What causes blue amber?

About Amber

Who is Amber but more importantly what is amber?  Amber is a feminine name given to exemplify her natural beauty and popularity. As Amber thrives and grows she becomes charming, cheerful all wrapped up with an artistic flair. Amber, on the other hand, is valued as a gemstone but it’s a fossilized resin from ancient evergreen trees, some dating back to prehistoric times. Just like the namesake Amber, this fossilized resin exemplifies the same characteristics of natural beauty and popularity.

Resin is a sticky substance that is produced when various coniferous trees become damaged. The resin protects the trees from damage by insects and diseases. As the resin falls to the ground insects or plant debris can get entangled and eventually trapped. The resin can harden as soon as it is shut off from oxygen. Amber becomes a fossilized resin that has been laid to rest for millions of years.

In the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods insects that fed on dinosaurs got stuck in the amber and the dinosaur blood was preserved. Oxford University's, Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente believes that Amber holds the key to understanding the ecosystem. Many decades of research have finally have found a specimen of amber that has proven that bugs did drink dinosaur blood for survival.  Steven Spielberg’s film, Jurassic Park filmed a scene with the mosquito frozen in Amber in the Museo del Ámbar in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. This piece can still be found in the museum today.

Causes of Blue Amber Color,

When natural light strikes blue amber on a white surface, the light passes right through, and is refracted by the white surface. The result is the slight blue hue of blue amber. ... Hydrocarbons in the blue amber shift the sun's ultraviolet light down in frequency, resulting in the glow of blue amber.

Different types of amber

Amber found in the Dominican Republic is rare. The oldest, and hardest amber comes from the mountain region north of Santiago in the  Cordillera Septentrional, in the north, and Bayaguana and Sabana de la Mar in the east.  Dominican amber differs from amber found in the Baltic as it is most often transparent and it has many fossil inclusions.

The classic orange, yellow and honey coloured amber are the most well known. Red and green amber is also found in smaller quantities. However, Dominican amber is more valuable when it found as a blue amber. Blue amber is rare and more expensive because it one of the most valuable ambers in the world. Its rare fluorescence is what increases the value of this amber.

Blue Amber Phenomena

Although there are several theories about the origin of the Dominican blue amber there is a great probability that it is as a result for “incomplete combustion” due to forest fires among the extinct species of Hymenaea protera trees…about 25 to 40 million years ago.

How does this “Blue Amber Phenomena” work? When natural light strikes blue amber on a white surface, the light passes right through and is refracted by the white surface. The result is the slight blue hue of blue amber. When the same natural light strikes the amber on a black surface, the light is not refracted by the black surface, but by the actual amber. Hydrocarbons in the blue amber shift the sun's ultraviolet light down in frequency, resulting in the glow of blue Amber.

Tests for identifying real amber from fake

It is crucial for true amber lovers to know what they are purchasing is real, authentic amber. There are various tests to ensure the validity of the amber:

Salt Water Test – Put the amber in salt water, the real amber will float and plastic replicas will sink

Rubbing Test – Amber has electrostatic properties so if you rub the gemstone for 20-60 seconds and hold it close to your hair, it should create a little static electricity and your hair should want to stick to the stone. If the gemstone doesn’t become charged but instead becomes sticky, this means it is Copal, otherwise known as younger amber.

Scent Test– Put a little heat to the amber and you should smell a smoky pine scent. If it is a plastic fake, you will smell burning plastic.

Amber and symbolism in the Asian Culture

In Asian cultures, amber is regarded as the stone of courage. Those who travel carry pieces of amber for protection during their journeys. Amber, “hu po”, in Chinese, means the courage or spirit of the tiger. Many tales are told about tigers whose souls enter the earth and become Amber. This reflects the age-old belief that the soul is material, not just ideological. We feature a whole collection of carved pieces inspired by traditional Chinese symbols.

Chinese culture valued and held each material and subject matter with symbolic significance. These symbols included good luck, abundance and perseverance like the Koi Fish, longevity like the Gourd, the virtue of compassion like Guanyin (Kuan Yin), wisdom and enlightenment like Buddha and many others symbols representing health, love, prosperity, success, and fertility. 

Healing and spiritual properties

Amber is able to heal with spiritual properties. It cleanses the body, mind, spirit as well as the environment. Amber has the ability to draw diseases out of the body while rejuvenating the nervous system and aligning the left and right parts of the brain. Pain and negative energy are absorbed into the amber while alleviating depression and stress. Those who wear or carry Amber possess wisdom, self confidence and express creativity. Amber stimulates the intellect promotes self-confidence and creative self-expression.

We guarantee 100% Authentic Amber

Our amber is 100% natural and untreated. We pride ourselves on our authenticity and we love sharing this beautiful creation mother nature has given us.  We feature many different types of amber jewelry: amber pendants, amber rings, amber bracelets, amber beads and we also feature many amber pieces with fossilized plants and insects.  Amber is an extremely beautiful accessory which can be worn as jewelry or stones of amber  can be carried in pockets, purses as the most perfect good luck charms.

To possess amber is to posses the key to spiritual enlightenment!