Amber Jewelry

Young Amber, Citrine, Dyed Coral, & Jasper in Sterling Silver Bracelet

Young Amber & Fresh Water Pearls in Fine Silver Pendant

Young Amber in Argentium Silver Earrings

Young Amber in 14K Gold Filled Wire Bracelet

Amber & Citrine in Sterling Silver Earrings

Amber... or not?

When I think of Amber, I think of that one scene in Jurassic Park with the bug and the needle with the blood. Yeah, I think everyone does. My dad (the crystal/mineral/rock dealer) had a ton of requests for amber after that movie came out -- especially with bugs inclusions.

I'll be discussing golden to brown amber in this article. There are other varieties which can be tackled another day. Please keep in mind, too, that this article is for the general reader or jeweler. There's a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo I'll be simplifying for easy digestion.

GENUINE AMBER - 100,000 years or more

Amber is fossilized tree resin. It ranges from gold to brown. Amber looks a lot like amber colored glass -- either clear or creamy. It comes in a rough form, but when polished will be smooth.

It has more weight to it than young amber -- feeling more stoney and less plasticy. To get to this point, genuine amber must be at least 100,000 years old.

High quality amber is clear -- this is the Jurassic park style, minus the bug. Amber is more desirable with tree branches, bugs, spiders, etc. inside. The more clearly they are displayed, the higher the price for the piece. High quality amber (with or without bugs included) is a costly item.

HOW TO TELL:
1) If you put a match to genuine amber, it won't ignite

2) Amber has about 2-3 hardness.

YOUNG AMBER

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64222648/930-argentium-silver-earrings-amber

Often marketed as young amber, this stone is also ancient tree resin. It's almost amber, but not quite 100,000 years old - perhaps 10,000 or more years too young. Most jewelry artists (myself included) call this stone amber. In the technical sense, that statement is false. However, you can get a lot of the same great quality and color from young amber as you can from genuine.

Young amber is a cheaper alternative to genuine amber. Young amber is also very light, like plastic. It's great on earrings or other pieces where weight's an issue. Generally, you wouldn't want young amber in a ring... more on that in the how to tell section.

HOW TO TELL:
1) This experiment is fun. Light it on fire! Yes, I'm serious. Amber which hasn't fully fossilized will burn and give off a pine-y, tree-like scent. I suggest using a pair of pliers with a rubber grip, preferably outside & over concrete, stone, or some other none-flammable surface. The younger the amber, the hotter it will burn. All you need is a match or two -- please don't get creative.

2) Young amber was used by the Egyptians, Chinese, and other cultures as incense back in the day. Amber incense doesn't really smell like amber, though. Pretty exciting, right?

3) Young amber will become sticky in solvents like acetone and alcohol.

YOUNG AMBER + PLASTIC

If you've seen "amber" like the stuff pictured above, it's actually little pieces of young amber and plastic melted together. Some of the nicer pieces will have bugs suspended inside. They're not ancient ants, they're more like last weeks ants.

HOW TO TELL:
1) Any amber that looks like these two pieces, with little discs, rounds spots, or fractures

2) This amber may burn, depending on the plastic and age of the amber. However, there will not be a pine-y or tree-like scent. It will smell like burned plastic.

PLASTIC

I've seen some pretty authentic looking plastic pieces before. The main way to tell they're a fake is if they burn and smell like plastic, or you can see molding lines. :)


Last Thoughts:
There are many different kinds of amber on the market. Each kind has its own look, variations, and can be carved into a multitude of shapes.

Never be afraid to ask weird questions. I've walked up to a bead store owner before and asked, "Excuse me, have you ignited this amber before?" :)

If the amber has too much going on -- perfect color, lots of bugs, cheap -- it's probably a fake or some sort of plastic/amber concoction.

Always be polite. If the shopkeeper is selling plastic mixture as amber, they probably didn't intend to do so.

Turquoise Pic

Here's another picture of turquoise supplied by my dad. He runs a rock business out of Talent, OR (www.scottsrocks.com). I think this pic conveys, yet again, the varying types & grades of turquoise. See my blog post below for more info on how to tell if you've got fake turquoise.

Turquoise Jewelry

Here's some examples of genuine turquoise in my Etsy shop www.smilingraven.etsy.com


http://www.etsy.com/listing/64867610/925-sterling-silver-bracelet-coral-fresh



http://www.etsy.com/listing/55477334/925-sterling-silver-bracelet-coral-and



http://www.etsy.com/listing/64681673/999-fine-silver-pendant-coral-turquoise

Turquoise... or not?

