triangle-cut amber - Mexicotriangle-cut amber - Mexico

Amber Value, Price, and Jewelry Information


Amber is the hardened resin of ancient pine trees. This organic substance is most well-known for the incredible inclusions of insects that can be found within it. People have been making amber jewelry for over 10,000 years, and the fascination with amber continues today.

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HomeGemstonesAmber Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

Amber is the hardened resin of ancient pine trees. This organic substance is most well-known for the incredible inclusions of insects that can be found within it. People have been making amber jewelry for over 10,000 years, which could make it the first gem material ever used. The fascination with amber continues today.

triangle-cut amber - Mexico
Triangle-cut amber, 33.66 cts, 29.8 mm, Mexico. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.

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Amber Value

The highest values go to those pieces with clearly visible insect inclusions, light colors, and clarity. Since the Jurassic Park movie, the most popular inclusions are mosquitos. Inclusions of plant material, while of great interest to scientists, add little to the value of jewelry. (These inclusions are often too small to be recognized easily). Very large amber pieces are extremely rare. Good quality material is seldom used for anything but jewelry.

Amber, Dominican Republic (with insect inclusion)
Amber, Dominican Republic (with insect inclusion). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

For more information on amber quality factors, consult our buying guide.

amber rough, gems, and jewelry
Amber, Baltic Sea area (various cut gems and utility objects). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

What is Amber?

Venus figure
Venus figure of carved amber (pendant) from Eastern Europe, Neolithic period (around 10,200 to 4,500 BCE). Photo by Lisby. Public Domain.

Amber is an amorphous (non-crystalline) mixture of organic compounds, including hydrocarbons, resins, succinic acid, and oils. Most of this substance comes from the preserved resin of the pine species Pinus succinifera. However, other ancient tree species have also produced the material. Amber has been preserved for at least 30 million years.

Amber is a fairly common, easy-to-work gem material. A constant wonder to the eyes, it typically occurs in various shades of yellow, orange, and brown colors. On the other hand, pieces with green, blue, or violet tints due to extreme fluorescence are rare.

Amber also has a history of practical use. People have burned it as incense and used it as an ingredient in perfumes.

Is Amber a Fossil?

Although amber is commonly referred to as fossilized resin, it's not a fossil in the strictest sense. Most fossils begin when an animal or plant is buried in the earth. Over millennia, minerals slowly replace the organic materials in fossils. In contrast, amber's organic materials haven't been replaced. Instead, the resin has undergone a chemical transformation into a polymer, a natural plastic.

Amber in matrix, Dominican Republic. Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

What is Copal?

Preserved resin younger than 30 million years is known as copal, as is the organic gem material from the copal tree, Protium copal. Most gem pieces come from South America, Africa, and New Zealand. "Kauri Gum" is a copal from the kauri pine tree of New Zealand.

Often confused with each other, amber and copal have very similar properties with nearly identical origins. The principal difference is age.

copal - Madagascar
Copal pieces from Madagascar with various inclusions of spiders, cockroaches, termites, and flowers. Photo by Didier Descouens. Licensed under CC By-SA 4.0.

Does Amber Make a Good Jewelry Stone?

Amber has been a popular jewelry stone for thousands of years. However, with a hardness of only 2 to 2.5, it's very susceptible to damage from accidental scratches. As ring stones, ambers would benefit from protective settings. On the other hand, pieces such as necklaces, pendants, or earrings are more secure options. Ambers are often tumble polished and used as beads or cabochons. Faceted pieces are rare.

14k gold and amber cocktail ring with a leaf form setting. Photo courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and William Bunch Auctions & Appraisals.

Ambers have a wide range of transparency. The transparent material is used almost exclusively for jewelry.  The opaque material is frequently carved into artistic objects and inlays, as well as practical objects such as pipe stems and umbrella handles.

Amber Room reconstruction - St. Petersburg
Decorated with panels made from amber and backed with gold leaf, the celebrated Amber Room was originally constructed in the 18th century in the Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia. This "Eighth Wonder of The World" was looted during WWII and has disappeared. A reconstruction project was begun in 1979 and completed in 2003. This is the reconstructed chamber in the Catherine Palace. Photo by Dmitry Karyshev. Licensed under CC By 2.0.

What are Amber Types?

Gemologists classify amber into various types. The sea type is found undersea. The pit variety is dug up from the ground, especially from the Baltic region. Other types are clear, massive, fancy, cloudy, frothy, fatty, and bone, in reference to their appearance.

raw ambers
Raw amber pieces from the Baltic region, left piece is 2.7 cm across, right piece is 3.1 cm across. Photo by James St. John. Licensed under CC By 2.0.

How to Identify Amber

Inclusions

Amber is noted for its inclusions, which are chiefly insects, pollen, leaves, and other organic debris. Millions of years ago, still-living pine trees trapped these bits in their oozing, sticky fluids. These inclusions offer a remarkable view of life in those times. Some of the finer amber specimens contain whole, trapped termite colonies. The chambers of these structures, created with webbing, are still visible. Nursery chambers still contain egg sacks.

Besides termites and mosquitos, ambers can contain many varieties of beetles, spiders, mites, and other arthropods. Sometimes, a single piece can contain many different kinds of organic inclusions.

Star spangles, flattened starburst shapes, are another type of inclusion. Caused by stress, these internal fractures radiate from a central point. While quite attractive, most are human induced. Hence, they don't fetch the same value as a good-quality insect.

