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amber gemstone color varieties
Amber gemstone comes in a wide variety of colors, brown, yellow, red, green, blue, (blues and greens due to strong fluorescence) orange, and white (due to delocalized electrons on organic molecules and impurities.)
amber gemstone sources
The most famous amber comes from the Baltic region, Poland and Russia, it is also found in Dominican Republic, Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United States. You can find our interactive map for gemstone of the world Here.
amber treatment
Amber is sometimes heated to create deeper (darker) colors, or heated in oil to remove cloudiness. Oil-heated amber often contains highly reflective, disc-like inclusions called spangles. Hot needle is used to distinguish amber from synthetics. Real amber will produce smoke that smells a bit like incense, while plastic will melt and show a black mark.
amber gemstone in jewellery
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Amber has been used since prehistoric times for jewellery and religious purposes. The Baltic Amber, is the earliest-used gem material of all. Today, amber gemstone is used in all types of jewellery, including pendants, rings, necklaces, and bracelets. It should be noted that glass and plastic imitations of amber exist, also, small fragments of amber can be heated up and pressed together (this is called ambroid) to create bigger pieces of amber gemstone. A practical test to recognize a genuine amber is to cut off a small piece of amber and burn it. genuine amber will give off an aromatic smell when burnt. Read a complete guide on how to buy amber jewelry here.
Final tip for buying an amber jewellery: the fact that there is a fly trapped in the jewellery does not mean you are buying a genuine amber jewellery (plastic imitations also can have flies trapped in them). |
amber care
A soft, damp cloth may be used for cleaning amber. Amber should never be submitted to steam or ultrasonic cleaning. Avoid alcohol, bleach and all harsh chemicals. Also avoid prolonged exposure to hot water. The safest and best way to clean a piece of jewelry containing amber is with lukewarm water, a very mild soap and a soft brush.Be sure to rinse thoroughly
and allow the amber to dry completely before storing the piece in your jewelry
box. Store each piece separately so that other jewelry won’t scratch it.
amber gemstone healing properties and benefits
Soothing, calming, cleansing.
Chakra: Cleanser of all chakras
Zodiac sign: Taurus
Zodiac sign: Taurus
myths and magical properties of Amber
Because amber gets electrified when rubbed, ancient Greeks believed it to be broken pieces of the sun. There are many myths surrounding the origins of amber. For example, an Athenian historian called Nicias thought that amber was the perspiration of the earth. According to one Greek myth, when Pantheon, son of Apollo, was set on fire by Jupiter for scorching the earth with the chariot of the sun, his sisters turned into poplar trees through grief and wept tears of amber. The Chinese believed amber to be the crystallized spirit of the tiger. According to the ancient Greeks, amber had numerous practical uses. One such use was to mix ground amber with honey and rose oil and use it as a cure for deafness. This was also thought to enhance vision. The Chinese believed that amber embodies courage. Blood amber, a specific type of amber, was also used as an aphrodisiac in China.
The Romans had a number of uses for amber as well. If amber was ingested in powdered form or worn around the neck, it was thought to ward off insanity. It was seen as an effective remedy against ague, poisonous drugs, and problems related to tooth loss. There is an account left by Pliny the Elder, where he mentions children wearing amber amulets to stave off evil spirits. Interestingly, Pliny believed that amber originated from the sap of trees and he was correct in this belief. Up until the 17th century, people puzzled over the origins of amber and at one stage attributed it to the urine of the lynx.
It has always been seen as having medicinal properties and throughout history, up until the early 20th century, was used for a wide variety of ailments.
The Romans had a number of uses for amber as well. If amber was ingested in powdered form or worn around the neck, it was thought to ward off insanity. It was seen as an effective remedy against ague, poisonous drugs, and problems related to tooth loss. There is an account left by Pliny the Elder, where he mentions children wearing amber amulets to stave off evil spirits. Interestingly, Pliny believed that amber originated from the sap of trees and he was correct in this belief. Up until the 17th century, people puzzled over the origins of amber and at one stage attributed it to the urine of the lynx.
It has always been seen as having medicinal properties and throughout history, up until the early 20th century, was used for a wide variety of ailments.
amber basic properties table
Chemical Formula | Approximately C10H16O mixture of various resins |
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Color | yellow, brown, red, green, orange |
Hardness | 2 - 2.5 on the Mohs scale |
Crystal System | Amorphous |
Refractive Index | 1.539 - 1.545 |
Transparency | Transparent to opaque |
Cleavage | None |
Fracture | Conchoidal, brittle |
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