Amber jewelry is especially popular with the fair sex. Along with this natural and unusually beautiful natural stone, you can increasingly find jewelry made of artificial amber that looks very beautiful - sunny-honey, transparent and even with some kind of spider or bug (small size) inside. The creation of such a stone was made possible thanks to the level of modern technology that allows you to simulate absolutely any natural stone. Ornaments and other products made from them are so natural that sometimes they cannot be distinguished from real ones. From this material we learn how to distinguish natural from artificial amber, about the characteristics of the stone and its preparation on its own.
Petrified resin
Amber is one of the oldest stones known to mankind. For many years (even centuries) it has been widely used and is used today for the manufacture of various jewelry and other luxury goods. Formed millions of years ago, and petrified, the resin charms with its warm honey hue and mysterious impregnations. Inside the most expensive specimens contain frozen insects or other inclusions.
A large amount of organic stone is mined in the Russian Federation. However, this is not a guarantee that compatriots will not purchase artificial amber instead of natural, because there are quite a lot of unscrupulous sellers.
What replace?
Today, natural amber is often replaced with a variety of materials. It is worth familiarizing yourself with some of their properties in order to further see the difference in what kind of stone it is: natural or artificial amber; and how to distinguish them from each other.
Amber FakesTitle | The properties | How to produce? |
Pressed amber | In terms of quality, it is not inferior to natural stones. It has an uneven color, a large number of small bubbles. It has poor transparency. | It is made from small amber or its waste. |
Tar kauri | Slightly softer than natural stone. It has a pronounced coniferous smell. The inner part is more homogeneous, does not have wave-like inclusions that would indicate years of layering. A well-crafted kauri resin achieves a greater resemblance to the script. | For production use the resin of modern conifers grown in New Zealand. In jewelry production is found, but used for the manufacture of furniture. |
Digging | Such artificial amber can hardly be distinguished even by an experienced jeweler. The stone is easier to melt, when heated, an unpleasant medicinal smell emanates from it. Digging more viscous and soft. | It is extracted in small volumes from the resin of tropical trees. |
Epoxy resin | A fairly well-known synthetic substance. It has a strong chemical odor that occurs with mild heating or friction. | A thermoplastic product that is produced by chemical compounds and manipulations. |
Plastic | Products made from this material are practically weightless. They have the correct structure without interspersing. With tactile contact, its artificial origin becomes apparent. | Obtained by combining chemical elements. |
Glass | Artificial glass amber has excessive transparency and color uniformity. Finished glass products significantly exceed the weight of the item, which is made of genuine stone. Almost scratch resistant. | Obtained by heating quartz sand to very high temperatures and instant cooling with the addition of impurities. |
In addition to the above materials, fake amber can be made from polyester, bakelite, casein, bernite, ambroid, polybern, acrylic, faturan, celluloid. It should be noted that, despite the skill of jewelers, it is still possible to distinguish a genuine stone from a fake.
How to distinguish natural from artificial amber?
There are a huge number of reliable ways to distinguish natural stone from a fake. A significant role in this is played by the unique physicochemical properties of natural stone. Most often, substitutes do not have these qualities or show them in insignificant quantities. Please note: real stones have low thermal conductivity, with tactile contact with amber you can feel its heat, glass products do not have this characteristic.
A fake stone has a greater hardness than natural, it can be felt even with your fingers. However, kauri and digging, on the contrary, have a softer structure. Let's find out how to distinguish real amber from artificial.
Visual inspection
First of all, it is necessary to conduct a visual inspection. The hallmark of natural stone is its extraordinary structure. The heterogeneous structure, microcracks, inclusions - all this indicates a natural origin. Pay attention to the fact that glass products have increased transparency and are distinguished by the play of light. Objects made of plastic exhibit these properties with less intensity.
Scent
You should consider the characteristics of the aroma. In the original stone, the smell intensifies with heating, for example, due to friction. Another way to check the naturalness of the stone is to put a red-hot needle on a less visible area. The performed manipulations will reveal the smell of rosin (a mixture of cloves and needles).
Electrostatic properties
The next step is to check the electrostatic properties. One of the main qualities of amber is its ability to attract small pieces of paper and fibers after intense friction. Today, plastic products can be electrified, but with less power. Resins do not have this ability.
Ultraviolet Research
You can distinguish natural amber from artificial amber using an ultraviolet lamp. In this case, a transparent stone will luminesce in blue, having a different intensity. Smoky, more turbid specimens under the influence of a lamp will sparkle with pale blue tints. The bony look of amber (white, opaque) luminesces with a milky white color with a light blue tint.
Folk way
In addition to modern methods of checking amber for naturalness, you can use the folk method. One of the easiest ways to check it for authenticity is to put amber in a glass containing salt water. In the event that the stone is natural, it will remain on the surface, while the fake will sink to the bottom.
How to make artificial amber?
Small and inexpensive projects for interior decoration of an apartment or house using amber can give any room a unique amazing look. However, natural amber is too expensive to be used for home decoration, so not everyone can afford it. For this purpose, do-it-yourself artificial amber is perfect.
Imitation sun stone
In fact, it is not difficult to imitate amber at home. It will take much less time than this process takes in nature. Here are two methods that you can use to make artificial amber. So how to do it yourself? Let's consider in more detail.
Method one
Prepare turpentine resin, rosin, shellac in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. Take a tin dish, the walls of which are greased with oil, melt turpentine in it. As the material melts, we add shellac to it, while the consistency of the mixture becomes thicker and becomes white. After that, it should be warmed up until it becomes transparent. As soon as this happens, pour in small portions into the mass, previously melted rosin. Gradually, when heated, the mass will become even more transparent, the desired color can be obtained by choosing the appropriate shellac. Please note: the longer the mixture heats up, the more intense and darker the color will be. By the way, a stone prepared in such conditions will have a firmer texture. If you want a softer consistency, you need to add a little more turpentine.
The resulting amber fake can be cast or molded using compression. Then the stone can be polished and ground. It must be remembered that such a composition is not sensitive to water, but can dissolve in alcohol.
Second way
The second technique is that gelatin is part of artificial amber. The process of such an imitation of stone is more time-consuming, because after the gelatin is poured into the bath, it must be sprinkled with finely divided mica golden spangles. After the oil has hardened, the procedure should be repeated again, and then several more times. After completion of the work, the newly made stone should be covered with cherry varnish. By the way, it is precisely this method that restorers use in their work.
In the manufacture of amber in this way (since the mass is initially quite liquid) for greater naturalness, you can add some small insect or leaf to it, imitating inclusion in this way. From amber prepared by this method, you can make any jewelry, for example, pendants, beads, etc.
These techniques will allow you to get artificial amber at home, as a cheaper raw material for jewelry than natural stone. However, this method should not be used for the preparation of products for industrial purposes, passing off such amber as a natural stone. Do not forget that the manufacture and sale of fakes in our country is criminally punishable.