How to distinguish natural amber from fake - glass and plastic

The realities of the amber market are such that anyone who wants to purchase jewelry made from precious petrified resin can afford it - regardless of their level of material income. However, when you are at a sales counter, you should remember: the cheaper the amber and jewelry made from it, the greater the likelihood of buying a fake. Especially if trade takes place somewhere in an underground passage.

The market is full of fake gems! Some artificial resins very closely imitate the color and texture of natural amber. When purchasing fossil stone jewelry, an uninformed buyer often runs the risk of being, if not deceived, then misled.

Some people mistakenly believe that the chance of buying amber fakes in an antique shop is zero. This idea is wrong! Counterfeits have existed before. Artificial amber was made from bakelite, casein, polyester and epoxy resins mixed in different proportions. Other materials that have nothing to do with amber are also used.

What to do in such a situation? How to distinguish true amber from fake?

Knowing some techniques and tricks, you can easily determine the authenticity of amber. The main assistant in this matter is the “culprit of the investigation” itself - amber with its unique and inimitable physical and chemical properties.

Here are a few methods that will help you distinguish a true gem from an imitation. Each of these methods is based on the specific properties of amber.

Appearance

Often fakes have clearly visible multiple inclusions of air bubbles, easily visible to the naked eye.

Densely packed so-called “spangles” in the thickness of the stone (different from round bubbles) can indicate both a fake (burnite material) and natural calcined amber.

Uniform - without color transitions and without any textures - the coloring of amber beads should alert the buyer. Craftsmen, however, make fakes with a characteristic amber texture! Bakelite beads, for example, have a highly directional layered pattern, most often oriented along the thread hole.

Natural amber, especially one that has not been refined by heat treatment, looks richer than fake amber. Natural stone has an interesting color with chaotic transitions of shades one into another. Its array is always endowed with a unique pattern characteristic of amber of natural origin.

Weight

Amber is a gem of organic origin. Its density is low. Large beads made of natural amber (with a total weight of 70 - 80 grams) look very impressive. Counterfeits made of plastic and glass, having a high density, are modest in size - but weigh a lot.

Amber is warm to the touch, as it has low thermal conductivity - unlike glass, which has much higher thermal conductivity.

Amber hardness test

The density of amber on the Mohs scale is 2.0 - 2.5. This means that it cannot be scratched with a fingernail. But copal - a legume resin similar to amber - on the contrary, is easily damaged by the same nail. Its hardness is only 1.5 Mohs units. Glass is noticeably harder than amber: this difference can be felt even with your fingers.

Scratch test

Use the edge of a knife or razor to make a scratch in an inconspicuous place. Real amber will crumble into small fragments that can be ground into powder. The plastic will leave elastic shavings. The glass will not be scratched.

Swimming amber in salt water, or so-called “water procedures”

Natural amber in most cases floats in salt water and sinks in fresh water. The density of amber, according to sources, is 1.05 - 1.09, maximum 1.3 g/cm³. The maximum density of saline water solution is 1.1972. Purely theoretically, it turns out that some amber samples may still be denser than a saline solution. In this case they will drown. If there is a suspicion that the test sample is still natural, it is worth checking it in other ways.

Attention! The test with amber floating in salt water is not possible if the amber is set in metal or decorated with heavy decorative elements made of other materials.

How to prepare the solution? Dissolve 8-10 teaspoons of table salt in a glass of water. If you need more water, make a supersaturated solution (with undissolved salt crystals at the bottom of the vessel).

Natural amber should float in salt water. Counterfeits will drown in such a solution.

This test will identify glass, bakelite, celluloid, epoxy and burnite imitations. But it will not help you identify copal and pressed amber.

After the experiment, the amber must be washed with fresh water and dried.

Electrostatic charging

If natural amber is intensively rubbed against wool or silk, it becomes negatively charged. This property can be tested by applying electrified amber to small pieces of paper. They should rush to the surface of the amber or stick.

Some types of plastics have a similar property. But in amber it is more clearly expressed. The electrostatic method makes it possible to identify counterfeits that completely lack electrification properties. Copal (it is sold under the guise of “young” or “immature” amber) does not become electrified when rubbed.

Odor when rubbing and burning

Vigorous rubbing of amber against a cloth or palm until the temperature of the stone rises significantly helps to perceive a faint resinous aroma, reminiscent of the smell of pine or turpentine. If you do the same with copal, it will soften and its surface will become sticky. Any synthetics will give off a strong chemical smell.

