What are Raw Amber Stones – How Much Are They Worth?
There has been an increase in the price of Raw Amber. The demand for this precious gemstone has skyrocketed in recent years. People look everywhere for safe ways to store their wealth away from devaluing currencies such as fiat money or gold, which are finite resources and more expensive than hard assets such as oil reserves, providing economic stability.
The demand for this precious and rare gemstone has skyrocketed in recent years as people search high and low for safe ways to store their wealth away from devaluing currencies such as fiat money or gold, which are finite sources. Still, the cost of Amber varies depending on the quality of the stone.
Top-grade stones can cost thousands of dollars and sell for up to $50 per gram, while lower-quality pieces sell for five times less than that amount. Because lower-quality pieces are frequently drilled rather than intricately carved out with a knife, this makes them easier but does not add any value, so buyers may just as easily go elsewhere if your product isn’t worth their time; in the first place!
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is Amber?
Amber is a natural gemstone created over two to ten million years. Amber originates as sap from a tree that has accumulated over a spot. Usually, little creatures or bugs may be seen on the branches of these gathering sites on trees.
Unlike mineral jewels, the features of Amber are described by impurities, including insects; that is extremely common because insects and small animals seek refuge on tree branches that are relatively close to the pores that cause tree resin to be released in the first place. Impurities, including insects, are responsible for forming Amber’s internal factors.
Where Can You Find Amber?
Amber may be discovered worldwide, but the most significant discoveries have been made in nations such as the United Us in Wyoming, Venezuela, Romania, Russia, and Burma, to name a few examples.
It is most common to see Burmese amber trafficked in China, where the Amber is turned into beautiful jewelry. For starters, the Baltic area is well-known as the world’s largest and most important place for amber resin collecting and production.
The Amber collected in this area is known as succinite, and it is also referred to as Baltic Amber. A distinctively reddish or orange tint distinguishes Baltic amber that is not yet polished and refined, in contrast to the golden amber look that we are accustomed to seeing in this organic jewel.
What Is the Process Through Which Amber Is Created?
This fossilized biological substance (in this example, tree resin) is represented by Amber, which is significantly harder than newly released tree resin and other organic elements.
Many people are unaware that Amber is not made from tree sap but rather from plant resin, which is denser and more likely to succeed in fossilization.
Numerous individuals are also intrigued that tree resin can preserve little insects and other small creatures. The solution may be found in the material: resin is impermeable, repelling moisture and air.
Whenever plant resin is applied on a small animal such as a spider or a small scorpion, water and air are kept out, allowing for the near-perfect storage of the small critters in an airtight habitat spanning thousands of years.
The little creatures found in Amber are referred to as “strange inclusions,” and they add to the attractiveness and allure of the stone for some people. This is because minerals such as rubies and sapphires, formed by geological processes, cannot contain the same inclusions that Amber does.
If a spider were to be there at the time when lava was under such intense pressure ninety miles beneath the surface of the planet, that spider would most certainly turn to ash and become unrecognizable.
The inorganic material of mining — the chemical elements of crystals and crystals – would be the only things that could live in such circumstances.
Amber resin is not homogeneous in composition. Even though resin seems homogeneous in appearance, a single sample may be composed of numerous different types of adhesive components, all of which are susceptible to dissolution by alcohol.
It is important to remember this when using amber jewelry: it is never acceptable for the amber resins to be contacted to household cleaning products, fragrances, perfumes, rubbing alcohol, or any other substance that we could use on ourselves or around the house.
It is also possible for mineral jewels to be damaged by such substances since many crystals are permeable or semi-porous and may absorb the solvents in beauty products and home cleaners.
Different Amber Types:
Amber may be classified into two major categories based on its outward characteristics:
- Pieces with a rounded shape, known as flow-rolls, were generated due to a long-term displacement of the material. Their surface is rather smooth, and there are no significant holes or hollows.
- Angular components with hollows and grooves that are visible on their surfaces
As a general rule, approximately two-thirds of all amber fragments discovered are of the first kind. We can’t state that rounded-shaped objects are more valuable than angular pieces because they are both shapes. Depending on the level of professional training and certification of the jeweler, both types of Amber can be treated with the least amount of waste products possible.
All of the raw Amber is divided into the following groups based on its intended use:
Amber used for aesthetic and ornamental purposes, as well as jewelry amber and industrial Amber
Generally, industrial Amber is of tiny fraction, is dark or polluted, and is therefore unsuitable for jewelry manufacturing. It is utilized in producing high-quality lacquer, which is subsequently employed in the production of musical instruments and high-end automobiles and trucks.
Because we are interested in artistic and decorative Amber, let us go a little more into this topic.
The three types of Amber that fall within this category are as follows:
- Transparent
- Semi-transparent
- Opaque
Due to the wide variety of colors seen in real Amber, no description can adequately capture the entire spectrum of tones found in this magnificent gemstone.
Natural Amber is available in various colors and transparency levels, ranging from almost colorless to completely opaque and black. However, regardless of the hue of the Amber, it is classified into one of the three types indicated above.
