How much does raw amber cost? Its properties and features

Amber. In the modern world, fashion can greatly fail with the inheritance that a person received from his ancestors and grandparents. For example, beautiful and ancient amber beads , which the weaker half of humanity used to wear with pleasure, were a sign of impeccable taste and high status. But today such jewelry simply lies in a box and is hidden until better times as unnecessary. Not a single woman today will wear an antique amber jewelry , but will keep it as a family heirloom and pass it on from generation to generation. Fashion does not tolerate old age, despite the fact that the cost of amber is quite high.

Varieties of amber

Over 250 varieties of stone are known. Amber is distinguished by its deposit, origin and shade. Raw material can be red, white, blue and green. For example, blue nuggets are found in the Dominican Republic. The orange-colored mineral is mainly from Kaliningrad. When a stone contains inclusions of a natural nature, that is, depressions with water, prehistoric insects, bubbles, then you have inclusions. The cost of amber is calculated according to the type:

• ordinary;
• collectible.

The former, naturally, will not be of interest to antique dealers. The latter are determined by size, shape, condition and artistic value.

Mediation activities

The antique salon “MosGorSkupka” has been cooperating with Russian and foreign collectors, antique exhibitions and museums for 12 years, and is a direct participant in annual antiques exhibitions in Moscow. Many of the items of significant artistic or historical value adorn large collections of famous connoisseurs of hoary antiquity. If you intend to sell a collection of amber jewelry, a large batch of unprocessed amber, we can connect you with buyers in the person of famous antique dealers, Russian and European museum houses.

Pricing

How much amber costs directly depends on the quality, place of origin, and size. To find out how much a rough stone is valued at, you need to look at data from previous years. For example, in 2016, for 1 g of raw amber of small fractions they gave 2-2.5 dollars. A kilogram of such nuggets costs up to $250. By the way, for 1 g of large fractions they asked for about $20.

If we talk about processed metal, which is used in the form of inserts in silver and gold products, then the cost of one stone varies between 1.5-5 dollars. The determining factor in the price of amber jewelry is the quality of processing. For example, amber beads, 41 cm long and weighing 15 grams, made from multi-colored donut stones, cost more than 10 thousand rubles.

Meanwhile, amber with a frame made of precious metal or cupronickel is evaluated differently.

1. Silver cast jewelry inlaid with amber. To produce these products, a minimum of human labor is needed, which is why the decoration has a low price. It varies from 4.5 to 7.5 dollars per gram of product.
2. Handmade silver jewelry. The cost of these products with the addition of amber will range from 7.5 to 12 dollars per 1 g.

If we talk about jewelry with amber made of gold, their price will be 2-3 times higher.

It is worth considering separately the cost of inclusions, that is, amber stones containing small creatures (spiders, insects, plants) or needles of coniferous trees. Such amber fragments are rare in nature, therefore, the cost of such a metal, weighing a couple of grams, will be no less than half a thousand dollars. In this case, the stone will be of average quality. By the way, according to estimates of top quality inclusions, the price can reach several tens of thousands of dollars. Buying an inclusion is almost impossible, since all famous specimens are owned by mineral collectors.

Note. If you see an inclusion for sale at a price of about 10 thousand rubles, you can be sure: this is a fake stone. Careless souvenir sellers often offer naive buyers an imitation of inclusion, which is difficult to distinguish from a real specimen.

Which one is most valued?

Amber is rightfully considered one of the most popular jewelry and ornamental stones, known to man since ancient times.

White (Royal), green, blue, landscape. It acquired such shades from the influence of external factors. They are rare, so they are considered the most valuable.

How to distinguish real amber and check for authenticity at home (without special equipment)

Real amber or not real - the question is not just complicated, but even baffling. The Kaliningrad region contains more than 90% of the world's amber reserves. There is so much of it here that jewelers do not experience any difficulties in obtaining raw materials. It never occurred to any of them to make fakes and sell them. Firstly, this is reputation, and secondly, the Assay Office constantly monitors and records the craftsmen; no excesses with counterfeit products have been recorded so far.

Usually the untreated side is left in the product. As a rule, it will be negotiable. But this is not always done, because there are beautiful stones that you want to show from all sides.

