What is the healthiest color of amber?

One of the main advantages of amber stone is its color – incredibly deep and multifaceted. The color palette of the mineral is diverse and rich in the most unusual tones and tints.

Classic amber stone colors

There are hundreds of shades of the mineral found in nature, but the most common ones have a warm, sunny tone. It is impossible to answer the question unequivocally what color amber is; the list will take a long time. The color of the gem varies from almost white and transparent to rich yellow and darker brown. It is these shades that are inherent in the famous Baltic stone, which is loved and appreciated all over the world. Main types of amber by color:

• The yellow color of amber is due to the composition of ancient resins from coniferous trees. It is stones with yellow and honey colors that are its most common variety. They are distinguished by an affordable price, but everything can change if even a small foreign inclusion is found inside the pebble – petrified flies or other insects, specks, plant particles, air bubbles.
• White – also known as milky, soapy, royal – looks unusual and is not found so often. It is formed due to the increased content of calcite and an abundance of air bubbles.
• Dark amber of red-orange and red color is found a little less frequently, but still is not of particular value, which does not detract from its beauty and jewelry qualities.
• Red amber, ranging in color from light red to wine and burgundy, is a noble variety of the mineral. Often used for making amulets and ritual paraphernalia. In China it is called “dragon’s blood”.
• One of the most popular gems is cognac-colored amber, also known as tea amber. It looks great framed in gold, silver, and other metals. It is considered a symbol of activity and positive emotions. The color of cognac amber is determined by the composition of the mineral and the conditions of its formation. The stone lends itself well to processing and has a characteristic transparency and shine.

Brown amber has the ability to change shade, depending on the lighting – in the bright sun it brightens and appears red, in artificial light it acquires richness and depth, becoming darker and more mysterious.

Green shades of stone

Green amber or kissellite is very rare. It makes up only a couple percent of total production and is mined in Italian Sicily, the Dominican Republic, Russia and the Baltic countries.

The mineral is formed when particles of earth or plants enter tree resin, as well as due to the increased presence of copper. Its formation requires specific conditions: a humid, warm climate and swampy soil where drops of resin fall.

Over millions of years, particles of decaying leaves and grass mixed with the resin, giving it a greenish tint.

The color saturation and hue of the amber obtained as a result of this synthesis depends on its exact composition – the more “impurities”, the more greenish the gem has.

Usually this is the color of withered grass – light green, close to swamp. Very beautiful green minerals with a slight blue tint are mined in the Dominican Republic. There are no emerald and pigment green tones in the natural range of amber.

What color natural amber is depends on both its deposit and the processing method:

• Sicilian minerals are quite bright and are closest in shade to emeralds;
• Baltic – with a fade to gray and olive;
• Dominican – with a hint of sea wave, greenish with frequent inclusions.

Green amber changes color depending on prolonged exposure to the sun – under constant exposure to ultraviolet radiation it oxidizes and turns brown, so jewelry with it should not be kept on open shelves.

The magic of black mineral

Much less common in nature than its honey and cognac counterparts is pitch-colored black amber, which is often confused with jet. Only 15% of the gems found have an unusual black color and opaque structure. Experts call it stantienite and emphasize the need for careful handling due to its great fragility.

The mineral is very difficult to process due to its fragile structure, so jewelry with it is of particular value.

Stantienite is a product of a mixture of tree resin and blackened remains of trees, plants and other substances.

In addition to the general differences in what color amber is in nature, it is found in two types – matte and glossy. Although this does not affect the practical properties of the gem.

Black stone is softer than its “relatives”, has a more porous structure, can be polished well and, despite its relative rarity, is no more expensive than other types.

In the light it may appear brown and even red. Supporters of the occult attribute to it protective qualities and the ability to protect against dark energy.

Blue amber in the jewelry world

If we talk about which amber is the most valuable in color, it is, of course, blue – the rarest, most beautiful and expensive. It is formed from carob resin, which gives it a unique appearance and properties.

