Amber Sterling

Amber Sterling
Amber Sterling Amber Sterling

When I think of amber I almost always think of honey. I picture honey bees on their combs with the oozing, sticky, yellow- brown substance and sweet clover-like scent. Amber has its beginnings in a living tree that contains resin just underneath the bark. If needed the tree oozes its resin layer to protect itself from intrusive insects and aid itself in healing when it has a wound because of inflicted damage by nature or man. When a tree is completely buried over by water or land a fossilization process begins. Over time the tree resin becomes fossilized and we call it amber. Amber is fossilized resin and is considered an organic gem because of the natural process it undergoes in formation.

Amber can contain insects and other objects and many serious collectors are thrilled to own or see such treasured pieces. Like flowing honey, the resin trapped little things in its path and covered them and they hardened over time into a precious gift. When purchasing amber with an insect be cautious and careful as some people have inserted insects into amber like substances. Consider where and who you are buying the amber from as well. The main source of amber worldwide is the Baltic Coast. The amber that comes from there is known as the best quality. While I was in St. Petersburg in 1985, I planned to purchase a piece of genuine Baltic amber jewelry. I bought an amber ring from a reputable jewelry store and still enjoy wearing it from time to time and thinking fondly of my visit to Russia.

Amber has a long trade history and was associated with having magical properties. In the Smithsonian Rock and Gem by Bonewitz (copyright 2005), I learned that the ancient Greeks called amber electrum because when the stone is rubbed it can give an electrical reaction. The ancient Greeks and other cultures thought the person who wore or touched amber could commune with higher powers because of this electrical feature. People have tested amber by rubbing it for thousands of years to determine its authenticity. You can rub your amber on felt or fur like material till it is warm and hold it just above a small piece of paper and the paper should be drawn to the material.

The colors of amber are white, pale yellow, yellow, green, brown, and even reddish-brown. It can be blue but you need the sun to reflect on it to see blue and this is a more rare form of amber. It can be translucent or opaque. Amber can be chunky and large and still be very light weight. This makes amber perfect for large chunky jewelry designs. Amber is found on the Baltic Coast after storms because it floats. Amber will float in salt water and imitations will sink. You can use 1 part salt to 2 parts water and test. If your amber piece has precious metal on it, it will not float. Amber is warm to the touch and glass imitations will feel cool. Clean your piece of amber with mild soap, rinse with water, and try the lick test. Lick the piece several times and you should not be able to taste anything. I had a piece of material and wondered if it was amber. It passed the lick test but not the nail polisher remover one. Amber will not be affected by solvents. I used a cotton swab with nail polish remover on the substance in question and it felt tacky afterwards. I now knew I did not have a piece of amber.

When trying to figure out if your amber is real you will want to try several tests to see how your piece held up. There are more ways to test amber but they require more drastic measures that could actually damage the piece you are wondering about. If the piece you are testing fails even one test it is not real. Genuine amber is a beautiful organic gemstone that was desired in ages past and still stirs strong interest today.

Ann Fiducci is the owner of Abundant Trove where we create and sell unique designs in handmade beaded jewelry. We invite you to visit http://abundanttrove.com where we hope you find a treasure to call your very own. You may view one of our handmade beaded amber necklaces on our site.

Can I shower or swim with a sterling silver necklace with amber pendant or will it go ugly?

You can do that and it should stay looking okay but you are likely to lose the pendant while swimming. Actually the more you move the more wear the necklace parts will have so it would eventually break. So, you can do either one, just look out for breakage so you can retrieve the parts and maybe put it back together.