Related material:

What amber products can be bought in Kaliningrad.

Ultraviolet

If you shine ultraviolet light on it, the amber will glow with a greenish-light green hue. No plastic or any other material will give such a color. By the way, in some cases, miners shine a light underwater to the bottom of the sea; in the sand and natural debris, it immediately becomes clear where it lies.

The directed rays of an ultraviolet lamp give the stone a greenish tint.

Remember, the stone will be heterogeneous in structure, there will always be some kind of picture, bubbles, multi-colored spectra in it. The fake will not turn out as flawless as nature and natural processes came up with.

Pressed amber will also glow, but in normal light it will have a homogeneous structure visible. The stripes will be uniform, the pattern will be the same when pressed. For example, beads from the press are all the same color, with an almost unchanged internal and external pattern. They are homogeneous. The lines run predictably, not chaotically.

Reference. An amber press is cheaper than products made from whole raw materials.

Natural amber balls will look approximately the same color, but if you look at them, you will see that their patterns are different. There may be dark small dots (so-called “pepper”). This indicates that the ball is made from a whole piece.

How to distinguish amber from a fake or artificial stone in a store

There are no fake ambers in Kaliningrad stores, so buy with peace of mind. This is simply not needed by anyone.

At the same time, there are a lot of tips on the Internet for checking authenticity:

• cauterize,
• scratch,
• rub,
• throw into salt water, etc.

How do you imagine this process? Come to the company store with a can of water and a pack of salt. Place it all on the counter. Ask the seller: “Please give me those beads for 50 thousand rubles. I want to check whether they are real or not by dipping them in a salt solution,” or: “Show me a necklace for 35 thousand” - do you take it, scratch it, rub it, and then burn it with a lighter? This is unthinkable!

If you want to buy an expensive amber item, but you don’t understand it and doubt its authenticity, there is a more effective way.

Visit the Amber Museum, where complete information about the stone is presented: from quarry to production. Read about properties, shades, processing. There is plenty of material. You can also ask your questions in the comments under this article.

If you rub regular amber with your finger, it will smell like pine needles. What is considered artificial? I would like to warn some inquisitive people. This is a very soft stone, any attempts at mechanical impact (scratching with a key, rubbing against clothing from buttons and zippers, as well as any type of impact with foreign objects) can cause damage. You should not do this, because you can ruin an expensive product. Such precedents have happened; people paid for a broken product because of their stupidity.

Reference. In 2010, a visitor to the Amber World store decided to check the authenticity of a “Bouquet of Roses” product in the form of a brooch. The buds were made of white amber. The buds flew off as a result of mechanical impacts. The product was damaged, he had to pay for the damaged item.

Keep in mind that brooches and pendants are polished, shaped and processed. How do you imagine testing the product? Scratch something from your pocket? Reading reviews about pressed amber, I want to ask those who wrote this - people, do you know that pressed amber is already more expensive than regular amber in some respects? What could he be more beautiful? What if an ignorant person can’t tell the difference between amber and rosin? Of course, everyone gives out advice.

The main difference between pressed amber and ordinary amber is that pressed amber is the processing of natural stone in special autoclaves, where, under temperature and pressure, a new one is created from it, with certain characteristics necessary for the master to realize the idea. But it still remains amber. In some cases, the pressed one can be more beautiful, at a cost 3-4 times lower than its analogue. This has to do with processing. If usually, in order to obtain a stone with the desired characteristics, you need to process it, spend a lot of effort and money, then with pressing everything is much simpler.

Attention! Do not buy products anywhere, in the backstreets, from random people. Only in stores or workshops. When purchasing a product, you should be given a receipt and consulted on the product, this is exactly the same as in any jewelry store.

It is worth adding that there cannot be artificial amber, only artificial processing of natural stone, which in some cases increases its cost.

Look at inexpensive products in several places, hold them in your hands, take a closer look, study the color scheme. After this, you will understand how to choose what you like. As a rule, there should be no doubt.

All branded stores sell only real products. There can be no fakes there. After all, this is the reputation of a store, craftsman or factory. Each product has its own tag. Products are certified.