If you apply the hot tip of a needle to the surface of amber, white smoke with a characteristic rosin smell will appear. The rosin aroma is strong enough to tell you whether you are holding plastic or real amber. However, different amber has differences in shades of smell. All varieties of amber are united by a pleasant, slightly sour, resinous aroma. In such an experiment, synthetics will melt faster, giving off a chemical, unpleasant smell.

Is it possible to set fire to amber? This is what you should see if the stone is natural.

Amber begins to ignite approximately three seconds after contact with fire. If you keep it on the fire for a second or two longer, and then take it away from the flame, it will continue to burn on its own, quite intensely. Amber boils in the combustion center. Amber smoke is black - that is, when burned, amber smokes. Once you extinguish the burning amber, the remaining smoke emitted by the heated fragment will amaze you with the purity of its whiteness.

Solvent test

Amber is relatively resistant to alcohol and solvents - while almost all plastics are destroyed when in contact with acetone. Acetone or nail polish remover can damage plastic imitations, changing their color or creating a rough, matte surface where they contact.

By placing a drop of ether, solvent or 95% ethyl alcohol on the surface of amber, you will not see any reactions. Real amber will not disintegrate and will not become sticky.

Otherwise, pressed amber will behave. If you rub pressed amber with a cloth soaked in ether, the surface of the stone will become sticky. Some plastics do not react with alcohol, but dissolve in acetone. Glass counterfeits do not react with any of these reagents. But the dig will be hopelessly damaged by any reagent!

On a note! Do not get carried away with chemical experiments with the front side of amber jewelry. With prolonged exposure to reagents, stains may remain on natural amber. Usually 3-5 seconds are enough to recognize a fake.

Light, luminescence

In the light of an ultraviolet lamp, amber luminesces to one degree or another. In transparent samples, a bluish glow of varying intensity is visible. As the transparency of the stone decreases, the glow effect weakens. Smoky translucent ambers glow pale blue.

Under the influence of ultraviolet light, the structure of wavy amber deposits, banding, and transitions caused by different degrees of turbidity are clearly visible. “Cloud” and “bone” amber glow milky white with a faint bluish tint. Untreated amber with a so-called sugar crust luminesces in brown tones.

Synthetic resin based on bakelite is inert in ultraviolet rays, casein imitations glow yellow.

Finally.

When purchasing amber jewelry in a store, you will not always have the opportunity to perform the above-mentioned manipulations. The seller simply will not allow you to damage the jewelry with a hot needle or sharp metal edge.

However, no one will stop you from inspecting the amber jewelry! If the seller has a counterfeit bill detector, ask him to check the amber for luminescence. A respectable merchant should not refuse you.

Common sense and a little theory will help you understand the situation. The chance of buying a fake will be reduced to a minimum.

Pressed amber (ambroid)

Considered to be fake. They learned to make it at the end of the 19th century. Small amber chips are pressed under a hydraulic press without oxygen at a temperature of 200-250° C. Externally, pressed amber is very similar to a natural mineral, but you can still distinguish it. The imitation will be revealed by uneven coloring. Parts of ambroid can differ sharply from each other in color, while the color transitions are very sharp and have a clear geometric shape. The contrasting pieces are very reminiscent of a traditional patchwork quilt. A particularly characteristic feature is a sharp transition from the matte part to the transparent part. Whereas the color of natural amber changes very smoothly, without any lines or color boundaries.

finesell.ru

Amber is a gemstone formed over 50 million years ago. Therefore, its cost is quite high. Real stone has a warm honey hue. But modern technologies make it possible to produce its likeness. How to distinguish amber from a fake? The most popular methods are presented in the article.

Today there are a lot of natural amber deposits. But unscrupulous manufacturers still counterfeit it using different methods. Imitation of amber is performed using the following materials.

Resin

Resin from different tree species is often passed off as natural stone. This imitation is softer than a natural gem. Fresh resin has a light pine aroma. Amber can give off such a smell, but only after being set on fire or strongly rubbed.

If you examine a resin fake in the sun, it will have a homogeneous structure. And any stone that grows over centuries has layered inclusions.

dug

This is the resin of coniferous trees, which is not 100 thousand years old. In comparison, amber is ancient - it is several million years old. But a high-quality fake is almost no different from the real product. Even experts cannot visually distinguish a fake. Melting is used for this.

Cowrie

This name refers to the type of wood from which the resin for counterfeiting the gem is extracted. High-quality resin is similar in appearance to natural stone, but it does not have the necessary hardness. Cowrie is not suitable for making jewelry. It is used in making furniture.

Plastics

Artificial stone made of plastic is more attractive in appearance, and it is also similar in appearance to the original. The imitation has a uniform color and uniform structure, which natural amber does not have. It is not difficult to identify plastic. You need to take the stone in your hand. The fake has almost no weight.

