Differences between natural and fake amber: signs of fake amber, what to pay attention to when choosing amber and stone products?

Amber is a very beautiful stone, but you can often get to the fake. Let's look at how to identify a fake of this stone.

Nowadays, there are a huge number of amber products. But what needs to be done to find out whether you acquired a real amber or is it a fake? How to do this at home?

Signs of fake amber: what can I confuse amber with?

You can evaluate a fake by typeu:

• Doubtly even and clear drawing on the array.
• The presence inside the lumps of paint and sparkles. Oval air bubbles.
• Too intense color that is completely unusual for natural stone.

It is almost impossible to find the differences between the natural stone of amber from the resin of tropical trees (digging). Very often digging can be confused with amber.

• Natural stone is very similar in appearance to digging. Dig a melting faster than a real mineral. To dial become firm and denser, reagents are used.
• Age difference. Amber was found more than ten million years ago. The first mention of Kopal dates from no more than three million years, and some of them are even less-145-210 years old.
• Copal has an unpleasant odor when heated. Something reminiscent of medications. Natural stone has a delicate smell of cloves and needles.
• The upper shell digging has a muddy hue, but when it is split, it will be transparent, like amber.

Art is considered to be the master’s ability to get an insect in the resin, give it an interesting “pose” and do an exclusive work that is very appreciated. However, finding natural stones with plants or insects is almost unrealistic.

But if you all succeeded, then carefully look at the insect. If the wings are straightened, then it strained wings with all its might to get out of the resin. If you have a fake, then the insect pose will be less alive, because it was already an inanimate creature from the very beginning.

Bernit.Very often this stone can be mistaken for real amber. Although in a huge piece of Bernit, the content of amber particles sometimes does not reach 5%, and sometimes it is not kept at all. Also, more ancient stones can be used as a fake: polybert, bakelite, faturan. However, natural stone is inferior in quality, because it was created not in a couple of hours, but for centuries. It has solar and earthly energy, it is used for medical purposes.

What to pay attention to when choosing amber and stone products?

Methods of recognition of natural gem are based on its properties.

Appearance

The original should not have any voids with air inside. Even without a microscope, they can be seen.

A stone of natural origin looks richer than a fake. Natural stone is endowed with the variety of colors and the transition of one color to another is random. The pattern is so unique that it is simply unrealistic to repeat it. Without using beyond powerful microscopes, the fake can be seen using a magnifying glass. You can easily see tuberous compounds, they formed in the process of incomplete sintering.

Weight

Natural stone has a low density. Amber is always warm, unlike fakes, it is endowed with high thermal conductivity. Even in appearance, large beads can weigh from 65-75 g. Fakes made of plastic and glass, have small size, but weigh much larger.

Electrostatic charging

Real amber, worn over silk fabric or natural wool is endowed with a negative charge. To check this, you need to cut the paper and put amber there. Pieces will stick to an electrified stone. Dig in this way cannot be checked, since he is unusual for electrification.

If you set fire to the original amber, it will light up for a couple of seconds. Hold it in a flame for a couple of seconds and then remove to the side, it will continue to burn. At the very base of the flame, the stone will boil. The smoke from amber smokes and has a black color.

A method of verification using a solvent

If you act on natural gem with acetone, then no changes with the appearance will occur, unlike fakes, which, when contacted with alcohol solutions, are destroyed. In this way, you can check plastic products. The color will fade and the surface will be rough. It will also be spoiled and dug. For glass, this method does not work.

If you use this method when checking natural stone, then this should be carried out from the outside of the product.

Light, luminescence

In the rays of an ultraviolet lamp, a real stone glows. If the stone is quite transparent, then you can see a blue glow. If the stone is dull, then the glow effect will not be so intense.

• The natural stone that is not subjected to processing shines brown.
• Bakelite and casein using an ultraviolet lamp will glow in yellow colors. Kopad and Ambroid will be milk. Amber, made in a synthetic way, will not glow at all.

In the store, you can check the stone using a device for checking fake bills. If the stone is real, then the seller will definitely not refuse you.

Glass also considers one of the materials for falsification of natural stone. In stores, they can be found quite often. How to distinguish glass from real stone?

1. Take a sharp object (needle, blade) and draw a line on the surface of the stone. If the stone is natural, then the trace slightly noticeable for the eye will remain on it. There will be no defects on the glass. However, this method can damage the stone.

   

2. Prepare a composition of 50 g of salt and 300 ml of water. Lower the stone into the water. If this is glass, then the stone will immediately go to the bottom, but if it is a real amber or other resins, then they will swim on the surface. This test will not give any result if the stone is in the finished product. Using this method, you can find not only glass, but also bakelite and celluloid. However, for Kopal and pressed amber, this method of identifying a fake is not suitable.

For the manufacture of jewelry, it is still used plastic.Plastics and amber are density. The amber has less, so it will not be difficult to check the originality of the stone. The real stone will be crushed with small crumbs, and the decoration of plastic will break with uneven pieces.

As a fake, you can use pressed amber. Using a hydraulic installation, very small pieces of amber are pressed in a vacuum way. It is very difficult to distinguish such a fake from natural stone, because outwardly and in physical properties they are identical.

• Color difference. In a pressed stone, the color transition will be sharp, and there will be a feeling that this is not one continuous piece, but many small fragments. If you carefully consider the stone in the light, then you will notice many small bubbles and clots. The original has a smooth color transition.
• With the help of essential oil, you can also check the stones. With the help of a napkin wet in oil, wipe the stones. The fake will be a sticky to the touch, and the real amber will remain the same.

If the stone is already in a decoration of silver or other metal, then it is very difficult to detect a fake. In any jewelry store you will not be allowed to conduct tests. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase original jewelry from trusted manufacturers. Each self -respecting jewelry store must present you with a quality certificate. In the document you can see where the stone was found, the proof that the stone is environmentally friendly.

Summing up, we can say that there are many methods of checking the stones for authenticity. So when buying jewelry and products from real amber, do not rush to make a choice, carefully study the stone and ask to show a quality certificate. Do not purchase products from this precious stone in dubious stores or crossings. There you will certainly not sell the original.

Video: Do \u200b\u200bwe find the difference between natural amber and fake at home?