Amber is fossil resin. In the narrow sense it means succinite, the most common kind around the Baltic. It is amorphous, burns, and at 2 to 2.5 on the Mohs scale it is soft. That helps with the tests below. For other stones on the same beach there is LithoCanvas, but we do not claim it recognises amber.
Where it is found
The main region is the Baltic, above all the Sambia peninsula. After storms the sea washes amber ashore, recorded for Danish islands, the Swedish coast and the North Sea. Washed-up pieces often look polished because sand has worn away the weathered crust.
The tests
Saltwater. Amber is only slightly denser than water (about 1.07 grams per cubic centimetre) and floats in saturated salt solution, meaning salt dissolved until no more will dissolve. This shows the piece is light.
UV light. Under UV light of 320 to 380 nanometres, fresh or freshly polished amber glows blue and weathered amber a dull olive green. Treat the glow as one clue among several.
Rubbing. Rubbed, amber takes a negative charge and attracts paper scraps or lint. On small pieces this does not always work.
We leave out burn tests and chemical tests on purpose. They are unsafe and damage the stone.
Look-alikes
- Copal: geologically younger and softer than amber.
- Synthetic resin: an imitation made from plastic.
- Pressed amber: sometimes sold as "real amber". A variant sold as "extra real amber" can only be told from natural amber reliably by a gemmologist.
- Glass: we have no sourced test for it, so we do not guess.
What no test can do
No simple test replaces an expert opinion. For authenticity or value, go to a museum or a certified gemmologist. LithoCanvas judges neither authenticity nor value.
Rules for collecting
Check local rules before you collect amber. They differ by country and area. See flint and common beach rocks for the other finds on a beach, and hag stones for stones with a hole.
If the find might be a stone
For stones, LithoCanvas can suggest what a photo shows. We do not say it identifies amber, because we do not know that it does.
Questions and answers
How do I tell if amber is real?
Combine several simple tests: saltwater, UV light and rubbing. No single one is enough.
Does amber float in salt water?
Yes, in saturated salt solution, because it is only slightly denser than water.
What does amber look like on the beach?
Washed-up pieces often look polished because sand has worn off the weathered crust.