Glass

This material is often used to imitate amber. The samples have a noticeable similarity. Amber made from glass is distinguishable by its hardness. A gem is easy to scratch, and it takes effort to leave a mark on a fake.

Pressed amber

This is the same amber, but of low quality. For production, waste and small particles that have no value are used. The properties of pressed stone differ. It has small bubbles that highlight uneven coloring and low levels of clarity.

Bernit

The material includes polyester resins. In appearance it is indistinguishable from natural stone. For maximum effect, defects are made in the artificial imitation. Burnite fakes are often used as independent decoration.

Types of stone

There are several types of amber:

1. Succinite. It is also called Baltic amber. This is the most common type of mineral. It accounts for up to 98% of products on the market. Other resins are amber-like, but they are no less original.
2. Glessite. This is an opaque type of amber that has a brown tint.
3. Bokkerit. This mineral is opaque and elastic, it has a dark color.
4. Gedanite. This is waxy yellow amber.
5. Stanthienite. Amber is black in color and is a fragile type of mineral.

The stone is distinguishable by its shape, color, and transparency. Sizes can be small from 1 mm to specimens weighing several kilograms, but they are usually 0.2-0.3 kg. The more cloudy the amber, the lower its price. It is necessary to purchase mineral products in specialized stores. This will make it more likely that you purchased a real stone. In addition, they offer a variety of types of jewelry.

How to distinguish amber from a fake? The simplest methods are visual. They are used in stores when purchasing goods. The most popular ones are described below.

Field

The leader in stone mining is the Baltic coast. High-quality and beautiful minerals are mined there, usually in large quantities. Amber is exported to Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Poland. There are deposits in Burma, France, Germany, Holland, and the Czech Republic.

The largest pieces of 5-15 kg were found off the coast of the Baltic Sea. The village of Yantarny contains up to 80% of the world's mineral wealth. The second location is on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. In Russia, amber is found in Siberia and Kamchatka. All types of quarried stone are valuable.

Appearance

When examined in the light, inclusions, smudges inside and a heterogeneous structure will be noticeable. The bubbles inside the stone should have a spherical shape. This means that the mineral has such a high density that air freezes in it. There may be insects in amber, but they are found in both varieties. These types of stone are especially in demand.

The presence of:

• smooth and geometrically correct pattern;
• clots of paint and sparkles inside;
• bright and rich color.

The natural mineral has a muted color that has a rich variety of shades. This is what distinguishes it from a fake. Therefore, it is important to look carefully at the products before purchasing, be it amber earrings or bracelets.

Price

Amber will not be of low value. This is especially true for products based on large and rare types of stone of regular shape. The long formation time affected the power and magical properties, so currently the gem is highly valued.

Inclusions

Previously, insects in amber, as well as fragments of plants and animals, helped verify authenticity. But now this feature can be easily faked. Inclusions significantly increase the price of a sample, so you need to consider it carefully. The insects should look natural, as if they are trying to get out. In the simulation, on the contrary, they are placed dead, as evidenced by their location.

Home methods

In the store, the seller will not allow the product to be scratched or melted. It will be much easier to check the authenticity of the mineral at home. The simplest method involves using a knife or blade. A scratch is made on an inconspicuous area.

Natural stone is painted into small fragments, but plastic will only produce shavings. There are other methods for distinguishing amber from a fake, which are easily used at home.

Salt water to identify real stone

How to check amber for authenticity A natural mineral can sink in ordinary water, but if it is salted, some stones float. This is due to the density of real amber - 1.05-1.3 g cm 3. The saline solution has a density of up to 1.1972 g cm 3. Based on physical properties, dense samples will sink. Therefore, the check is performed in a different way. This test is suitable for uncut and decorative stones.

The check is performed in the following way:

1. You will need a glass of water.
2. You need to add salt to it - 8-10 tsp.
3. The solution should be stirred.
4. A stone is lowered into it.
5. Result evaluation required.
6. The mineral is extracted and washed in fresh water.

Fake amber sinks. The test allows you to distinguish imitations made from glass, bakelite, resins and bernite. The pressed version and copal float, as do natural minerals.

Electrification

How to distinguish amber from a fake using this method? The natural mineral becomes negatively charged when rubbed against wool or silk. After the procedure, the gem must be attached to pieces of paper. If the amber is real, then they will stick to it.

Some types of plastic can charge in this way, but not as much as a natural mineral does. The method allows you to install fake stones without electrifying properties. This is another method to identify copal imitation.

