Types of non-Baltic amber include simetite, a red-to-orange variety found in Sicily; dark, sulphur-rich Roumanian amber; and Burmite, which is also known as Chinese amber even though it comes from present-day Myanmar. The rarest form of Dominican amber from the Dominican Republic is blue amber, whose color varies from blue to yellow depending on how sunlight hits it.

The biggest problem with amber for collectors, as with many other gems, is the rampant number of fakes in the marketplace. One of the most common substitutes for amber is copal, which is similar to amber in that it’s also a tree resin, except it’s not as old, which means it will get sticky when rubbed vigorously with a piece of cloth. In contrast, amber will become fragrant when subjected to friction.

Just because amber is harder than copal, though, doesn’t mean it’s as hard as a, well, rock. Small chunks of amber are routinely heated and pressed together with linseed oil to create ambroid (sometimes spelled “amberoid”), which is then cut and polished into larger cabochons or beads. To spot ambroid, look for long air bubbles trapped within the gem. To distinguish amber from synthetic materials, pierce it with a hot needle; amber will smoke while substitutes will simply melt.

Some unscrupulous dealers will sell fake amber with perfectly preserved insect specimens inside them. These large beads or pendants may make attractive show pieces, but as with most things in life, if it looks too good to be true it probably is.

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