How Do You Identify An Amber Gemstone?
It is very difficult to recognize an original amber gemstone. This happens because the market is filled with several imitations of amber which confuse the buyers. One of its numerous imitations is called ‘Amberdan’. It has properties fairly near to natural gem. The way to test the originality is when the stone is heated and gives off a certain odor. When the odor smells like a mixture of plastic and amber, it suggests that a natural resin has been mixed with a plastic binder. Amber is often confused with copal. These two stones are composed of very similar materials with nearly identical origins and so it is difficult to identify the original amber. The main difference is that while copals are just a few hundred thousand years old, ambers are several million years old. Another imitation that is found in the market is made up of pressed amber, or ‘ambroid’. This is created by fusing smaller bits of the gem under heat. This can be distinguished from original gem when you examine it under