Smell during melting

When the stone is rubbed against textiles or the palm, its temperature rises. It gives off a slight aroma of turpentine or pine. Synthetic fakes emit an unpleasant chemical smell.

If amber is exposed to the hot tip of a needle, white smoke and the aroma of rosin will appear. Depending on the type of natural mineral, the smell may differ. The imitation can emit a chemical aroma.

Chemical reagents

The natural mineral tolerates short-term exposure to solvent or alcohol. The plastic fake begins to deteriorate. Reagents spoil copal products. The surface of pressed amber will be sticky after rubbing with ether. It is not advisable to use reagents on natural stone for more than 3 seconds. Due to prolonged contact, stains form on the surface.

Ultraviolet

How to test amber with ultraviolet light? Natural stone reacts to this lamp. It will exhibit different levels of luminescence depending on the shade of amber:

1. A bluish glow appears on the transparent one.
2. And on smoky - blend blue.

The lower the transparency, the less pronounced the glow effect. Ultraviolet allows you to detect water-like structure and banded transitions.

Where is the stone used?

Amber is actively used in jewelry. Not only jewelry is made from it, but also purses, watches, cigarette cases, chess sets, caskets and other products. Rings, bracelets and earrings with amber are great for festive occasions. You just need to choose the right accessory.

Amber in silver and gold is in demand. These can be various decorations that differ in design, style, and size. Amber rings and bracelets can be sold either separately or as a set.

Jewelry waste is used in the chemical industry. Small particles serve to create succinic acid, which is used in various areas of people's lives. For example, amber is used to make transparent varnish for furniture.

Amber is an excellent bond for sandpaper. Wood is treated with varnish to protect it from moisture and other external influences. This was especially used during the construction of ships. Today, musical instruments are treated with varnish to extend their service life.

Amber is also used in the medical field. It protects against the development of bacteria and prevents blood clotting. Therefore, containers for operating rooms are made on its basis. In ancient times it was used to mummify bodies. But the main area of ​​use remains jewelry making. Today they make beautiful bracelets, rings and earrings from amber.

Choice

To choose high-quality jewelry, be it rings, earrings or bracelets made of amber, you should take into account some subtleties. The most expensive is the rich reddish mineral. It may also have a green or blue tint.

It is important that there are no inclusions inside, excluding only stuck insects. In this case, the stone should be transparent, and the insect should be clearly visible in the center of the mineral. The best is natural amber with a good cut and large size.

Bracelets, rings, and earrings with amber must be selected taking into account the purity of the mineral. This indicator is set subjectively. Different experts identify different types and levels of purity. Typically they rely on the following information:

1. In the Middle East, the opaque mineral is one of the most valuable and expensive. But in the West they don’t think so.
2. There may be natural inclusions in a stone, but they do not make the stone more valuable. It is advisable to choose a rich color, perhaps with splashes.
3. Pure stone is of high quality. When amber is transparent, you need to check that it is real.
4. There may be a valuable inclusion in the stone when 2 large insects are present. If they are clearly visible, the price of the mineral can be many times higher.

Amber in silver and gold can be either natural or fake. In addition to these metals, others are used to create jewelry. An important point in determining the value of a mineral is color. A light yellow or slightly yellowish stone has minimal value. Reddish-golden color, blue, green shades are more expensive.

Amber is an ancient mineral. Since ancient times it was believed that it was frozen honey or fossilized mountain oil. The gem has incredible power accumulated over many years. You should know how to distinguish amber in order to purchase a real stone.

The variety of amber jewelry today is amazing and can surprise even the most demanding customers. However, thanks to the active development of technology and the imagination of manufacturers, it is quite problematic to purchase truly genuine amber, and not a cheap copy. How to distinguish a natural stone from an artificial gem at home? We will tell you about all the intricacies of choosing jewelry and help you choose the perfect piece for every amber lover.

Quite often, for large products inlaid with frozen resin, ordinary resin is used. In such cases, you can determine whether they are slipping you a fake by examining the gem. If it is natural, then it has small clots of air, small frozen particles of insects, and wavy inclusions formed during sintering.

Copal is a resin from a tropical tree that has an almost identical appearance to an amber gem. You can find out whether a stone is real or not by heating it. Resin gives off a pleasant aroma, and copal has a very sharp, medicinal smell. Copal also has a lower density, and in order to distinguish it from the real thing, you need to run a needle over it. There will be barely noticeable damage to the natural gem, but the copal will have a good scratch.

Kauri or dammar - the resin of these trees is also very similar to resin, however, a fake from these resins is formed in a matter of days, unlike a natural mineral that is several thousand or even millions of years old.