It is distinguished by bright tints and a characteristic shade, while being 90% more transparent than minerals of other colors. It is mined only in three places on the planet – the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Indonesia.

Many people are interested in whether amber is blue, rightly mistaking jewelry with it for a fake. The blue tint of the mineral is the result of complex chemical reactions.

What’s interesting is that the inside of the stone is yellow, but its surface reflects light so much that it acquires a blue, indigo and even violet hue. Plus, the blue mineral is characterized by frequent inclusions. And the presence of volcanic ash gives it the ability to glow in the dark.

The most expensive color of amber is not the only feature of the blue stone. At the same time, it is the hardest among the amber family, and therefore difficult to process.

Now that you have learned more about amber, the color and properties of the gem, it will be easier for you to choose jewelry with this amazing mineral. And our store has everything to make your choice and purchase as pleasant as possible: high-quality materials, exclusive design, guarantees, affordable prices and fast delivery!

Amber is the fossilized resin of ancient coniferous trees that grew in the Kaliningrad region 40 million years ago.

The sharp warming of the climate in these places provoked an increase in humidity. Huge coniferous trees began to react to this most of all. Storms, thunderstorms, storms, damage – the trees began to intensively secrete a healing agent. Abundant resin secretion began. The resin flowed, dripped, fell into the soil and water. Millions of years passed and the hardened resin was discovered by man.

Amber is pleasant to hold in your hands; it is a very warm, gentle stone. It seems to radiate heat, as if it transfers the energy of heat and the sun into human hands. He has been accumulating this energy for millions of years.

Amber with inclusions (inclusions, midges, tree bark, leaves).

The range of shades is very diverse. More than a hundred titles. It can be transparent, golden, lemon-like, honey-like or ivory-like. Rare colors – white, green, blue. The latter occur only 0,5 – 1% in nature.

Inclusions are inclusions in amber. Remains of earth, wood, leaves, blades of grass. The most common insects are ants, mosquitoes, cicadas, butterflies, bees, wasps, and midges. They fell into the resin and froze in it millions of years ago. It happens that when the resin expires, water and air bubbles get into it. Studies of frozen air in stone have shown that the oxygen content on the planet was 32%, and now it is 21%.

Help. The most unique inclusion was an amber with a lizard without a tail measuring 42 mm.

physical properties

Amber melts at a temperature of 300-350 degrees. Softens in alcohol-containing liquids, ether, benzene. Has more than 200 types of shades.

Where is mined

Amber is mined using an open-pit method in a quarry in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region.

Which one is most valued?

Amber is rightfully considered one of the most popular jewelry and ornamental stones, known to man since ancient times.

White (Royal), green, blue, landscape. It acquired such shades from the influence of external factors. They are rare, so they are considered the most valuable.

How to distinguish real amber and check for authenticity at home (without special equipment)

Real amber or not real – the question is not only complicated, but even baffling. The Kaliningrad region contains more than 90% of the world’s amber reserves. There is so much of it here that jewelers do not experience any difficulties in obtaining raw materials. It never occurred to any of them to make fakes and sell them. Firstly, this is reputation, and secondly, the Assay Office constantly monitors and records the craftsmen; no excesses with counterfeit products have been recorded so far.

Usually the untreated side is left in the product. As a rule, it will be negotiable. But this is not always done, because there are beautiful stones that you want to show from all sides.

Ultraviolet

If you shine ultraviolet light on it, the amber will glow with a greenish-light green hue. No plastic or any other material will give such a color. By the way, in some cases, miners shine a light underwater to the bottom of the sea; in the sand and natural debris, it immediately becomes clear where it lies.

The directed rays of an ultraviolet lamp give the stone a greenish tint.

Remember, the stone will be heterogeneous in structure, there will always be some kind of picture, bubbles, multi-colored spectra in it. The fake will not turn out as flawless as nature and natural processes came up with.

