What is artificial amber called?

Pressed (ambroid) and molded amber is used in the jewelry, electrical, and medical industries. The stone for jewelry is obtained from small, uncontaminated amber by pressing it. The lowest quality mineral goes into chemical processing.

How to obtain pressed amber

Industrial mining provides 10% of the semi-precious stone, suitable for creating jewelry immediately after grinding, and 90% of the fine grain. The highest quality grains are selected and used to produce molded amber and ambroid. Stages of creating pressed stone:

• Amber grains are ground into powder.
• The flour is placed in a tank for pressing and heating, the air supply is limited.
• Under the influence of the press, at high temperatures, amber flour is transformed into a viscous, viscous substance.
• If necessary, coloring pigments are added to the mass, then molding is performed.

Pressed amber can have different colors, it differs from natural amber in some turbidity, and has a different structure. It is widely represented on the jewelry market.

Molded amber is obtained from several small stones entirely welded together without the use of chemical additives under the influence of high temperatures, but without melting. It is used for making jewelry and is closest to natural stone in appearance, properties, and quality characteristics.

The nuances of obtaining pressed amber in different ways:

• Spillers method. Amber crumbs are filled into a steel mold covered with a lid. The container is lowered into a molten paraffin or glycerin mass, where ambroid is obtained under a pressure of 40-50 MPa;
• Trebitsch method. Ground amber is placed in a cylindrical metal container, on which a movable piston presses from above. Amber melted under pressure becomes a fluid mass, which is pushed out through holes in the lower part of the main cylinder.

At the Kaliningrad plant, ambroid is produced under the following conditions: pressure – 0,26 MPa, t – 230-250ºC.

Some features of use

The unique properties of ambroid are in demand not only in the jewelry industry. It is actively used to create various insulating materials in instrument making and electrical engineering. It is used to make devices, utensils, and instruments for medical needs.

Amber is in particular demand for the production of equipment that accompanies the process of blood transfusion and storage. It has ultra-low wettability, inhibits the process of breakdown of red blood cells, hemolysis, being, as it were, a natural preservative.

How to distinguish pressed amber

The physico-chemical properties of amber and ambroid, molded stone are similar, but there are some differences; pressed stones are characterized by:

• inclusions of bubbles of approximately the same shape, differing from chaotic ones in size and distribution in a natural mineral;
• presence of dye clots;
• a type of “patchwork” quilt;
• the structural distribution of material in stone can be spiral-shaped or rectilinear;
• under UV radiation it behaves like an artificial material, transmitting rays and does not reflect like natural stone.

The most important difference between ambroids is the reaction to ether. If you moisten the surface of a natural stone with a drop of ether, it will not change; the pressed stone will become sticky and change color at the site of reaction.

The density and fragility of amber of natural and pressed origin are the same, the quality of refraction of artificial amber is higher.

What do we buy in the store?

Natural stone and an ornamental version made of pressed, molded amber are of completely natural origin. In this case, they distinguish:

• solid amber, consisting of one stone;
• a molded monolith of several stones;
• pressed stone made from amber flour.

In stores, products made from solid, molded and pressed amber are presented in a wide variety. Only a true mineral connoisseur can confidently distinguish all types of stone from each other using a microscope. Unfortunately, this is beyond the power of the average person.

The high quality of products made from pressed amber flour is beyond doubt, but if you want a truly natural, solid stone of natural origin, you should contact reputable retail chains. The Amberika online store offers jewelry only from natural amber; for detailed consultation, call +7 (800) 302-30-70!

As you know, amber is a fossilized resin formed from the oldest coniferous trees of the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene periods approximately 30-40 million years ago. Amber stone is of organic origin; at all times it has been valued by people due to its properties and magnificent appearance. The mineral has an almost complete palette of colors from white, light honey, caramel, brown-lemon to blood red and black. Amber is distinguished between sea and layered in the bowels of the earth, which is mined in sand and clay quarries.

The properties of fossil resins are determined, first of all, by the conditions and time of their occurrence. The fossil resin, succinite, which dates back about 30 million years, is the most famous and characteristic of the fossil resins. In turn, succinite varies in degree of transparency and hardness into: transparent, cloudy, bone and foamy. Depending on the depth of occurrence, transparent succinite is divided into “young” and “overburden”.

Where did the name “Hardened or hulled amber” come from?

As we have already said, Amber is distinguished by color, depth, hardness and transparency. So, “young” transparent amber succinite can have in its structure both natural inclusions in the form of air bubbles, cups of ancient amphibians or bird feathers, and microscopic voids – cups or, as jewelers like to call them, husks or husks. This decorative effect, created by nature itself, is enhanced during mineral mining due to the large difference in pressure underground and on the surface. The most striking thing is that when processed, transparent “young” succinite is practically not inferior in strength to “overburden” bone royal amber, but is less resistant to temperature differences and direct sunlight. Due to improper storage, it may become cloudy over time. Read how to properly care for amber jewelry at home here.

Due to these same rolling pins and husks, after opening (removing the outer crust) and polishing, amber becomes “sparkling”, literally burning in the sun! Let’s summarize: “young” transparent amber succinite, which has “heat” in its structure, is called hardened amber .

What does hot amber look like?

The price of hot amber

As you know, prices for amber vary greatly. The price depends on many factors: size, quality of the mineral itself, processing, extraction method. An important role is played by where and by whom the jewelry was made, and in what region it is sold. Jewelry with hot amber is valued no less than with matte or red amber. Pricing for jewelry made of hot amber depends primarily on the quality of the stone itself, the beauty of the internal hardening, and how strongly the product “burns” in the sun. The skill of the jeweler plays a significant role: stone cutting, precious metal framing, as well as the work of a fashion designer. As a result of long, painstaking work, the result is truly the greatest work of jewelry art. Such jewelry can be very expensive, up to several hundred thousand rubles. The average price for gold jewelry with hot amber varies from 1800 to 2800 rubles per 1 gram, for silver – from 450 to 1500 rubles per 1 gram.

Buy jewelry made of hot amber

The best combinations with gold are transparent heated amber of lemon or cognac shades, containing iridescent sparkles – calcines. In silver, amber of more saturated dark cold shades looks better. Heated amber is used to make almost any jewelry from beads, bracelets, souvenirs to exclusive handmade rings and earrings. Beautiful products are obtained with hot amber, which has inclusions of fragments of plants, cups or air bubbles.

Amber, characterized by its low hardness and variety of shapes, requires a special type of fastening in jewelry. Most often, a free pendant with “spike fasteners” is used to secure amber in a frame. With this method of fastening, a spike-wire is glued into a hole drilled in the amber. This fastening favorably emphasizes the beauty and expressiveness of the stone.