How to distinguish real amber from a fake?

Many jewelry stores sell well-processed glass instead of the original, and after making a purchase, you can’t always be sure of its quality. How to distinguish amber from a fake at home?

You can check whether they really slipped you a glass pebble, which is worth nothing, using a needle. If on copal the scratch from the needle remains very noticeable, on amber it is slightly noticeable, then there will not be a trace on the glass.

In order not to spoil an expensive (possibly) piece of jewelry, it is worth using another, simple, homemade, but very effective way to detect a fake. Dip your stone or product into a saline solution prepared from 300 ml of water/50 g of salt. The real one will float on the surface, and the glass imitation will fall to the bottom of the glass.

Counterfeits of resin can be made not only from resin from various trees and glass. There are also samples made of plastic. How to distinguish amber from plastic? When pressed hard, plastic will burst or break off in pieces, and amber will only crumble.

Technologies for the production of artificial oleoresin gems today can also offer another no less relevant option for simulating a natural gem. Ambroid is pressed particles of amber, which is obtained by vacuum compression. If ambroid, in fact, has the same composition as an amber stone, then, in this case, how can pressed amber be distinguished from the original gem?

Ambroid is no less beautiful, but, despite its incredible appearance, the shades with which the fake resin shimmers sharply replace one another, which is not what you will find in natural stone, which has soft, calm transitions.

Of course, when making a purchase in a jewelry store, no one will allow you to scratch or drown the product in salt, so you can only purchase truly high-quality and original jewelry in trusted places.

The Mineral Market online store is a place where customers are taken care of. From us you can purchase exclusively natural precious and ornamental stones in a large assortment and at an affordable price!

Today on the amber jewelry market a lot of fake amber. In almost every underground passage you can find sales of “amber” beads for 35-50 hryvnia. They are made from bakelite, casein, celluloid, polyester, polystyrene, epoxy resin and other materials. How to understand such a variety of imitations?

Of course, even the highest quality fake differs from a natural gem not only in appearance, naturalness and natural beauty, but also in its "medicinal" properties. For example, polystyrene products exposed to air, ultraviolet rays, elevated temperatures cease to be harmless: processes of photo-oxidative destruction (destruction) and cross-linking occur in the material, accompanied by the splitting of high-molecular aromatic styrene derivatives containing a benzene ring. It has been proven that the entry of these substances through the skin into the bloodstream has a negative effect on the liver, spleen and nervous system. So it's better to buy something more expensive, but decoration that is really beneficial for the body from natural, natural amber. Note that polished amber is much easier to counterfeit than unpolished amber - due to the presence of a special natural “sugar” crust that covers pieces of unprocessed amber.

Most accurately determine the authenticity of amber only possible using infrared spectroscopy and general spectrometry. Both methods show the chemical composition of the material, and general spectrometry even determines the geographic location of the sample under study (Baltic, Dominican, Ukrainian, etc.) But there are some signs and ways that anyone who wants to purchase a real solar gem can use.

1. Appearance.

As a rule, fakes have multiple inclusions of air bubbles and so-called sparkles, as well as a uniform color of beads along the entire length of the jewelry. Natural amber, especially that which has not been subject to heat treatment, has an interesting color with transitions of shades into one another and a unique pattern.

2. Weight.

Amber is one of the lightest gems. Large beads can weigh only 50 g. Plastic, and especially glass, fakes are noticeably heavier and also colder to the touch.

3. Static electricity method.

The fact that amber, when rubbed on a cloth, becomes negatively charged and attracts small pieces of paper, etc., is not always a diagnostic method, since some plastics have the same properties. True, in amber this property is more pronounced, which makes it possible to identify a certain number of fakes. But if there is no electrification, it is an obvious fake.

4. Smell when burning.

If you apply a heated needle to the surface of amber, white smoke with a characteristic resinous smell will appear. Amber, being a resin, burns well, releasing a specific smell of rosin (amber was previously called “sea incense” and was used to fumigate rooms as incense, as well as for medicinal purposes). A sample of natural amber, after entering the flame, lights up within 3 seconds; after the flame is withdrawn, the stone continues to burn with a large flame. Of course, plastic beads will “smell” completely differently.

