Question about amber

[fossil35]

I was hoping to get a piece of amber with insect inside and was wondering if there was any good way to know if its real from photos? Or anything to have a better chance of it being real? I've heard when you have the piece can test like (salt water/uv light) but would be nice to not end up with fakes.

[Yoda]

If you do an online search, you will see the differences between amber, copal and resin 

 

Generally speaking, insects in Amber are tiny. 
True Amber often also has a debris in it too, and can have internal fractures 

 

The big pieces with scorpions, beetles or butterflies that are relatively cheap , are extant (modern) in resin 

[Randyw]

The long and the short of it is no. There’s things to look for of course like inconsistencies in swirl patterns, debris, bubbles, colors etc. mostly it’s the larger rarer stuff that’s faked. It’s not worth faking a gnat or midge in amber for instance. I’ve got 6 pieces of copal in my collection right now that is indistinguishable from amber just looking at them even in hand with a magnifying glass. So only the obvious fakes are really able to be told by photo. Even trusted companies can sometimes be fooled. Pick one with a return policy….. seeing as how copal is just amber that hasn’t finished amberfying it will often closely match amber appearances. I’ve got roughly 150 pieces of amber in my collection (I’ve handled over 1000) and they range from beautifully clear yellow with only the insect to cluttered junkyards, yellow to reddish etc…

so while there are clues to look for the only positive way is with the in hand tests…

Edited December 5, 2023 by Randyw

[RuMert]

I guess Baltic amber is abundant and cheap, so less need to fake.  On the other hand there can be extinct insect families in Burmese amber, so an entomologist can confirm it's real by photo alone

[trilobites_are_awesome]

A piece of advice buy from reliable places. 

If you want real amber it can be a bit more expensive then copal.

(I got a piece of real Dominican amber)

Edited December 5, 2023 by trilobites_are_awesome

[fossil35]

Thank you for all the info. Will look for photos of differences in amber,copal,resin as said. As well as watch out for everything said by others. I do know of only 1 trusted(reliable) site to get from but they sell out so fast can't even see what prices where (there prices seem on the high end from others though) so was going try else where. So was trying to be as safe as could be of fakes.

[Psittacosaur9]

On 12/6/2023 at 4:45 AM, fossil35 said:

Thank you for all the info. Will look for photos of differences in amber,copal,resin as said. As well as watch out for everything said by others. I do know of only 1 trusted(reliable) site to get from but they sell out so fast can't even see what prices where (there prices seem on the high end from others though) so was going try else where. So was trying to be as safe as could be of fakes.

I know the feeling. I had to check the website you're talking about early every morning for a couple of weeks just for a chance at amber with insect inclusions. Usually, the amber is posted at 7 pm GMT, so just convert that time into whatever time zone you're from to know when best to check. Also make sure that the website can ship to your country; better to be disappointed now when you don't have your sights on any particular piece of amber then to be rejected at the checkout.

[johnbullock]

On 12/5/2023 at 5:29 AM, Randyw said:

The long and the short of it is no. There’s things to look for of course like inconsistencies in swirl patterns, debris, bubbles, colors etc. mostly it’s the larger rarer stuff that’s faked. It’s not worth faking a gnat or midge in amber for instance. I’ve got 6 pieces of copal in my collection right now that is indistinguishable from amber just looking at them even in hand with a magnifying glass. So only the obvious fakes are really able to be told by photo. Even trusted companies can sometimes be fooled. Pick one with a return policy….. seeing as how copal is just amber that hasn’t finished amberfying it will often closely match amber appearances. I’ve got roughly 150 pieces of amber in my collection (I’ve handled over 1000) and they range from beautifully clear yellow with only the insect to cluttered junkyards, yellow to reddish etc…

so while there are clues to look for the only positive way is with the in hand tests… creatures in it and I believe one of them is alive in it

 

[Randyw]

@johnbullock This question has already been answered. One post about a piece is enough the answer isn’t going to change no matter how many times you post the picture….

Edited December 13, 2023 by Randyw

[fossil35]

I gave a try at some amber. If any can help me with being sure they are real? Did salt water and they floated. Static test took a little bit but they worked. The uv light seem to glow but a few spots had odd spots like. I tried to take pics best I could but bit hard get good pictures of these little things (about as close up as can get).

 

#1

 

#2

 

#3

 

(UV light)

[Lone Hunter]

Stick a red hot pin in it. Put a drop of acetone on it. Do specific gravity test.

[fossil35]

I tried the acetone didn't seem to do anything to each piece.

Didn't want to risk damage with hot pin, so I tried rubbing pieces for long time. They did have a little of a nature smell.

The gravity test had to look up. Seems need a small scale and don't have one at the time.

 

hopefully with the other tests as well would be good enough?

 

[Brandy Cole]

@fossil35 As you move forward with purchases, it may be a good idea to post photos of potential buys in the "Is It Real" section of the forum before making a purchase.  That section is specifically geared toward evaluating these questions.

[daves64]

Based on the color of the stones while under UV, I'd say that they are most likely either Burmese or Indonesian amber. Both show that same blue hue, while the Baltic is a brighter green color. The bands of lines are usually from layers of the resin and the darker patches tend to be debris or even staining from dirty water that has gotten trapped. Most times the layers don't show very well in normal light with the clearer pieces, but the uv tends to bring them out.

[fossil35]

Got some help getting a scope for better photos. Now not as sure if they are good, even after passing so many test. From what I could find color is rare for the insects and I could see color.  But I tested a bit and if lighted from below or behind they show dark. If you light in different way it shows full color.

 

#1( first amber piece)

 

#1( insect 1)

 

#1( insect 2)

 

#2(second amber piece)

 

#3(third amber piece)

 

(First insect light different)

 

(second lighted different)

 

(second piece lighted different)

 

(third piece lighted different)

[Randyw]

I can’t tell for sure but it appears like a lot of crazing being lighted on the right edge of your sixth picture…. Im suspecting this may be a piece of copal. One of the reasons I don’t like copal is becuase of the fact it’s still releasing the chemicals inside so it crazes much more and faster then amber. Are those marks scratches or do they look like a fine network of surface cracks?

[fossil35]

Sorry forgot add full photos of 2 and 3 piece. Not really sure what the lines are, there are some in both the 2 and 3 pieces.

 

(second piece full)

 

(second piece different angle)

 

(third piece )

 

(third piece different angle)