Thrifted amber ring?

[mushroomuniversity]

Hi! Utter newbie here, nice to meet you. Hope I’m posting in the right place. 

 

I’d like better trained eyes than mine to tell me more about this piece, please. I’m familiar enough with sterling silver to believe the 925 hallmark but don’t know all that much about amber beyond a 15-minute google crash course!

 

I found this at a tiny thrift shop in rural Maine a good decade ago and then forgot about it. It is mildly electrostatic and does fluoresce, strongly but unevenly, under UV light. Any tests to do with smelling are out of the question because my sense of smell has all but packed its bags and checked out thanks to covid. 

 

I’m most curious about the appearance of it under UV—does amber fluoresce unevenly like this? Those patches that don’t fluoresce fascinate me. Is that a dye? Heat treatment?

 

Or is it just a pretty fake? That wouldn’t trouble me too much, honestly. This ring is more about the emotional value for me, all I am is extremely curious. 

 

Please excuse any formatting weirdness, I’ll try my best to fix any blunders. Whatever y’all can teach me about this ring, if anything, I’ll be really grateful. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Looks like Burmese amber. Chipped and scratched. Setting made poorly and quickly with maximum profit in mind. Common as dirt and worth almost as much. It has some inclusions, but nothing I could definitely describe as a fossils at this level of clarity and magnification. Offhand I'd have to say there are no fossils present.

 

This is a Fossil Forum. We do have a mineral ID topic further down the list. If you are asking if the amber is genuine, I would say it probably is. Amber costs more to fake than what it costs to get the real thing. Without animal or insect inclusions it is low on the value scale of semi-precious stones.

[mushroomuniversity]

Hey Mark, thanks for answering and for pointing me in the right direction! Sorry for posting in the wrong board. 

[Fin Lover]

 

52 minutes ago, mushroomuniversity said:

Sorry for posting in the wrong board. 

No apology needed...I wouldn't consider this the wrong place for amber.  I used to be quite the fan of amber jewelry.  

[Randyw]

1 hour ago, mushroomuniversity said:

Sorry for posting in the wrong board. 

Nonsense! You’re asking if the amber is real not the ring so this is the perfect place for it! The blue green floresce is what I’d expect to see from amber although the 2 brownish spots concern me… although I’m thinking there’s some leftover coating or something in those spots. The internal fractures, the bubbles inside, the chips etc are all about what I’d expect to see from an old old ring. The wear on the ring also seems consistant with an old ring. You already know what the 925 means so I won’t go into that. Take a magnifying glass to it you never know you might find a little mite in it or something! 
when you shine the u.v. Light at the back ( not through it) does it floresce?

im fairly sure this is real amber though to answer your question. Another test you could do is rub the amber vigorously with a cloth then put it near a piece of hair. If the hair is attracted then that’s a good sign. Not while wearing it of course! LOL!

and welcome to the forum!

[Randyw]

P.s. I like looking at amber in any form! LOL!

[mushroomuniversity]

2 hours ago, Fin Lover said:

 

No apology needed...I wouldn't consider this the wrong place for amber.  I used to be quite the fan of amber jewelry.  

I love the look of amber jewelry. I’ve kinda been looking for one of those “teething” necklaces for myself, except that I’m 32 with all my teeth and don’t want them because I think they have magical properties, they just look real pretty.  

[mushroomuniversity]

1 hour ago, Randyw said:

Nonsense! You’re asking if the amber is real not the ring so this is the perfect place for it! The blue green floresce is what I’d expect to see from amber although the 2 brownish spots concern me… although I’m thinking there’s some leftover coating or something in those spots. The internal fractures, the bubbles inside, the chips etc are all about what I’d expect to see from an old old ring. The wear on the ring also seems consistant with an old ring. You already know what the 925 means so I won’t go into that. Take a magnifying glass to it you never know you might find a little mite in it or something! 
when you shine the u.v. Light at the back ( not through it) does it floresce?

im fairly sure this is real amber though to answer your question. Another test you could do is rub the amber vigorously with a cloth then put it near a piece of hair. If the hair is attracted then that’s a good sign. Not while wearing it of course! LOL!

and welcome to the forum!

Thanks! Yes, the back does fluoresce although more weakly. Could it be a composite/doublet sort of deal? Also, I did try the static electricity test and it works, the piece is indeed electrostatic. 
 

Now, this is a discussion for a whole other kind of forum but real quick since you mentioned the age of it: when you say “old old,” do you have a ballpark? I’m generally solid enough at art history that I can date most jewelry but this ring’s odd band design really throws me off. I don’t know if it’s a quirky attempt at art nouveau or what!

[Randyw]

1 hour ago, mushroomuniversity said:

I’ve kinda been looking for one of those “teething” necklaces for myself, except that I’m 32 with all my teeth and don’t want them because I think they have magical properties, they just look real pretty.  

Just be careful. A lot of whats sold for teething rings etc are actually copal…. If they let you take your u.v light when you look at them it’ll help…

I expected the back to floresce more weakly. A lot of the time they just dipped the back into their glue (or whatever they used) so you’re actually seeing it through the glue. The electrostatic property is a very good sign.

as to your second question.  The mark itself is giving you the oldest date It could be. It’s no older than 1970. That’s when the 925 mark began being used on silver. Are there any other marks?it’s been in use since the early 70s in the U.S. where it started. and became the accepted standard around the world in 1976. It means it’s 92.5% silver or as you already figured out sterling silver….

Edited May 26 by Randyw

[mushroomuniversity]

59 minutes ago, Randyw said:

Are there any other marks?

Yeah, that’s why I really wouldn’t want to get one of those necklaces off an internet seller unless I knew for a solid fact they’re trustworthy. Besides, all those websites that sell them lean heavy into the metaphysical healing thing and I’m super not into that stuff. I just think amber looks neat!!

 

See, I never realized that about the hallmark, I appreciate the info. Love the 1970s, I’ll take “potentially possibly maybe made in the ‘70s” gladly!

There are no other marks that I can detect, sadly. 

 

Know what, I think I might dig up my crappy old macro lens and attempt some close-ups of this ring, should be fun. If they turn out decent I’ll post here.

[Randyw]

Can’t wait to see them! Just a suggestion check out some of the mall jewelry stores. I used to find necklaces or bracelets there not too expensively and could check with u.v. Flashlight. Also try craft places that sell beads and necklace making stuff some of them have amber beads and chunks for sale reasonable. Finding inclusions in them are uncommon but not rare and sometimes you’ll even find a small bug.its rarer now then it used to be with the amber and Jurassic park craze but it does still happen sometimes.

[Pemphix]

Amber = fossilized resin = Fossil.

So, this is the right place to ask for it's authenticity = everything fine