Discovering amber

Amber is a beautiful precious stone . Perhaps it would be more correct to define it as precious resin: technically, in fact, it is resin from trees, conifers in particular, fossilized; therefore it is not a mineral but an organic gem.

It has always been used for the creation of jewels and amulets and is rich in beneficial properties: clears the mind, helping to maintain a peaceful and positive state of mind; stimulates the intellect; has beneficial effects on digestion; positively affects the endocrine system, spleen and heart; protects against diseases of the respiratory system; promotes energy flow; it is beneficial for the abdominal region, the solar plexus, the bladder and the uterus; harmonizes all the Chakras, the third in particular; it is calming for the nervous system, as it helps to transform negative energies into positive energies.

There is no single variety of amber, but multiple: yellow amber from the Baltic areas, red amber or Chiapas from Mexico, green amber found both on the Baltic and in the Dominican Republic and the blue amber always from the Dominican Republic and is one of the most expensive in the world.

Among the rare and expensive ambers there is a variety that is found exclusively in Italy, and more precisely in Sicily, the simetite , very expensive and very rare, almost unobtainable.
Two other places in the world provide beautiful varieties of amber, even if not as valuable as the previous ones and they are Japan, where a rather fragile amber is extracted but of shades ranging from 'orange and brown, and Burma: Burmese amber, also called Kachin, is distinguished by a particular brown color and by the presence of calcite veins.

Like all precious stones, also the amber is skilfully imitated. The most used trick is to insert insects into the presumed amber: in nature, in fact, it is possible to find amber in which insects or plants have been trapped; these specimens have a great value, even as a memory of a very remote past, but they are also very rare.

How do you recognize true amber from a synthetic resin?
< br> Here are some simple foolproof methods: amber immersed in salt water tends to float, or, at least, sinks very slowly; amber has electrostatic properties, therefore, if rubbed with a cloth it attracts dust or small pieces of paper; amber does not dissolve with acetone.