5. Water “procedures”.

Natural amber, with the exception of some varieties, sinks in fresh water and floats in salt water (the average density of amber is 1.05-1.12 g/cc; amber has the lowest density of all precious and semi-precious stones; for comparison - synthetic resins bakelite density 1.26 - 1.28 g/cm³, casein - density 1.33 g/cm³). Try drowning a sample of amber by placing it in salt water at a concentration of 8-10 teaspoons of salt per glass of water. Natural amber should float to the surface. But fake amber will remain at the bottom of the vessel. Plastics and modern resins (except polystyrene) have a higher density than amber and will sink. Do not forget to lightly rinse the product in water so that a salt crust does not form on the surface (this applies to polished amber; unpolished amber is washed only in salt water). Also, you should not leave amber in water for a long time, since amber has good absorbent properties.

6. Light.

Amber Under the influence ultraviolet irradiation luminesces. In ultraviolet radiation, natural amber gives a “cloudy” light from light green to yellow, but most of it produces blue shades. Transparent amber glows pale blue, cloud, bastard and bone - milky white with a faint bluish tint. The intensity of the blue glow depends on the degree of transparency of the amber. The more transparent the amber, the denser the luminescent colors in it.
They can vary from light and grayish blue to violet. The weathered crust luminesces in brown tones. Possible reasons for the luminescence of amber are the peculiarities of the internal structure and the presence of various impurities. In addition to photoluminescence, amber has triboluminescence, which is revealed in the dark when amber is ground in a mortar in the form of a weak yellow glow.

Synthetic resins: Bakelite is inert in UV rays; Casein is yellow in UV rays.

You can ask a cashier at a supermarket or bank to put an amber item into an ultraviolet banknote detector and see for yourself that it is genuine.

7. Mechanical method.

Using a knife or razor blade, cut a strip from the surface of the amber in an inconspicuous place. If you see spiral-shaped soft shavings, this is a fake. Real amber crumbles shallowly and is also ground into powder.

It is more difficult to distinguish fakes from copal- fossil resin from the Quaternary period. In addition to fossils, modern copals are known from kauri pine, one of the largest trees on our planet. It lives 3000 thousand years, reaches 50 m in height and up to 18 m in circumference. You can distinguish imitation copal from amber by placing a piece of copal resin on smoldering coals. This releases unpleasant-smelling medicinal vapors. Copal melts more easily and does not become electrified by friction. Copal (emphasis on the second syllable) “young” or “immature” amber. Its “age” is not tens of millions of years, but tens or hundreds of thousands of years. The chemical composition of copal is almost identical to natural amber. “Modern” digging is softer, and even a fingernail can leave a dent on it, not to mention sharper and harder objects. But there are other ways.

First way: Apply a drop of alcohol in an inconspicuous place and apply your finger. If the surface is sticky, it's copal. Second: apply a drop of acetone (no more than 3 seconds) and wipe off. If there is a stain left, it is copal. This does not reduce its naturalness, but there is a possibility that a product made from such material will last a long time, and this time is not far off.

Copal is isotropic, refractive index 1.53, white in UV rays, hardness 2-2.5, density 1.06 g/cm³.

However, autoclaved copal is almost impossible to distinguish from natural amber. And this is considered a big problem for the amber market.

One of the most famous imitations of natural amber is pressed amber, so-called ambroid- a product obtained by processing at high temperatures and high pressure from amber flour and small pieces of amber with or without the addition of dyes. The amber crumb melts at a temperature of 200-250 °C and, in the molten state, is pressed into a homogeneous solid mass. Ambroid looks like real natural amber and has all its inherent physical properties, however, it is worth noting that when heated, the special natural polarity of molecules, useful in the treatment of many diseases, is lost. It is difficult to distinguish ambroid from natural amber with the naked eye. Experts distinguish pressed amber from natural amber using a microscope: by the changed shape of the included bubbles, the general nature of the flow structure and interference colors, which are no longer evenly distributed throughout the entire field, but seem to be made up of pieces (like a patchwork quilt). The flow structures in pressed amber can be straight, curved, spiral-shaped (like strands), sometimes there are balls of dense ground mass, small clumps of dye. Unlike natural amber, this kind of amber softens under the influence of ether: if the surface of pressed amber is moistened with cotton wool and ether, it becomes sticky (unlike natural amber).

We take a responsible approach to purchasing raw materials for the production of products, value our reputation and value our customers and their health. Each of our customers can be confident in the quality and authenticity of our products.

Jewelry with natural particles of hardened resin from ancient coniferous trees will never go out of fashion. Its antiquity determines the cost and popularity of the stone. But technological progress makes it possible to artificially obtain a fake of almost any mineral, so it is not in vain that those wishing to purchase a stone have a question: how to determine the quality of natural amber, recognize it among fakes and check whether it is real or not.

