How to clean it
Wipe with a soft dry cloth. No solvents, no ultrasonic — amber is soft and dissolves in some cleaners.
Golden yellow to deep orange-brown
Amber
Properties
Composition
Fossilised tree resin — organic, not mineral
Hardness (Mohs)
2–2.5
Crystal system
Amorphous
Colour
Golden yellow to deep orange-brown
Mined in
Baltic coast, Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Mexico
Worth knowing
Baltic amber is 44 million years old and frequently contains trapped insects. Rub it and it holds a static charge — the Greek word for amber, elektron, gave us electricity.
History
Traded along the Amber Road from the Baltic to the Mediterranean since the Bronze Age.
Practical
Caring for Amber
How to tell it is real
The saltwater test: amber floats in heavily salted water while plastic and glass sink. Real amber also builds a static charge when rubbed.
One general rule covers most mistakes: never store stones loose together. Diamond at 10 on the Mohs scale scratches everything else you own, and it does not need much contact to do it.
What that hardness means in practice
Very soft — a fingernail is around 2.5 on the scale. Protected settings only, and store it separately.
Traditional associations
Amber is traditionally associated with warmth, recovery and carrying the past lightly. In chakra systems it is placed at the Solar Plexus, Sacral, and in elemental correspondence it is assigned to Fire.
These are cultural associations recorded across various traditions, not claims about physical effects. The composition and hardness above are measurable; this paragraph is folklore, and worth reading as such.
Questions
What is Amber made of?
Fossilised tree resin — organic, not mineral, crystallising in the amorphous system.
Where does Amber come from?
Baltic coast, Dominican Republic, Myanmar, Mexico.
How do I clean Amber?
Wipe with a soft dry cloth. No solvents, no ultrasonic — amber is soft and dissolves in some cleaners.
How can I tell if Amber is real?
The saltwater test: amber floats in heavily salted water while plastic and glass sink. Real amber also builds a static charge when rubbed.
Can I wear it every day?
At 2–2.5 on the Mohs scale, not in a ring. Keep it to pieces that take fewer knocks.