There's something nobody tells you when you buy amber for the first time: it isn't technically a gemstone. It's fossilised resin. It's been hardening under the sediment of the Baltic Sea for somewhere between 40 and 50 million years, and we still treat it like jewellery. When you hold a piece, that's hard to ignore. Forty-four million years in something that weighs less than a coin.
I think that's exactly what makes it interesting.
What is Baltic amber?
Baltic amber — known scientifically as succinite — is fossilised resin from extinct conifers that covered northern Europe around 44 million years ago. The resin fell from the trees, was buried under layers of sediment and, with enough time and pressure, became what we now find on Baltic beaches.
What sets succinite apart from amber found elsewhere is its succinic acid content, which sits between 3% and 8% of the piece's total weight. Amber from the Dominican Republic, Myanmar or Mexico has a different composition. Not inferior — just not the same.
If you see a label that says only "natural amber" with no origin specified, it's worth asking.
The colour isn't what you'd expect
Most people picture amber as a translucent honey yellow. That describes maybe 30% of what exists.
What customers tell us most often when they see real Baltic amber for the first time is that they didn't expect the colours to be so vivid. And it makes sense: Baltic amber comes in a range that runs from opaque milky white through cognac orange, lemon yellow, cherry red and — in pieces treated with controlled heat — blue tones. The most historically sought-after shade is translucent cognac. Milky white, though, has grown in demand for contemporary jewellery precisely because it reads cleaner against the skin.
Colour doesn't determine authenticity. It determines price.
Four types to know before you buy
When you look for Baltic amber jewellery, you'll likely come across these four categories:
- Natural amber: No treatment beyond mechanical polishing. The most valued. Each piece has its own variations — small bubbles, hairline cracks, internal inclusions.
- Clarified amber: Heated in oil or autoclave to remove cloudiness and improve transparency. Not a fake — it's an accepted practice in jewellery — but it should be declared.
- Pressed amber: Small fragments compacted at high temperature. Lower value. Legally it must be labelled as such; the problem is that it isn't always.
- Copal: Young resin, less than a million years old. Not amber, though it's sold as such more often than seems reasonable.
Knowing these four categories won't make you an expert. But it gives you the right questions to ask the person selling it.
How to tell if your amber is genuine
Four tests you can do at home, no equipment needed.
Salt water test. Dissolve two tablespoons of salt in a glass of warm water. Genuine amber floats. Plastic, glass and crystal sink. Copal also floats, so if you're still unsure, combine this with the next test.
Smell test. Rub the piece firmly between your fingers for ten seconds. Genuine amber gives off a faint pine resin scent. Plastic smells like plastic. No mystery there.
Nail test. Try to scratch the surface with your fingernail. Amber leaves a fine white powder and doesn't scratch cleanly. Copal gives way with very little pressure — almost like soft soap.
UV test. Under ultraviolet light, Baltic amber emits a characteristic blue-white fluorescence. Most plastics don't, or fluoresce a different colour. Of the four tests, this is the most reliable.
None of these tests is foolproof on its own. Together, they give a fairly clear picture.
What to check before buying a piece
Four concrete things:
The first is declared origin. A serious supplier specifies "Baltic amber" or "succinite", not just "natural amber". Vagueness in the description is usually a signal.
The second is the setting metal. Baltic amber pairs well with sterling silver and 18-carat gold, which don't react with succinic acid. Lower-quality metals can discolour the piece over time.
The third is price. A quality Baltic amber bead bracelet doesn't come in under €60–80. If something costs considerably less, it's worth finding out why.
The fourth — more subjective — is texture and irregularity. Natural pieces have subtle colour variations, internal inclusions or tiny bubbles that no moulded plastic replicates with any fidelity. The imperfection isn't a flaw. It's the signature of the genuine.
→ See our Baltic amber bracelet
Baltic amber has something few gemstones have: a traceable origin and 44 million years of history visible in every piece. When you choose to buy it well, you're not paying more. You're paying for something that deserves it.