Bone amber is the only type of Amber that could never be transparent due to its composition. When comparing various types, it is critical to distinguish between the two.
Yellow Amber:
Yellow Amber is the most popular and widely available kind of Amber globally. Amber with a golden look is more common than Amber with a brownish appearance, and the quantity of resins present that give the Amber its yellow color determines which appearance it has.
The inclusion of gas bubbles in the resin will determine the darkness or brightness of the yellow Amber. When light is shone on the yellow resin, the more trapped gas bubbles there are, and the brighter the glow of the yellow resin becomes.
Black Amber:
Natural resin yields from black Amber are the second-highest of all amber resin kinds, accounting for fifteen percent of the world’s total yearly natural resin production. Historically, it is believed that black Amber was formed when Amber was coupled with contaminants such as dirt, which alters the hue of the plant resins’ original color.
Blue Amber:
It is the most uncommon of all the ambers, and the complete blue resin collection throughout the world accounts for less than one percent of the overall collection. Most of the time, blue Amber must be exposed to light at a specific angle to display its original blue color.
If the lighting is insufficient, it’s possible to discern another hue, such as yellow or brown. Because the amber resin comprises various adhesive components, the color saturation will fluctuate from time to time.
Red Amber:
Neither Red nor cherry Amber is as common as green Amber in terms of availability. Raw amber beads are frequently pre-treated to bring out the natural red hue of red Amber even more. When it comes to ancient times, red Amber was often employed as a setting on the rings of affluent people or members of the aristocracy.
Different Amber Variations:
Amber used for commercial purposes may be divided into four primary categories:
- Amber from a natural source crafted by an artist (stones for further processing).
- Amber, that has been modified.
- Reconstruction of the original (pressed, abroad).
- Varnish amber is a kind of varnish.
There are numerous semi-precious stones based on their transparency, the color of their origin, polishing ability, and various other vital properties. The most common are as follows:
- Transparent ranging from colorless with a little yellow tint to tawny yellow in appearance, It’s quite easy to polish.
- Flom is a smoky substance that contains small air bubbles and is semi-transparent. It’s quite easy to polish.
- Bastard is a color that is non-transparent and evenly muddy, with light strains or noticeable blotches of other colors on the surface. It’s quite easy to polish.
- Knochen is a completely opaque material with a consistent hue. Various colors range from ivory through condensed milk hue (also known as Butterscotch) to pure white. This is quite unusual. It’s quite easy to polish.
- Non-Transparent floats even in mild water and has a pleasant smell. The Stone variant has been reworked in this version.
- Black Varnish is a greyish black (resembles marble) non-transparent varnish that has been polluted by residues of the plant and soil from which it was derived.
- In this version, Bone varieties are combined with vivid inclusions of various hues to create Bunt. Standard polishing procedures are ineffective on this material.
Even with the most advanced polishing techniques, a high degree of shine cannot be attained.
What Makes Amber More Valuable in the First Place?
Amber specimen’s value is increased by the presence of inclusions, its transparency, its roundness, its smoothness, the uniqueness of its hue, and the reputation of the locality.
If present, an undamaged inclusion will command a greater price, with prices reaching as high as $30 per carat or higher. Mosquitoes, butterflies, and flies are presently among the most popular and most valued additions.
Which Type of Amber Is the Most Valuable?
A high level of clarity is required for the most desirable specimens of Amber, which include highly visible insect inclusions, lighter hues (which appear lovely when illuminated), and highly apparent insect inclusions.
Organic gems such as Amber, like mineral gems, require a high degree of purity before they can be deemed valued by gem organizations. Plant inclusions detract from the value of Amber, even though they are useful to the scientific community.
The price of Amber climbs in proportion to the size of the stone, much like the way diamonds are graded according to carat weight.
Due to regional pricing disparities, Baltic Amber or succinite is the most expensive among the gemstones.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is Amber a valuable piece of jewelry?
Transparent Amber is more precious than Amber that is hazy. The value of an amber sample is increased if it has an intriguing plant or animal inclusion. This huge, elongated amber bead features a very intact insect inclusion, which is unusual for amber beads.
What is the best way to know whether it is genuine, Amber?
Take a heated needle and gently place it on the amber stone to make it glow. Baltic Amber is often considered to be fairly delicate. If you were to stick the needle into a piece of plastic stone, it would begin to melt immediately. If you are in the presence of a genuine amber stone, the needle will exhibit traces of breaking the stone as it passes through it.
Is it true that Amber floats in water?
Amber will float when submerged in cold waters. Alternatively, a glass of salted water might be used. When subjected to the same circumstances, certain polymers will float as well. Amber floats on the surface of saline water.
Conclusion:
Amber is one of the most valuable natural gemstones, and it is extremely rare. The price of raw ambers varies based on the size, color, and quality of the Amber in question.
One thing to keep in mind regarding pricing in this market is that it may fluctuate pretty fast with swings in supply and demand; nonetheless, when searching at raw stones, costs will normally vary from $1-3 per gram, depending on the quality of the stone (rough).