How much can you buy amber for: current cost in rubles

Amber must be assessed by special organizations. Specialists carefully and scrupulously examine the stone and its properties for authenticity, and then the price of 1 gram of metal is determined.

How much a sunstone costs is determined individually. The cost is indicated based on parameters such as:

• weight/size;
• color;
• age;
• place of origin/extraction;
• quality;
• processed or untreated stone.

Thus, the price of amber in 2022 varies from 3 rubles. per gram (fine fractions) up to 3 thousand rubles. for 1 g (large high-quality amber).

Punishment for smuggling

It turns out that each trader decides for himself how much a kilogram of amber costs. The price may fluctuate a little. But the main thing is not to forget that you have to bear responsibility for smuggling. Although today legislators have removed violators from criminal offenses. There is only administrative responsibility. Offenses can be unlawful, intentional, negligent acts or omissions. Citizens who have reached the age of sixteen and officials of various enterprises are responsible for violating these rules. Confiscation of goods may be applied regardless of the time of detection or commission of violations of customs rules. These actions entail the imposition of a fine in the amount of 500 to 1000 non-taxable minimum income or confiscation of the goods, as well as confiscation of vehicles used to move them across the border.

In Poland the fines are even higher. There is a zero duty rate on unprocessed amber. However, VAT is as much as 23%. An attempt to evade taxation is regarded as a fiscal crime or a tax offense, depending on the amount of value of the goods. For illegal transportation of amber, a fine of up to 18 million zlotys, imprisonment of up to five years, or a combination of both penalties is provided. The fine for tax violation is up to 37 thousand zlotys.

Price table according to amber fraction

Checking the authenticity of amber in everyday life

1. A real stone, when lowered into fresh water, will sink to the bottom, but in salt water it will remain on the surface, that is, it will float. It will take 7-8 tsp. salt per glass of water. If you have an imitation stone in front of you, then it will sink in both cases.
2. If you gently touch amber with a hot needle, you will feel a characteristic aroma.
3. A genuine mineral will begin to crumble if you run something sharp across it. The artificial stone will fall off in chips.
4. Ultraviolet testing. Real stone luminesces.

Despite all this, with the ultra-modern technologies of the counterfeit industry, it is sometimes very problematic to identify imitations of amber, which are increasingly finding their way into stores. It is important to be careful and vigilant!

The healing properties of amber

Since ancient times, it has been believed that there are no diseases that amber cannot cure. It is actively used in medical practice. The stone helps with the following ailments:

• angina;
• headache;
• pressure changes, magnetic storms;
• strengthens the heart;
• toothache;
• problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
• treats the respiratory system;
• other ailments.

In addition, sunstone has a healing effect on the glandular climate of the body (lymph, blood, tissue fluid), helps with joint pain, varicose veins, removes inflammation, and restores the activity of venous valves.

Amber contains iodine, so it is useful to wear beads for the treatment or prevention of thyroid diseases. In addition, amber contains other valuable elements, for example, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium.

Magic signs

Amber is considered a symbol of health and well-being. The magical properties are wide, as are the healing ones. For many centuries, the stone was used as a powerful talisman and amulet.

The mineral is considered a source of creativity, optimism and faith. It activates intuition, brings joy, luck, peace. Pregnant women who constantly wear amber give birth successfully and easily. And nursing mothers using amber beads help their child grow up kind and cheerful. A piece of raw mineral was placed next to the pillow to ward off evil forces. In order to protect the house from fire or lightning, they kept a couple of amber objects.

Payment and transaction confidentiality

Payment is made in cash or, at the client’s discretion, by transfer of funds to a bank card. Payment of the entire amount due for antique amber beads is carried out immediately after both parties agree on the mutually beneficial acquisition of the subject of the transaction. An agreement to purchase beads is accepted after a visual inspection and assessment of the amber jewelry within the walls of this antique store in Moscow or at the meeting place of our representative with the client.

The Antique store strictly follows the policy of non-disclosure of personal data and commercial information about the transaction. The content of correspondence with the client and his contact information are not stored in the database of the antique store for longer than 3 days and are not transferred to third parties under any pretext.