Over the last 3 decades I have collected a large number of Amber, Copal, Lucite, Bakelite and Crystal/glass beads and jewelry. Many look very similar. How can you tell them apart? Here are some clues to use on the go and some definitive tests to do at home:
Amber is lightweight, warm to the touch and sometimes has inclusions. Amber is fossilized sap from extinct pine trees. It actually feels more like plastic or Lucite than rock or glass. Bakelite is very heavy. Genuine Amber floats in Salt Water. The population on the shores of the Baltic Sea can collect it as it rolls in with the tide, mostly after a storm. Some Amber is mined and there are mines in different places on the planet including the Dominican Republic. I have some of that too in my collection but prefer the Baltic Amber. The Dominican one has a different feel.
Amber under a black light will give off a soft blue fluorescence.
Amber floats in salty water.
Be wary of reconstituted Amber! If you see several shiny disks inside the “Amber” it is more than likely reconstituted or imitation. These are uncommon in natural Amber as they are actually droplets of water that dispersed creating the little disks and are “frozen” inside. Inclusions of animals can be added to this process. Natural Flora and Fauna inclusions are naturally rare, more so these days.
Green Amber is heated to achieve that color and not natural. Don’t be fooled as much of it will fade into a horrible murky color over time.
Amber is harder and will flake. You can’t simply slice it and it is very tricky to drill (I can speak from experience here). If a slice of the item in question comes off easily (like a slice of cheese) it’s not Amber.
Copal is called “immature” sap because although very similar to Amber, it has not fossilized and is not million of years old, more than likely comes from another tree since the trees that formed Baltic Amber have been extinct for a very long time. It is soft, slices easily, burns easily. If you take a red hot needle to Copal it will melt easily and also have that wonderful pine scent. When you try this test on Amber you will have a hard time getting the hot needle to go in. Amber is much harder, burns slower and emits a white smoke. It smells wonderful and has been used as incense for thousands of years.
Bakelite is heavy. It is an early plastic made using formaldehyde. Since formaldehyde is a deadly substance, Bakelite’s production has been halted for decades. It’s easy to tell real Bakelite and Bakelite from Amber. In a bowl that is heat resistant add very hot water, it’s ok to use the tap as long as it is very hot but not boiling. Dip the piece in question into the water for a second or two. Bakelite will almost immediately have a terrible smell. When in doubt dip again, wait a bit longer. Be careful not to melt the piece and make sure to try it in a place where it will not be easily seen. I just open the hot tap and let it run until it gets so hot I can’t keep my fingers in it. Then I hold a portion of the piece under the running water and check for the horrible and unmistakable smell. If you can smell that, it’s most likely Bakelite. (You just learned the sure fire Bakelite test, better than anything else, used on the Antiques Road Show too!) French Bakelite is different and will not emit the smell as it is actually made from milk derivatives. Do the hot needle test instead.
Imitations such as Resin, Bakelite, French Bakelite, Plastics, Lucite and others are affected by solvents. Dab a cotton swab in Acetone. I use industrial strength stuff as some of the nail polish removers nowadays are mild. I like the pure acetone for a definitive test. You can get it at almost any drugstore, supermarket and beauty supply shop, you probably have some at home. Rub the wet cotton swab on a hidden spot on the necklace( between 2 beads in the back for instance) The imitation materials will come off on the cotton swab, leave a mark on the material surface, melt or become tacky and opaque. Genuine Amber is unaffected, remains shiny and nothing comes off on the cotton swab.
Glass and crystal are heavy and cold, Amber is warm to the touch and light for it’s size.
There are other means of testing Amber in laboratories, but the guidelines given here should be enough. Just remember to be safe and careful and test only on a hidden area. Some of these tests are destructive and can cause damage to the piece.