Pressed amber will also glow, but in ordinary light it will have a homogeneous structure visible. The stripes will be uniform, the pattern will be the same when pressed. For example, beads from the press are all the same color, with an almost unchanged internal and external pattern. They are homogeneous. The lines run predictably, not chaotically.

Help. An amber press is cheaper than products made from whole raw materials.

Natural amber balls will look approximately the same color, but if you look at them, you will see that their patterns are different. There may be dark small dots (so-called “pepper”). This indicates that the ball is made from a whole piece.

How to distinguish amber from a fake or artificial stone in a store

There are no fake ambers in Kaliningrad stores, so buy with peace of mind. This is simply not needed by anyone.

At the same time, there are a lot of tips on the Internet for checking authenticity:

• cauterize,
• scratch,
• rub,
• throw into salt water, etc.

How do you imagine this process? Come to the company store with a can of water and a pack of salt. Place it all on the counter. Ask the seller: “Please give me those beads for 50 thousand rubles. I want to check whether they are real or not by dipping them in a salty solution,” or: “Show me a necklace for 35 thousand” – do you take it, scratch it, rub it, and then burn it with a lighter? This is unthinkable!

If you want to buy an expensive amber item, but you don’t understand it and doubt its authenticity, there is a more effective way.

Visit the Amber Museum, where complete information about the stone is presented: from quarry to production. Read about properties, shades, processing. There is plenty of material. You can also ask your questions in the comments under this article.

If you rub regular amber with your finger, it will smell like pine needles. What is considered artificial? I would like to warn some inquisitive people. This is a very soft stone, any attempts at mechanical impact (scratching with a key, rubbing against clothing from buttons and zippers, as well as any type of impact with foreign objects) can cause damage. You should not do this, because you can ruin an expensive product. Such precedents have happened; people paid for a broken product because of their stupidity.

Help. In 2010, a visitor to the Amber World store decided to check the authenticity of a “Bouquet of Roses” product in the form of a brooch. The buds were made of white amber. The buds flew off as a result of mechanical impacts. The product was damaged, he had to pay for the damaged item.

Keep in mind that brooches and pendants are polished, shaped and processed. How do you imagine testing the product? Scratch something from your pocket? Reading reviews about pressed amber, I want to ask those who wrote this – people, do you know that pressed amber is already more expensive than regular amber in some respects? What could he be more beautiful? What if an ignorant person can’t tell the difference between amber and rosin? Of course, everyone gives out advice.

The main difference between pressed amber and ordinary amber is that pressed amber is the processing of natural stone in special autoclaves, where, under temperature and pressure, a new one is created from it, with certain characteristics necessary for the master to realize the idea. But it still remains amber. In some cases, the pressed one can be more beautiful, at a cost 3-4 times lower than its analogue. This has to do with processing. If usually, in order to obtain a stone with the desired characteristics, you need to process it, spend a lot of effort and money, then with pressing everything is much simpler.

Attention! Do not buy products anywhere, in the backstreets, from random people. Only in stores or workshops. When purchasing a product, you should be given a receipt and consulted on the product, this is exactly the same as in any jewelry store.

It is worth adding that there cannot be artificial amber, only artificial processing of natural stone, which in some cases increases its cost.

Look at inexpensive products in several places, hold them in your hands, take a closer look, study the color scheme. After this, you will understand how to choose what you like. As a rule, there should be no doubt.

All branded stores sell only real products. There can be no fakes there. After all, this is the reputation of a store, craftsman or factory. Each product has its own tag. Products are certified.

How to distinguish amber on the beach from other stones

Distinguishing amber from other stones and glass on the beach is not an easy task. Especially when whole crowds gather around the find and try to gnaw it, sniff it, knock it on their teeth, twirl it, etc. (joke). This is even more difficult to do on a crowded beach.

Amber on the beach of the Baltic Sea.

