Gem Profile- Amber

Amber is very soft, scoring a maximum of 3 on the Mohs scale of hardness, with some samples as soft as 1. Be especially careful using metal pliers when wrapping amber in wire. Burmese amber is among the hardest at 3, Baltic amber is in the middle, and Dominican amber can be as low as 1 because it is the youngest, at 20-40 million years old.

Amber is fossilized tree resin, often mistakenly called fossilized tree sap. The difference is that sap is thin, mostly water, and runs deep in a tree to carry nutrients. Resin is thicker, runs under the bark, and acts as a healing agent to block holes or scrapes, preventing fungal disease and insect damage.

Amber is one of the few true organic gemstones, along with pearls, certain shells like abalone, jet, ivory, and coral.

The earliest recorded amber comes from the Carboniferous period, about 320 million years ago. This rare form is kept for scientific research and is not available for purchase.

Amber has been used in jewelry for thousands of years and naturally occurs in a wide range of colors, from pale yellow to deep cherry red, and in rare cases, blue and green.

(Note: what is sometimes called "Black Amber" is actually jet, a form of coal.)

These earrings contain Baltic Amber (Dale "Cougar" Armstrong)

Amber Imitations

Copal is a semi-fossilized, naturally hardened resin and is often used as an inexpensive substitute for amber. It is sometimes sold as "young" or immature amber, ranging from 50,000 to 1.6 million years old. Copal is unstable and can deteriorate over time, making it less suitable as a gemstone-like material.

Despite this, copal is valuable for other uses. It is widely used to make excellent varnish, and in Mexico and Central America, native peoples burn copal as incense during rituals. Other popular incense resins include frankincense and myrrh.

The easiest way to test copal versus amber is to put a drop of pure acetone on an inconspicuous area. Copal will become sticky quickly, whereas amber will not react.

Beware of copal sold under unusual names, such as Caribbean amber, Chinese amber, or Burmite, because it can be chemically treated to change its color and hardness. Another type sometimes passed off as amber is Kauri Gum from New Zealand.

Rare green amber from Lithuania, purchased in Moscow, Russia.

Vintage Plastics:

Bakelite, Celluloid, and their varieties are valuable today because of the history behind them. These early resins, used from the 19th century through World War II, often contained materials like wood, true amber shavings, and rock particles, along with less desirable additives such as asbestos and formaldehyde.

One name for these amber counterfeits was "African Amber."

My recent research on amber imitations led me to a vintage product called Faturan, a type of Bakelite used to carve prayer beads.

Production of this material ceased due to worldwide health concerns and material shortages during World War II.


Synthetic Amber cabochon

Traditions with Amber

There are many myths, legends and stories associated with amber. With regards to metaphysical properties, it is most often used to stimulate intellect by opening Sahasrara, the crown chakra. The many natural colors of amber can be also used on the appropriate chakras according to their color. Basically, amber is used as a cleansing stone for both the mind and the body.

In the Old Testament, amber is said to have been one of the 12 stones in the breastplate of the high priest, Aaron (Exodus 28:15-20). Some theorize that amber is the first stone in the third row, called "ligure", representing the presence and glory of God in judgment, purification and sanctification.

Prayer beads and rosaries are often made of amber due to the fact that rubbing amber produces warmth and static electricity, both of which are thought to be beneficial to human health, especially while meditating.


Tumble-polished, freeform amber from the Dominican Republic.

Real or Fake?

I have grown up knowing about and using the hardness, hot needle, salt water and acetone tests. For instance, in the hot needle test, you heat a needle in a flame until it glows, then push the tip into the piece of "amber" you wish to examine. Amber will release sooty fumes, while copal releases a fragrant odor and melts the piece faster. Of course, this should be done on an inconspicuous part of the piece in question!

Although no test is absolutely conclusive, if you have a piece of amber that you think could be very old, real and therefore very expensive, I recommend sending it to an amber expert for proper identification. If you'd like detailed information on each kind of amber authenticity test, here is a page that covers all of them: Amber Tests.

Finally, if you would like even more information on Amber, I would like to direct your attention to this very complete article, Amber, because it already has all of the information I would normally write for you.

In closing, when purchasing amber, often common sense will guide you; if a truly lovely, large piece of amber is glass clear, with or without bugs, and is priced unbelievably low - it probably is a counterfeit.

Common Dominican amber with termites.