Pliosaur Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 I'm wondering if there are any very useful ways to distinguish real from fake amber? Is it possible for a fake amber to have a crust on it because on the back of my amber it is very rough kinda like raw amber? Gabriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Someone more knowledgable can add to this, I'm sure. I know a couple of tests to try: -- Put a drop of acetone on it. Amber will not be affected, but natural copal and most plastics will turn sticky. There are some fakes that won't be affected, so the test isn't completely definitive, but if it turns sticky, you know the piece is NOT amber. -- Poke it with a hot needle. I'm not sure if amber will be affected at all or not (I would suspect not), but the smell of the fumes should distinguish between tree resin (sweet or other tree scent) from plastics (unpleasant plastic smell). There may be fakes that will pass both of these tests, but something that passes the acetone test and either doesn't give off a scent under the needle or gives off a sweet, sap smell is probably amber. If you post a picture and tell us what you know about where it's supposed to be from, someone here can probably tell you more. Good luck! And, yes, someone making fakes could put a crust that resembles the real amber. I'm not sure why they would bother, but it could be done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliosaur Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 The amber is suppose to be Baltic amber. It did pass the static test and float in saltwater. The amber has a greenish, yellow glow when it is in the light and it is warm unlike glass but what gets me suspicious is the inclusion which is very big. is any more info is needed please ask!!! Gabriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Did you find this material or did you acquire it? I think if I remember correctly Auspex suggested dissolving salt in tepid water to the point of saturation. Amber will float in this dense liquid. A good test for micro specimens. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 ok you beat me to it. it looks real from the pictures but wait for someone that knows. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 If it doesn't get sticky from acetone, and if the inclusion is not some rare, exotic thing (e.g. a lizard or the Holy Grail), and if it came from a locale known for amber collection - it's amber. Why would anyone go to the trouble of fabricating a piece of relatively small value? Encapsulating a tarantula or scorpion in fake or reconstituted "amber" would bring a much nicer return of $ for the effort. I believe it's "real," enjoy. 1 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 It doesn`t look like the baltic amber I have which a few have inclusions.. I would like to view your amber insect inclusion under a stereo microscope if possible. The polished surface looks man made but I could be wrong. I want say with what I can see. Any insect in amber will (should) turn into the composition of hard amber resin after several million years. Instead of a fossil in stone the inclusion will be a fossil of amber resin in 35 million years. I posted a picture of a reaL insect stage in amber resin a few days ago. Rodney 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The amber is suppose to be Baltic amber. It did pass the static test and float in saltwater. The amber has a greenish, yellow glow when it is in the light and it is warm unlike glass but what gets me suspicious is the inclusion which is very big. is any more info is needed please ask!!! Gabriel How big is the whole piece? If you're thinking the bug is large compared to the piece, keep in mind that whoever prepped it may well have cut it down from a larger sample. If the original piece was highly crazed, or had other undesireable inclusions, I can imagine a prepper cutting it down so that the bug would be clearly visible. I don't know the likelihood of that, but the front face has certainly been polished. When you describe its glow "in the light", do you mean under UV light? Greenish-yellow fluorescence is plausible for amber in my (admittedly limited) experience, as is being warm to the touch. As snolly50 says, if it's not a rare bug inside, it's less likely to be a complete forgery. In which case, the question becomes whether it's amber or copal. Acetone will distinguish between those, unless the copal has been treated in some way. That situation, I don't know how to identify. It looks like a nice piece to me. Enjoy it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliosaur Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 I believe the inclusion is a caddisfly. The whole piece of amber is about 1 inch long. The inclusion is about 7mm. When I put it in UV light it turns greenish/yellowish. Only the front side of the amber has been polished, on the back it is bumpy and rough. I may be able to post new pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vermiculosis Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hi. Dinosaur12lee - I am collector of Baltic amber inclusions. its hard to say after your pictures. Amber looks for me a bit strange. I can check amber by the smell. I also can recognize colombian copal by the smell. You can also try set fire to the fragment and check smell of resin. As i know baltic amber under UV looks white ( amber fishers got big UV lights and fishing in the night - i saw it by myself - in the night under UV amber is whitish.) If you can - send me better pictures please. Try find inside this amber Stellate hair from OAK - very characteristic inside Baltic amber only.. 1 Natural Baltic Ambers With Inclusions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliosaur Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 I'll try to get better pics as soon as I can but Im having some issues with my photos right now. In the piece of amber I don't see any Oak hairs, the amber is light orange/yellow and is very light. Gabriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Vermiculosis, are oak hairs present in all or most Baltic amber pieces? I've never heard of that. I readily admit I don't know much about amber. If the hairs are an identifying trait, that might help me figure out where some of my specimens are from. I have several of unknown origin. Or is the UV color a better identifying characteristic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I can tell you for a fact all amber is not created equal nor is anything else. If you can see inside your amber a stereo microscope will show that none of them will be exactly the same. Your eyes will never be able to pick up on the suttle changes of this resins changes over millions of years. None of my hundreds of samples are the same, some can be close. Any more pictures? Rodney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 dinosaur12lee, the picture you posted already looks a bit like my piece of Dominican amber: Did you try the acetone test? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliosaur Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thats a cool piece! I have tried the acetone test, the acetone had no effect on the amber but after I waited for the acetone to evaporate it made the surface of the amber look terribly cloudy does anyone know why this happened or did I put too much acetone on it? I am guessing this is fake. Gabriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thats a cool piece! I have tried the acetone test, the acetone had no effect on the amber but after I waited for the acetone to evaporate it made the surface of the amber look terribly cloudy does anyone know why this happened or did I put too much acetone on it? I am guessing this is fake. Gabriel Thanks. That's my only true amber with a bug, although I do have copal with several bugs. Regarding your piece, I don't know why it would turn cloudy. Have you tried wiping or washing the cloud off? It could just be a residue from the acetone. If the cloud won't come off easily, you could probably have a lapidary remove it by polishing. If the piece wasn't affected otherwise, then it isn't untreated copal. I wouldn't be too quick to assume the piece is fake! Have you tried a hot needle yet? That should rule out plastic. I'd recommend trying that on the rough side, not the polished area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pliosaur Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Thanks for the advice! I will try to do the hot needle test soon and see what will happen. Will real amber have a pine scent while fake amber has a plastic scent? Gabriel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediospirifer Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 If it smells like plastic, it certainly isn't amber. I freely admit, I've never tried the hot needle test myself, so I'm not sure how much scent amber has. It might not smell like anything, but if it has any scent, it should be a sweet, sap smell. Pine, maple, apple, or any other tree smell. Like the acetone test, this won't prove that it is amber, but it will rule out plastics. Copal will also smell like tree sap. As I understand it, these tests in combination will reduce the possibilities to amber or copal that has been treated somehow to resist acetone. Good luck! Keep in mind that I'm not an expert. There may be other tests and ways of faking amber that I'm not aware of. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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