I bought this Amber, but not sure if it is real

[Evancarstedt]

[Kane]

Hm. This looks like a resin-based creation using a modern crab. It is a common practice in preserving insects, arachnids, reptiles, various sea creatures, and even small mammals as well for display, but I have my doubts this is an amber fossil.

[Evancarstedt]

Yeah I thought is was copal a little while after I bought it

 

[Kane]

One way to tell for certain is to heat a sewing needle and poke the back end. If the material melts, you'll know it isn't amber. 

 

Still, a nice display piece. I have one of a scorpion I purchased cheaply, but the seller was up front that it was a modern specimen cast in resin.

[Evancarstedt]

Mine just had a sticker that said Amber resin

[caldigger]

1 hour ago, Evancarstedt said:

Mine just had a sticker that said Amber resin

Amber( colored) resin!

[Evancarstedt]

16 minutes ago, caldigger said:

Amber( colored) resin!

Yes, is that good or bad that it said resin 

[caldigger]

I would say bad in this case. 

[Evancarstedt]

Ok

 

[caldigger]

If you are thinking of purchasing more items, why dont you post a quick pic on here and get some feedback on authenticity before plucking down your hard earned cash. 

A "second opinion" if you will. 

[Evancarstedt]

Yes that is a smart idea

 

[Pemphix]

As said no amber.

Fake (resin).

[El_Hueso]

17 hours ago, caldigger said:

Amber( colored) resin!

THIIS!

 

I have run into this many times with sellers, not just with fossils but many other items especially with online sellers. I do a lot of chainmail armor/jewelry/ren fest work and one of our biggest issues is sellers stating an item is "iron/silver/gold" etc and selling it for a high price when they just mean that it is colored iron/silver/gold...

 

Buyer Beware!

[facehugger]

Also - a real amber chunk that size with such a perfect crab in it would likely go for thousands of dollars if it were the real deal, most likely...

 

Any price less than thousands would be a red flag for me...

[daves64]

The shape & look of the "amber" exterior looks off as well. Almost like it was poured into a candle mold with wax still clinging to the inside.