General information

Unlike most stones, the yellow-orange mineral has an amorphous rather than crystalline structure and has minimal weight. Therefore, jewelry made from it is light, even if it looks massive. The main deposit is in the region west of Kaliningrad, where precious layers are preserved at a depth of 30 m, surrounded by clay rock. The second source is considered to be the Baltic territory, where the crystal has a special, golden and pure structure. In the depths of the earth in the Dominican Republic there are blue variants. Deposits are also found in the USA, Mexico, Canada, Myanmar, and Italy.

The color spectrum ranges from light, lemon yellow to brown and even black. There are rare red and green shades. Transparency depends on the number and location of frozen air bubbles, which can also affect color. The most popular among buyers are transparent stones, which contain insects, plant particles or inclusions of gray pyrite inside.

How to distinguish artificial amber from natural

Several simple methods will help you understand that you have a real mineral in your hands. The simplest of them is to take the jewelry to a specialist appraiser, who, using his tools, will immediately determine the composition and origin. If you have to test a copy for authenticity yourself, you should study the basic physical properties and appearance features, be attentive to the details and carry out recognition using two or three different methods at once. And the main way to recognize natural amber and distinguish it from artificial one is to purchase the stone from trusted manufacturers with a good reputation. These include the Avers pawnshop, which offers only high-quality goods and a guarantee for them.

Weight

This raw material is of organic origin and its density is low. Therefore, jewelry, for example, beads, with a total weight of up to 80 grams already look quite impressive. Objects made of plastic also weigh little, but they are also small in size.

Scratch test

A scratch made with a knife or razor allows one to fairly accurately reveal the composition of the stone. A real gem will crumble, leaving small details from which it is easy to make powder, the plastic trim will turn into elastic shavings, and there will be no signs of mechanical impact on the glass at all.

Video: how to distinguish amber beads from fakes

Testing authenticity in salted water is one of the most truthful methods. After all, the mineral is very light, only plastic weighs less than it, so the original will definitely linger on the surface of the container. Of course, you can only check the crystal itself in this way, without any edging, which will significantly add weight. But as for beads, it often happens that they freeze in the middle of a vessel with over-salted liquid. In this case, unravel the thread and you will see that some of the stones have sunk to the bottom, and some have risen to the top, and this means that they tried to sell you a low-quality product. To avoid being deceived, watch the following video

Electrification as a way to determine whether amber is real or not

Another way is through basic physical characteristics. If you rub a gem on a piece of natural fabric - silk or wool, it will receive a negative charge and a piece of paper will easily stick to it. The method is mainly used to recognize copal. Some types of plastic also charge in this way, but not as strongly as natural stone.

Chemical reagents

Please note that when planning to check authenticity with destructive substances, limit exposure to 3 seconds, otherwise stains and darkening may appear on the surface. Experts advise experimenting with such materials with extreme caution. The product can be irrevocably damaged. The original will survive the action of solvent or alcohol, and while the plastic imitation will begin to deteriorate, the copal will be damaged, and the compressed analogue will become slippery and sticky.

Smell when melting

The aroma released will tell you how to recognize real amber or a fake. If you rub it intensively on your palm or a piece of textile, its temperature, when rubbed, will begin to rise, and along with it, a slight smell of pine needles will be released. In the case of a fake, you will feel an unpleasant aroma of chemicals. The same thing happens during melting. Heat the tip of the needle over the burner and pierce the gem with it - white smoke will appear around and the smell of rosin will spread, or the stench of burning and chemical elements will dissipate.

Salty water

Prepare a solution of 3 teaspoons of salt and a glass of warm water. Put a stone in it - its specific gravity is less than a similar mixture, so it will immediately float to the surface, and the version with epoxy resins will sink to the bottom.

Amber under ultraviolet light

Ultraviolet radiation helps to see the layers and “tiers” of the crystal in the form of stripes, illuminates it with a blue color of all tints, depending on the transparency and texture of the rock.

Hardness test

The hardness of minerals is determined using the Mohs scale. For this mineral, this value is 2-2.5 out of 10. Of course, compared to diamond, which has the highest value, this is a rather soft option. However, you won't be able to scratch it with your fingernail. For comparison, a similar analogue - copal - is less durable, only 1-1.5, and the difference can be felt even when pressed with a finger.

Video on how to distinguish real amber from a fake yourself at home

How to check the authenticity of a fire stone can be seen in the video .
In addition, keep in mind the following parameters.

Appearance

The following signs will indicate a natural mineral extracted from the depths of the earth:

• heterogeneous texture, layers, small foreign inserts, spherical bubbles indicating air;
• once inside the mineral, it hardens, which means the crystal has a high density;
• the color should be muted, but at the same time full of different shades.

