber losses are significantly reduced.

Through pipelines, the “blue earth” enriched with water enters the factory, where the mineral is screened out through grates with a hole diameter of 5-6 cm. The workers select larger pieces of amber, and then the rock washed out by water enters the sieve, the openings of which are only 2-3 mm. Further, the waste rock dissolved in water enters the waste. The pieces of minerals remaining on the sieve are passed through special arc sieves designed for preliminary washing and dehydration. After that, the raw material enters the separators for stratification. They contain a solution whose density is higher than the density of amber, and due to this, the mass is stratified: larger particles remain at the bottom, while small pieces of amber and wood residues float to the surface. Then they are washed again, and fed into the calorific installations for drying. After drying, fractional sorting of the material takes place. To do this, amber, purified from impurities, is fed to the screen - this is a special vibrating sieve, consisting of several screening surfaces, which are located one above the other and move in opposite directions from each other. The sieves have holes of various diameters and configurations, and are arranged in the form of a stack, with a sieve with a maximum size on top, and a sieve with minimum holes on the bottom. The sieve system is driven by a motor, and due to strong vibration, the material is separated by particle size into three fractions.

The release of the "blue earth" from the void with a powerful excavator walking through the quarry, the subsequent cleaning of the amber-bearing layers, its hydroprocessing, cleaning and careful sorting - all this makes the extraction process energy-intensive and expensive, and explains such a high cost of this beautiful stone. And if you were offered cheap amber, then it is obvious that it cannot be real.

Although technical progress does not stand still, the technology of amber extraction has not undergone significant changes, and the extraction of the mineral follows the same pattern as a hundred years ago.

Amber deposits

To date, large reserves of amber have been preserved in the world, and they are actively mined and used.

The constant increase in the cost of amber contributes to the search and development of new deposits. Along with open pit mining, underground mining is actively developing: caves, grottoes - they carry out work to search for "blue earth".

Coastal amber is considered larger, it resembles pebbles in shape, the average size of such a stone is 2-3 centimeters. Such amber often comes in a shell from which it must be freed, but this mother shell contributes to the preservation of the beautiful appearance and natural characteristics of this gem. Amber that has been at sea for a long time loses its primary shell, which facilitates the already energy-intensive process of processing the mineral, but at the same time, in the absence of a shell, amber often acquires a dull, rough surface due to the grains of sand present there.

Large pieces of amber are especially valuable, but they are quite rare, since this natural mineral is quite fragile, cracking and easily broken into pieces.

About 800 tons of amber are mined annually in the world. Of these, about 90% are in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and the Russian Federation. The territory of Russia has large reserves of natural amber. It is on the Baltic coast, in the Primorsky Territory, and in the Urals.

Amber stone is a fairly common mineral, and is found on almost all continents, but large and effective deposits for development are rare.

The most effective way to extract amber is from open pits. It is in this way that the mineral is mined in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad Region. In general, the coast of the Baltic Sea is rich in amber reserves; here, after low tides, it is found even on beaches, cliffs and shallow waters. After the surf, you can find not only small pieces of amber stone, but also really large minerals. The largest of all explored and predicted deposits are located on this territory.

Baltic amber has distinctive characteristics that allow it to be distinguished from other species mined around the world and placed in a separate group - this is the presence of resin acid in its composition, the proportions of which vary between 3-8% or more, an example is the white type of amber . Therefore, Baltic amber is also called succinite. It is found in the form of heterogeneous pebbles mixed with sea sand. This field is located in the Sambia region, Kaliningrad region.

Kaliningrad Amber Factory

An almost complete monopoly is established by nature on this amazing mineral, concentrating its reserves on the territory of the Baltic coast, near the city of Svetlogorsk. Here is the famous Amber Combine, whose products are famous all over the world. This is a unique plant of its kind, which is engaged in the industrial extraction and processing of amber.

Several million cubic meters of earth have been cleared and reclaimed to expose these unique natural deposits. This deposit generates the bulk of the world's amber industry.

To date, two open pits have been developed here: an ordinary one and the so-called "beach" one, located directly on the coast. At the plant, this precious natural stone goes through all stages - from a quarry to a finished product.

