Amber jewelry – beautiful, warm, fascinating. Recently, even a tutelary deity of high jewelery, such as Fawaz Gruosi, has proposed creations with this material, which is fossil resin with a history of thousands of years. Unfortunately, however, amber in circulation has a flaw: it is often fake. In this case it is almost always the resin of the copal or plastic tree. Read, then, how to recognize true amber. The best, it must be said immediately, is the one that comes from some areas bordering the Baltic Sea.
Salt water test
A test that often works to find out if amber is true or false, the salt water test. Proceed as follows: mix seven teaspoons of salt and a medium-sized cup of water. When all the salt has dissolved, put the amber into the water. True amber should float easily, most fakes will sink right away. It is a method that can be easily applied to those jewels composed almost exclusively of amber, while it does not work if the amber is only a small part, for example it is in the setting of a ring.
Magnifying glass
A check with your eyes can immediately resolve the doubt. True amber tends to have small imperfections – a close look, perhaps with a magnifying glass, can reveal the truth. For example, tiny cracks, air bubbles, or inclusions of dust, or insects. In addition, even the amber pearls, for example in a necklace, tend to be slightly different from each other. On the contrary, fake amber will be perfect. Too.
Use your fingers
Amber tends to feel slightly warm to the touch because it is not a conductive material. In short, it is the same effect on the skin that wood or rubber makes, unlike metal or water. Most fakes, on the other hand, will look cooler.
Hair test
True amber has electrostatic properties, like plastic: it can attract tiny bits of paper and dust when it is charged with enough energy. To charge the amber, wrap it in a cloth and rub it vigorously, without damaging it. At this point, if you bring the amber close to the head (or small pieces of paper) and the hair is attracted, it means that static electricity has formed and most likely the amber is authentic. Conversely, if the stone does not charge, but becomes sticky, it is false.
Boiling needle
Another way to tell real amber from fake is to check your jewelry with a hot needle. Provided you use an area that is not visible. To perform this test, in fact, it is necessary to heat the needle and point it at the stone. If the needle has entered only slightly or has left cracks, most likely the amber is real. Another element: if the amber is real, there is also the smell of old rotten wood. When doing the same procedure with fakes, the needle goes in very easily and you can smell fresh plastic or pine (if it’s copal resin). Obviously, this test can only be done on parts of amber that are not in sight because the needle leaves a mark, albeit a small one.
The scratch
The same concept applies to the scratch proof. This test helps to distinguish colored glass from amber, because glass beads cannot be scratched by metal, while real amber is quite soft and scratches. If a bead gets scratched, it is most likely amber. Too bad the test ruins it.
Smell the amber
It is a test used by those who are quite familiar with amber. In fact, one must be able to distinguish the smell of copal resin from that of Baltic amber. The smell of true Baltic amber is usually stronger than that of copal. And, if it is plastic, the smell is unpleasant.
The price
It is not a definitive proof, but be wary of amber jewelry with an excessively low price or, in any case, much lower than others. In addition, the best quality amber is usually accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. In short, a reliable seller is able to provide the right information.