FAKE OR REAL?

So, my dad is a gemstone and mineral dealer. We got to talking recently about "fake" stones. These are the mockingbirds of the gemstone world -- cheaper stones that are dyed, heated, ground up, etc. to make copies of beloved favorites.

One of the most copied stones is turquoise. The most popular choice for turquoise substitute is howlite -- a naturally white stone. Howlite matrix (little lines/patters in and on stone) is very similar to turquoise matrix. When dyed properly, howlite is almost indistinguishable from turquoise. In fact, a lot of howlite is sold as "white buffalo turquoise" & left undyed.

One of the issues with turquoise is that it's mined all over the world. There are a lot of different types and varying qualities which all look very different. To top it all off, some turquoise is dyed to enhance color and beauty.

CAN YOU TELL WHICH IS A FAKE?

TIPS - Turquoise VS. Howlite

Matrix
Does the matrix seem too matrixy? Two many lines can mean it's a fake. However, sometimes turquoise does have a lot of matrix patterning.

Pyrite Flecks
Pyrite is a good sign! If turquoise has flecks or bands of pyrite, it's likely the real deal. Pyrite is also known as "fools gold" & is silvery colored. Here's an example of pyrite:

Hardness
Turquoise has a hardness of 6. Howlite has a hardness around 3. This means howlite will be a lot softer & more easily broken.

Dye
The dye is too nice. Most natural turquoise has some variation of color, flecks of metal, or dark spots. Dyed howlite often looks a little too perfect, without enough color variation.

Price. Is it too cheap? If it is, you've likely got a fake. Real, high grade turquoise will cost about 5-10x similar quality turquoise. Cheap, low-grade turquoise is affordable, but high grade can get pricey. However, price isn't always the best way to gauge if you've got a fake. Often bead shop owners will buy howlite thinking its turquoise and mark it up accordingly.

Uniform Color
If all else fails, break it open. I suggest using a sock. Place the mystery stone in the sock, bash with hammer until broken in half. If the stone is dyed, it will be immediately apparent. The inside will be white (if howlite). If it's uniform throughout, you've got turquoise.

Example of "Howlite Turquoise"

LAST THOUGHTS

Please keep in mind that howlite is not the only stone being sold as turquoise. Howlite is simply the most authentic looking I've found. Always look at a bead product critically before buying. I never buy an item unless I'm 100% sure of what I have. Always do your research before you buy. Also, make sure anyone you sell to knows what they're buying, too.

I do occasionally use dyed stones in my work. They're cheaper & if done correctly can be a nice addition. Coral is a great example of a decent dyed stone. Actual pieces of natural red coral are outrageously expensive & rare. There's also some ecological concerns with red coral. However, dyed coral can be a beautiful alternative that costs about $10-20 a strand.

NOTE:
Answer to the three comparison images:
Turquoise, Howlite, Turquoise

Aquamarine Set

Unfortunately, the sun hasn't been out lately, so my pictures aren't what I like them to be. I've been scrambling to take pictures anytime there's any kind of decent sunlight. Oregon in the winter just isn't picture friendly.

At one point I decided to make all my backgrounds black, but I'm slowly converting back to pale tan backgrounds. That's been another project in the works.

In the meantime, I've been working on a few new things. One new thing I'm trying is making matching sets of bracelets, pendants, and earrings. The idea being that customers can purchase low cost gemstone earrings in addition to their gemstone bracelets. Here's an example of a complete set:

These pieces are a mixture of genuine aquamarine and fresh water pearls. The bracelet and pendant are both 100% fine silver. The earrings are sterling silver for the sake of durability.

The earring style is something I created when I was a kid. I called them rosary earrings. I think I've seen similar styles with the same name, so that's what I'm opting to call them.

I'm looking forward to taking some better pictures first chance I get. These pics just don't do these pieces justice.

Here's the links to purchase this set on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64843970/999-fine-silver-bracelet-aquamarine
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64868325/925-sterling-silver-rosary-earrings
http://www.etsy.com/listing/64882953/999-fine-silver-pendant-aquamarine-and

Smiling Raven Creations

This blog is a way for my customers and Etsy fans to keep up with my shop and work. Here I will share new jewelry designs and products up and coming.

I make an assortment of hand-woven and hand knit jewelry items. I design & craft each piece myself. No two pieces are exactly alike. Often I’ll have one-of-a-kind specials. All of my products are comfortable & made from high quality materials you can trust.

I work hard to keep my prices low, despite the fact that my work is professional & my products are good quality. I believe that everyone should have access to affordable elegance.