1. The amber-bearing layer lies at a depth of 30-40 meters, and the waste rock has to be broken up with a hydrogun. The resulting pulp - a suspension of rock with water, is fed through pipelines to the plant.
2. After transportation, the pulp goes through a separation stage - it is passed through a saline solution, and due to its extreme buoyancy, amber floats to the surface.
3. Then it is subjected to fractional sorting. Large pieces of amber are handcrafted and used for unique decorative work. Various pieces of jewelry are made from medium pieces, and small pieces of amber are used to make paintings, and for further processing - pressing and melting, or for the production of varnishes and succinic acid, which are part of medicines and biogenic stimulants. Ornamental amber is the most valuable - it is it that serves as a raw material for the jewelry industry, but its share in the mass of all mined amber is small - about 10%. Small pieces of stone cannot be used directly, so they are pressed or chemically treated. Pressed amber is used to make jewelry, it is also used as an insulating material in industry.
4. The next stage is grinding in special drum grinding machines. Depending on the shape and size, when the stone has a complex shape, pieces of wood are added to the drum to the usual grinding paste, they help to remove oxide from hard-to-reach surfaces of the mineral. The raw material passes through several grinding drums, the granularity of the walls of which gradually decreases.
5. In order to improve the decorative characteristics, some stones are subjected to a special treatment - "calcination" in furnaces with sea sand, the calcination temperature is over 200 degrees. This results in a sparkling, transparent mineral, with a light golden to deep cherry color. In addition, when heated, the plasticity of the mineral increases.
6. Finally, amber is polished with felt in special drums.

New technologies in the production of amber

At present, technologies for the extraction and processing of amber are developing, becoming more advanced and less energy-intensive. In the future, in order to maximize the preservation of the original type of the mineral, to prevent its splitting and crushing occurring during transportation, it is planned to deliver amber not through pipelines, but directly to mobile complexes specially designed for this, which will be located in close proximity to the place of extraction.

Drilling amber

During the assembly of amber products together, sometimes it is necessary to make holes in them, they can be through or of a certain depth. Drilling is carried out only with a hand drill or a slowly working drill. The drill diameter is approximately 1 mm. It is replaced by a strong short iron wire with a sharp tip, a sewing needle without an eye. During the drilling process, a sharp tool is removed every 1 - 2 mm of the recess in order to clean it of dust. It is better to make holes before polishing the product. This will give you the opportunity to firmly hold the amber in your hand and protect the product from scratches from the drill. In order to prevent small stones from cracking at the time of drilling, it must sometimes be moistened with water or oil during operation. For a through hole, you must first drill one hole halfway through the stone, and then from the other side towards. The technology will help to avoid breaking and chipping during the exit of the drill from the stone.

Gem Bonding

Sometimes it is necessary to firmly connect the amber parts to each other. For gluing use:

• 50% aqueous solution of sodium or potassium, which is used to lubricate the surfaces of parts, after which they are heated to a certain temperature and tightly clamped together;
• amber varnish and alcohol solution of sodium;
• celluloid solution;
• a solution of solid copal in ether.

After processing the mineral, pressed amber is obtained from its waste. Unsuitable for work, small pieces are additionally crushed, then heated to 140 ° - 150 ° C in a vacuum hydraulic press. The resulting molten amber is pressed into large blocks or rods are produced by passing them through round holes of a certain diameter. The details are cut into small blanks, from which beautiful beads or other forms for jewelry are later turned.

Processing of amber usually includes: peeling, cutting, shaping, grinding and polishing. Before taking on the processing of a stone, carefully study it. First of all, you should choose transparent stones. To see how the material will look in the finished work, cut thin slices from both sides of the stone. After sanding them with a sandpaper, carefully look at the clearance. Transparent stones are smoother, while cloudy ones have a more wavy texture. Having decided on what amber will go for, you can start processing.

raw amber

Amber is not a capricious material; it can be easily processed at home without the use of professional tools. The density of amber is so low that it does not sink in sea water. Due to its low density, amber is very easy to process.
Primary processing

The first stage of processing is peeling.

This process is carried out by means of a large skin, an electric grinder or a conventional file. As a result of weathering, a crust-patina forms on the surface of amber, and this is what needs to be removed before continuing to work with the stone at home. Start this process from the transparent side. The amber dust formed in the process should not be thoughtlessly thrown away, when it has accumulated a sufficient amount, varnish can be made.

Amber color ranges from green to black

The workpiece must be given the shape that you have in mind. This stage is called amber molding. With the help of all the same tools, give the stone the necessary shape or silhouette, if it is a future figurine.