Natural Baltic Amber

The characteristics and identification of Natural Baltic Amber.

The term Natural Baltic Amber is defined by the International Amber Association, Gdansk, Poland in its list of Classification of Amber Genstones as:

Natural Baltic amber (Succinite) – gemstone which has undergone mechanical treatment only (for instance: grinding, cutting, turning or polishing) without any change to its natural properties. Look at examples at Beads Hand Carved From One Stone

Jewelry in this classification is generally hand crafted.  Additionally, each piece is one of a kind. The colors are limited to the color of the amber used to make the jewelry.

Examples of Natural Baltic Amber jewelry include pendants, white amber set in silver, amber bead necklaces, some Buddhist prayer beads and some Islamic prayer beads.

Craft beads, such as those used to make baby teething necklaces, that are tumbled polished are Natural Baltic Amber – provided those that are heated to change colors – such as cherry colored craft beads are Modified Baltic Amber.

A note about some important characteristics of Natural Baltic Amber.

As part of a healing process, resin was exuded to make a healing patch over an injured area. It flowed downward.

As it flowed, it solidified in layers. So amber nuggets are generally flat with layered structures.

It contains impurities, in varying kinds and amounts, that were trapped as the amber flowed.. Amber that was formed inside a tree will have fewer impurities than that that formed on the tree surface or which fell to the dirt.

It has a diverse internal structure often containing cracks, voids, and varying layer patterns.

It is brittle and will fracture very easily.

That means that your Natural Baltic Amber bead, or other jewelry, may have internal cracks, impurities and it is brittle.

So you are likely to see spots on the surface which spots are caused by impurities.  Being brittle and with internal cracks, it is likely to crack or chip.

Because the nuggets are mostly flat, bead size is generally limited to a maximum 12 mm.

Complete information about the Characteristics of Amber can be found here.  Characteristics Of Amber.

If you have a particular interest in Baltic Amber products or special work, you can contact us for help.

And if you have any questions or need further information, contact us.

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