Hello, I just finished reading Get-Glam’s article on “How to Test Bakelite, Celluloid & Amber.” What a well written, informative piece of research you have given out to help us all know what we own, buy, want & search for. Thank you so much for doing such in depth research & I learned a lot. There is a place locally in my area of South Florida that sells what is said to be only Baltic Amber, but the 2 women, Russian sisters they say, besides the usual shade of Amber (or let’s call it the true shade) also sell what they call the RARE green color of Amber. Also there is another color, don’t remember now, which they also claim is RARE & is fairly yellow in color, not amber in color. Looks like I’ve been deceived, or they have been deceived, but I have been telling others it is RARE in green. Little did I know it is lab created coloration & will most probably turn milky later on. What should one pay for this heated “green” amber. Once it has had it’s true color altered, would you say it has lots its market value as natural true amber? Again, thanx for all your great research. I will be back again & again to this Web Site, love it, & wish you were in South Florida & not wherever you are located, so I could meet you, perhaps “do business” with you by offering some of what I have acquired over the years as an Antiques & Collectible Dealer & personal collector of many wonderful items. Now I am offering some items again at a small shop down here in Miami, will see what the market says about “sales” again. It was gone, gone, gone for past several years so I stopped doing the business for awhile. Now I am only offering some of my inventory of fine elegant depression glass & other better collectibles, along with my better pieces of collectible vintage jewelry. Hope business for you is good as your Web Site is wonderful & I am loving learning about it as I investigate each section as I go along. I have lots of the things you are offering & would like to discuss my collections with you when someone has time to contact me. Thanx again so much for your wonderful research & your sharing it with us all. Regards from Sunny & Balmy South, Florida – S. Pringle c/o shirleyjpringle@gmail.com
Website under construction by the way. I just wanted to say that using the cleaner 409 and a Qtip is a sure fire and safe way to know if an item is bakelite. The Qtip will turn yellow. I need to know how to test celluloid by more than eyeing it up.
I’ve been searching the net to find out if an amber necklace that belonged to my great grandmother is genuine amber. It looks almost exactly like the cherry amber necklace in your photograph (cut and colour, about 25 inches). Have you any idea what it might be worth if genuine?
Many thanks.
Hi and thank you for posting here. It depends on condition, color, style, etc. My suggestion would be to search Google Images, Google Products and eBay (including completed listings – very important) and try to match the items as close as possible to the one you have. Please keep in mind that some necklaces are actually Bakelite and not Amber. If you tested it and are sure that it is Amber, than it’s fine. Bakelite would be much heavier than Amber. It is also more valuable.
Well, actually that is not a very accurate test. If the item is dirty, the dirt will come up on the q-tip. Many people used to smoke so the nicotine on the surface of the piece would look yellow/brown as you describe. The hot water test is best in my opinion. Thank you for your post and best wishes on your new site!
Thanks for this nice article. I found it through bing and i find it very helpful. i will look for more such interesting new articles at this blog.
My necklace looks exactly like your photo also (photo on upper left). For decades I was always told it was amber but it’s light and has a plastic feel so I’m doubting. Now you say bakelite is more valuable than real amber??
I’ve been researching on ebay and internet with no luck. Am afraid to test and damage necklace. Thanks for your info this is a great site.
Hi there, I read the article and it is very good, but one question remains unanswered for me….How do you test for celluloid? Thank you
Very carefully! Celluloid is plant based plastic. You can use warm water but very cautiously. Any excessive heat will damage the piece. It is also much lighter than Bakelite or other petro based plastics. Good luck with it and thanks for the comment!
Hi, If you are careful you won’t damage it. If you have access to a black light flashlight (or any intense blacklight source) shine it n the necklace. If it glows a strange green or blue it is Amber. If it does not change color is likely to be Bakelite or another plastic such as Prystal (a clear type of Bakelite). If the color does not change to the warm water test. If you can stand the warm water on your hand it will not damage the necklace. Don’t soak the whole necklace so it will not shrink the cord, but make sure it warms up. You can then smell it and see if it smells like Formaldehyde.
Thanks for posting and any questions, just email. I am spending more time here so answers will be much more timely!
Yes, I do. Try the black light test. It is harmless, fast and easy to do. You can get these blacklight flashlights on eBay or just borrow one. It will be an instant answer. If it changes color it is Amber. It will glow green or blue. Thanks for stopping by!
I just bought a necklace in Morocco. I was told that it has Berber origins. The guy told me that it is not amber but something else that I couldn’t understand. He held some of the beads in a flame to prove to me that it is not plastic. The beads are a milky yellow and range in size from about 1.5 inch egg shape to thick Lifesaver size. Any ideas what it could be?
It could be Copal. Copal is a tree resin similar to Amber but not as old. The trees that produced Amber are extinct, the ones that produce resin for Copal are not. If heated Copal also has a pleasant scent.