The glowing yellow Amber that originates from the Baltic region is fairly common. Mostly hand carved into beautiful jewellery designs, it’s relatively easy to buy from trusted sellers such as us! If you travel to the Amber capital, Gdańsk, it’s impossible to miss but do get good at spotting the fakes. Other types of Amber are harder to get hold of and certainly aren’t as popular as the much loved fiery gem. Varieties found in the Dominican Republic are much rarer than the Baltic side of the family.
The Colours of Amber
Many don’t know the different faces of Amber. The golden yellow/orange hue is typically the shade that springs to mind when thinking of Amber. However, there are so many colours under the Amber umbrella from blue to green to brown to white, which are not as common but just as striking. In fact, there are over 250 tones of Amber! Find out more here.
The vivid blue version of Amber found in the mountain ranges of Santiago, Dominican Republic are very unique. Some may be surprised to know, that they are usually priced more than dazzling diamonds. That just goes to show how rare the turquoise blue gem is.
Rare Inclusions
During Amber’s fossilisation process, insects and plant debris gets trapped inside as the resin hardens. These creatures are frozen in time offering scientists an understanding of the primeval forest. Many of these tiny animals get damaged so sometimes only parts of the insects are included in Amber. Bugs that became trapped were usually about 1 to 5 mm such as mosquitoes, flies, ants and wasps.
However, larger animals that didn’t live on the bark of resin-producing trees are very rare. Lizards, ticks, scorpions and dragonflies - to name a few - are not typically found in the fiery gem. Therefore, these pieces of Amber are very uncommon and expensive!
Beware of Fakes
Due to the exclusivity of these pieces with whole insects captured inside some try to lure amateurs to think they’re the real deal. The easiest way to identify the frauds is the price point. The cost for an authentic, one-of-a-kind gem is similar to the price of a car. Therefore, if it is much less, you’ll know it is a copycat. Many try to sell these online but please be wary and only buy from trusted retailers like ourselves.
There are other tests you can do to find out if Amber is genuine. We explain all here.
Handcrafted Genuine Amber
As you’ve already just read, our Amber is 100% authentic. We pride ourselves on offering high quality, genuine designs that are handcrafted in our workshop. Our gemstone specialists are experts when it comes to the vibrant gemstone and we work hard to ensure that the beautiful stone is showcased in everything that we do. Our friendly, highly knowledgeable staff are available to answer any of your questions just pop in store, send us an email or give us a call.