While they will say about deception:

• bright rich unnatural tones;
• smooth, symmetrical or repeating pattern;
• stains of paint or glitter inside.

Price category

The magical and healing properties of the stone have been known since ancient times. Therefore, becoming the owner of a sample of the correct shape, and especially a rare format, is considered a sign of luxury and prosperity. They are very expensive - the price itself will tell you how to determine real, natural amber from a fake. So, the cost per gram of beads can start from 2 dollars and have a limit of 20-30 or 50 conventional units.

Inclusions

Previously, representatives of flora and fauna frozen in transparent mineral indicated the authenticity of the specimen. Nowadays, craftsmen have learned to fake this distinctive feature. Therefore, if you come across such a rare option, study it carefully. The insects should be in a natural position, as if they were trying to escape and free themselves, but already dead creatures are inserted into the fakes, which betrays their location and appearance.

Simulation materials

Although there are enough natural deposits in the world, unscrupulous manufacturers want to make money from uninformed buyers and sell fakes made from various materials, which can significantly reduce the cost of products.

Resin

Resin is much softer and lighter than natural stone. It exudes a light pine aroma, which can also be present in amber, but only close to fire or after intensive rubbing against a soft surface. You can also notice the difference by pointing the gem at the sun: the analogue will have a uniform structure, while a crystal formed over hundreds of years will have noticeable layers.

dug

Copal is the name given to younger formations made from resinous secretions of pine needles, whose age is less than 100 thousand years. How to distinguish real, natural amber from a fake stone?

The imitation looks so believable that even jewelers with extensive experience cannot always detect plagiarism. In this case, only the melting process helps, during which an unpleasant odor of pharmaceutical preparations will be released, as well as a drop of alcohol or acetone, during which, within a few seconds after application to the crystal, irreversible surface defects occur - it becomes sticky, viscous or covered with stains.

Cowrie

The tree species, called Kauri, exudes resin, which, when processed with high quality, is similar in appearance to the original. However, it is softer and more fragile, so it is not suitable for the jewelry industry and is used only in furniture production.

How to distinguish amber from plastic

Just like other artificial materials, plastic has a significant resemblance to the original, but it is very easy to distinguish them. The weight of the plastic is much lower than the weight of the mineral, and in the light a homogeneous texture, uncharacteristic of stone, is clearly visible.

Glass

Glass blanks are often used in the manufacture of jewelry to replace natural, mined minerals. Their weight is the same, the product looks bright, presentable, shines in the sun and has high strength and hardness, unlike natural ones, which are easy to scratch and damage even with a hard object, not even a sharp one.

Pressed amber

A gem produced under pressure, called ambroid, is no different in properties and characteristics from natural stone. To form it, trimmings, remains and waste of large pieces of rock, and dust, which are not of particular value, are used. They are melted at a temperature of 200-250 degrees, sometimes with the use of dyes to enhance the color. How to distinguish real amber from such a fake? The structure of the crystal is uneven, heterogeneous, includes small bubbles, differs in shade, and has a low transparency. It is best to analyze the sample under a microscope.

Bernit

The inexpensive material, which consists of polyester resins, is indistinguishable due to the fact that visual defects and layers are specially created during its production. It is often used as an independent stone, in the manufacture of accessories and decorative elements.

Refined amber

Experiments on appearance have been carried out for many years. There are many ways to change or emphasize its shade. For example, when boiled in honey, it acquires a reddish color; when boiled in vegetable oil, it becomes lighter. Dyes help to achieve any desired tone. As a result of exposure to high temperatures, the surface becomes covered with a network of small cracks. Having undergone heat treatment at 220 degrees, the crystal is called sparkling and costs several times more than its counterparts. When ennobling a gem using similar methods, one should not forget that when exposed to temperature, it loses a significant part of its physical, magical and medicinal properties.

Special and non-standard verification methods

Almost all methods for distinguishing fake amber from real ones involve complete or partial damage to the surface, which is not always desirable or acceptable. Therefore, the most convenient is the ultraviolet exposure described above.

In addition, the stone has heat and emits powerful energy, while synthetic replacements are cold and do not immediately gain temperature when in contact with the human body.

Results

The solar-colored mineral is used by astrologers as a talisman for zodiac signs, by doctors as a medicinal one, and is also widely distributed in the form of an acid, often used for various household needs. Having a piece of jewelry with such an insert in your box means you have good taste, and wearing it in beads means you are always in a positive mood. Today there are many ways to make a cheap analogue, so when choosing amber, you should know how to determine its authenticity so as not to become a victim of scammers.