Amber, Baltic Sea area (ca. 3 inches long). Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Amber Testing Techniques

Ancient techniques for identifying amber are still useful today. If rubbed vigorously on a piece of wool, the real deal will generate a static charge strong enough to pick up a small piece of ash. When it's warm enough, it also gives off a distinctive, pleasant scent. These techniques may distinguish the genuine material from plastic imitations (and entertain inquisitive children).

Green amber - Dominican Republic
Green amber, Dominican Republic. Photo by The Singularity. Licensed under CC By 3.0.

A specific gravity (SG) test can also help weed out the plastic imitations. You can concoct a handy homemade testing liquid by boiling water and adding as much salt as you can dissolve in it. This will have a density of about 1.13. Amber, with a SG of 1.08, will float in this solution. Most plastics will sink. However, a few plastics have a density as low as 1.05. Many can have a lower SG than amber if they have air bubbles inside. So, if your sample sinks, you can be sure it's not amber. If it floats, you still need to conduct more tests.

Destructive Tests

Only conduct destructive tests as a last resort to identify unfinished pieces.

Ambers and plastics can share many visual characteristics. They can both have a refractive index (RI) of 1.540, so an RI reading is not definitive. Therefore, the next step is likely a hot point test.

This is a destructive test, but if conducted with care, it can leave no visible marks. First, find a place on your specimen where a mark would be as unobtrusive as possible (for example, on the bottom, an edge, or an area with existing scratches). Next, heat the tip of a needle until it glows red. Touch the selected spot just enough to release a tiny whiff of smoke. Now comes the hard part. Smell the smoke. If it's amber, it will smell like fine incense. If it's plastic, it will smell chemical and offensive. (This is another reason to make your test on as small a scale as possible).

Distinguishing Amber from Copal

Although amber and copal share the same RI, SG, and most other properties, copal will fluoresce whiter in shortwave ultraviolet light than amber. (Making this judgement call depends on having tested enough samples of both materials to recognize the difference).

If you're unable to make the distinction based on fluorescence, you'll have to turn to a destructive test. On an inconspicuous area of the specimen, place a drop of acetone. Let it sit for three seconds, then wipe it off. Copal will have the surface damaged by the acetone, whereas amber will show little or no change from the brief exposure.

copal
Copal, rough and finished beads. Photo © Joel E. Arem, PhD, FGA. Used with permission.

Are There Synthetic Amber Gems?

Fusing smaller bits of amber under heat and great pressure creates ambroid or amberoid, also known as pressed amber. (Amber softens at about 150° C and melts at 250-300° C). A microscope examination can help distinguish ambers from ambroids. In addition, amber often darkens with age to a fine red-brown color, while ambroid may turn white with age.

Plastic and glass pieces are sometimes used as simulants.

amberoid jewelry
9k yellow gold bracelet and pendant with red amberoids. Photo courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Susanin's Auctions.

Amber Enhancements

Ambers can be darkened by heating. If done properly, this also creates star spangles. Dyeing is a common treatment.

Where is Amber Found?

  • The Baltic Sea Region, including Poland, Germany, and Russia: most of the world's amber comes from a region formerly known as East Prussia and now known as the Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian enclave.
  • Sicily: material may be opalescent blue or green.
  • United Kingdom: rarely found
  • Norway; Denmark; Romania
  • Myanmar: brownish yellow and brown varieties: also colorless, pale yellow, and orange.
  • Lebanon: scarce, from very old deposits.
  • Dominican Republic: mined from sedimentary rocks. Yellow, orange, and red colors. This material often contains well-preserved insects and sometimes displays a strong blueish tone in reflected light.
  • Chiapas, Southern Mexico: produces golden yellow material.
  • Cedar Lake, Manitoba, Canada.
  • Point Barrow, Alaska, United States.
Cedar Lake Amber - Canada
Amber from Cedar Lake, on display at the Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, Canada. Photo by Mike Beauregard. Licensed under CC By 2.0.

Stone Sizes

Fragments normally weigh less than half a pound, but pieces weighing several pounds do turn up occasionally.

How to Care for Amber Jewelry

Avoid rough handling, heat, and chemicals. Solvents and alcohol can partially dissolve ambers. Never use mechanical cleaning systems. Instead, use a damp cloth and warm-water detergent. Consult our jewelry cleaning guide for more recommendations.

amber ring
"Amber Tells The Past." Photo by Chiara Cremaschi. Licensed under CC By-ND 2.0.

Joel E. Arem, Ph.D., FGA

Dr. Joel E. Arem has more than 60 years of experience in the world of gems and minerals. After obtaining his Ph.D. in Mineralogy from Harvard University, he has published numerous books that are still among the most widely used references and guidebooks on crystals, gems and minerals in the world.

Co-founder and President of numerous organizations, Dr. Arem has enjoyed a lifelong career in mineralogy and gemology. He has been a Smithsonian scientist and Curator, a consultant to many well-known companies and institutions, and a prolific author and speaker. Although his main activities have been as a gem cutter and dealer, his focus has always been education. joelarem.com


Donald Clark, CSM IMG

The late Donald Clark, CSM founded the International Gem Society in 1998. Donald started in the gem and jewelry industry in 1976. He received his formal gemology training from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Society of Gemcutters (ASG). The letters “CSM” after his name stood for Certified Supreme Master Gemcutter, a designation of Wykoff’s ASG which has often been referred to as the doctorate of gem cutting. The American Society of Gemcutters only had 54 people reach this level. Along with dozens of articles for leading trade magazines, Donald authored the book “Modern Faceting, the Easy Way.”


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