How to Clean and Store Amber: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Sunstone

How to Clean and Store Amber: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Sunstone

Amber is one of the most fascinating and "living" gems in nature. It is not a mineral, but a fossilized resin millions of years old, capable of preserving light, heat, and even small traces of past life. It is prized not only for its beauty and variety of colors—from honey yellow to intense red, to the very rare blue amber—but also for its energetic and therapeutic properties.

However, due to its delicate nature, amber requires special care. Improper care can damage its surface, alter its color, or dull its brilliance.

In this article you will discover:

✅ How to clean amber properly

✅ How to preserve it to keep it intact over time

✅ What to absolutely avoid to avoid damaging it

🧼 Amber Cleaning: Gentleness First

Cleaning amber is simple, but requires great care. Here are the basic steps:

1.  Use only warm water

Avoid hot or cold water. Gently immerse the amber in warm water for a few minutes.

2.  Soft cloth and no detergent

Clean the surface with a very soft microfiber or cotton cloth. Never use soap, alcohol, acetone, or chemicals: they may dull or discolor the resin.

3. No brushes or abrasives

Avoid any materials that could scratch it. Even fingernails can leave marks, so handle it gently.

4.  Natural polish

If you want to revive the shine, you can rub a few drops of olive oil on the amber with a soft cloth, then remove the excess with another dry cloth. This isn't mandatory, but it can be helpful for slightly dulled amber.

📦 Amber Preservation: Where and How to Keep It

Amber is photosensitive and can alter its color if exposed to light, heat, or humidity for long periods.

✅ Where to store it

• In boxes covered in soft fabric or velvet
• In a cool, dry place, away from direct light sources (sun, halogen lights) and heat sources
• Separate from other jewelry to avoid scratches

❌ To avoid

• Excessive humidity (can alter engravings or appearance)
• Non-breathable plastic bags
• Perfumes, creams and sprays (may react with the surface)

Interesting fact: some ambers (like blue) change color or reflection depending on the light. This makes it even more important to avoid internal yellowing or surface damage, which can alter the original reflections.

What if the amber changes color or gets damaged?

Over time, it's natural for some amber—especially those with engravings—to yellow or take on different hues. This is a natural process due to surface oxidation.
In these cases you can:

• Have it polished by an amber expert
• Avoid aggressive DIY
• Accept with love its transformations, which are part of its living and changing nature.

Amber is a special gem, capable of accompanying us with its warm, sunny energy throughout our lives. Caring for it isn't difficult, but it requires attention and respect for its ancient and fragile nature.

With the right care, your amber will retain its original beauty for many years, continuing to tell its unique story through light, reflections, and warmth.