Old Amber is rare. Colors are black, Baltic transparent, and shades of red, orange and yellow. It is light weight and when it is rubbed the it can pick up a piece of paper. Sometimes insects are trapped in the amber.
Amber substitutes can be old, beautiful, and expensive. They come in the same colors as old amber. Copal is a fossilized resin found in Tanzania and the Congo. It is not as old as true amber but it old enough to become partially fossilized. The Africans treasure it and believe it has powers of healing.
Bakelite can be identified by rubbing it until it becomes warm. It will have a medicinal smell. Bakelite is an early plastic and is very desirable to collectors.
There are also cheap plastic imitations of amber. If the amber looks like a bargain, it is probably some sort of plastic. Buy it if you like it and be sure you pay for plastic, not amber.
Anyone know the composition of the amber colored stones above?
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