Fake Amber

Things you should know about fake amber.

First you should know how to tell fake amber from real amber.

In this page we give you what amounts to an introduction to what is real amber versus fake amber.

Fake amber is sold not only to those tourists who have no idea what amber really is, but also to those people who consider themselves amber experts. It is the Amber experts that take the heaviest losses because they tend to avoid the cheap imitations and buy instead the expensive imitations.

Often the first indicator of fraudulent amber is the price. Raw amber or finished amber that sells below the market price is very likely fake.

The market is what the market is. Amber is in high demand and people who have pure natural Baltic Amber do not compete on price. They set their brand based on quality and they do not discount just to make sales.

The reality is that it is the customers who are competing to get quality amber. So if you see a low-priced amber, that is a warning flag.

The video in this page shows you some information about the Amber Laboratory in Gdansk, Poland and gives you many views of fraudulent Amber.

The point not emphasized in that video  is that the common tests of using a black light, floating the amber, smelling the amber, and other such simple tests, are at best indicators. They are unreliable. The only way you can be sure is to subject the product to an IRS examination offered by the Amber Laboratory.

We buy and sell Amber every day. We have, like so many other professionals who do the same as we do, come to recognize that the only way that we can be assured that we are probably getting pure Baltic Amber, is to buy from suppliers who have within Poland a recognized reputation for dealing only with pure natural Baltic Amber.

So the first line of defense is to know your seller.

Your second line of defense is to know how to PROPERLY test your amber. Here is a test procedure.

And here is what you need to test amber. Amber Test Kit

And here is a video that should interest you.

 

The above constitutes a little knowledge.  And a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

We recommend that you read this book.   The Amber Buyers Guide.