Of course, it’s lying there and waiting for its lucky owner. By the way, legends about the discovery of large pieces of amber on the shore have been circulating for a long time. They are not unfounded. Emissions occur in various areas of the coast. But on the beach of a resort town, Zelenogradsk, for example, among thousands of vacationers? Hardly. Well, let’s even assume there was an outburst and you found a piece the size of a matchbox. This is incredible, but let’s say it. Amber of large fractions will be light, you can look at it in the sunlight – it will glow.

Amber on the beach, washed up after a storm. Please note: small fractions among marine debris.

You can find it after a storm, in inaccessible areas. I’ll even say more, it’s difficult to find a larger nail than the size of your little finger. Sometimes crumbs are thrown onto the shore along with garbage, it’s just a crumb, you can find it if you pay attention to your feet while walking along the beach. But again, the main sign of an amber release will be marine debris, mud, sticks, algae – organic matter in general. This is where you can find small pieces of different shades. It will be yellow, lemon, transparent, rarely cloudy yellowish. This amber is usually collected for crafts and souvenirs.

Transparent amber of flat shape.

How to choose amber jewelry: what to look for

The greater the saturation of the stone and color scheme, the more interesting it is.

Important! A good product will not be cheap. It should be stylish and interesting.

You need to pay attention to the stone. First, in a store or workshop, look at what shades there are and how the product is made. However, the latter will be your choice and taste.

Production of amber jewelry.

Good craftsmen always try to highlight the stone in their work. A special approach and high-quality processing allow us to emphasize the beauty of amber through the means of shape and frame. The goal is not only the final acquisition of profit, but the creation of a work of art that can surprise the buyer. High-quality, unique jewelry is an art.

How to care for amber

Amber does not like direct sunlight. Therefore, many people store amber jewelry in boxes.

• Do not rub with rough surfaces, as this will cause the stone to lose its shine. It is necessary to avoid mechanical influences, rubbing, wiping at home, attempts to polish, and so on. Only a master can do this.
• Do not use chemicals; they will not add beauty to the stone, but will only worsen it.
• It is necessary to remove products before showering and bathing, avoid contact with perfume, and do not wash in hot water.

All these measures will allow you to preserve the product in its original form for a long time.

How to clean amber beads if they have been lying around for a long time without proper care. How to restore shine?

There is only one recipe – give it to a master for polishing. Do not invent or invent any actions. Only a master knows how to restore the shine to amber.

Can amber beads crack on top?

They cannot unless mechanical influence is exerted on them. Amber is a very delicate stone and must be handled with care. Amber beads should be stored separately from other jewelry.

You won’t be able to clean them from clouding at home – it’s impossible. Some people confuse natural aging with loss of polish. Polishing is just an action on the top or outside of the product. The entire stone ages. This is a natural and normal process.

Useful Properties

Even in ancient times, amber was used as a remedy for many ailments. Various potions using this stone, according to ancient doctors, helped against diseases and ailments.

In Rus’ it was believed that if a pregnant woman wears amber, she will safely preserve the fetus, the birth will be easy and the child will be protected from disease.

Chinese sages also wore it. The use of stone dates back hundreds of years.

The Slavs hung amber over the cradle. They believed that this way children sleep better, the stone protects from evil spirits and evil spirits. There is an opinion that it brings good luck.

The medical properties of amber and products in pharmacology have not been fully studied, but many are already used in the manufacture of creams, medicines, and preparations. Science has neither proven nor disproved its beneficial effects on the human body.

Curious cases in Amber production

At the end of the 50s, the Amber Factory sent pressed amber pendants to a trading base in Odessa. Somehow, by chance, amber pendants with inclusions ended up in the batch. These pendants were returned to the plant with the comments “The products are contaminated, do not meet the standards, such products cannot go on sale.”

Amber with inclusions (mosquitoes, midges, moths).

Today, inclusions can be very expensive; some examples on the market fetch from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

Nikita Zagorny
Kaliningrad
Local historian, researcher, search engine, military historian, certified tour guide, blogger, traveler, collector.

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