Amber-Touching The Past

Amber is mainly found near the Baltic Sea, Yantarny, near Kaliningrad (Russia), former Prussia (Palmnicken). This small Baltic region holds 90% of all world deposits of high quality amber.
In the past, Baltic amber tended to wash up on the shoreline after storms.
In 1875 the first open pit amber mine was established at Palmnicken, and the million pound mark was reached in 1895.

A large percentage of the amber used in commercial jewelry production comes from the Dominican Republic. Due to the year round warm climate, the amber found in the Dominican Republic also has a higher concentration of fossils and insects than anywhere else in the world.

Counterfeit amber look very much like the authentic pieces, making them very difficult to spot. One way to tell if the piece you are holding is actual amber is to rub it. Rubbing a real piece of amber will result in it emitting a natural pine scent. This also causes it to become electrically charged, especially if rubbed against cloth or wool. After rubbing it in this way, hold a small piece of paper above it. If the piece of paper moves or lifts, it is real amber. Another way to test the authenticity of amber is to attempt to float it in salt water. If it floats, it probably is the real thing as imitations usually sink.