Am I amber? Thoughts?

I picked this up for $3 thinking it was a nice older faux amber necklace. I flashed a black light on it repeatedly, and I am wondering if I scored. Would lucite or bakelite show this color under black light? It's too light for bakelite. If you think it's amber, any ideas of origin? The clasp seems aged/older. Thanks.

 

I don't believe it would...but I've never seen amber of that brilliant red. There is the specific gravity test, in salt water. You'll need to restring them, but the cost would be modest compared to the successful test enhancement of their value, I'm thinking...Hearty Congratulations, Marko!

 

Thanks. I will take an outdoor picture tomorrow. This was bright indoor lighting.

 

Not that I am an expert, but it looks like real amber to me. Nice find, congratulations, Marko!

 

Do the beads feel warm or cold to the touch?
I have never seen that whitish pitting on amber. Afaik amber is the same colour throughout, even damaged parts.

It could if the colourants in the material fluoresce.

 

Some outdoor pictures

 

They are not cold. I guess I will test for bakelite.

 

The swirls are usually a sign of a plastic of sorts.

Good idea.
You can also rub it vigorously and see if it becomes static, see if it picks up lint or dust. When you rub it, also smell it. If amber, it should have a pine smell.
Then there is the float test @wlwhittier mentioned.

 

I'm not going to float it....it's odd that it would fluoresce like amber. I researched and some bakelite will flouresce yellow. I will test today and show you pics of the results. A fun $3 mystery to solve.

 

No reaction to simichrome

 

, Lucite can glow under a black light, though it might be a faint or murky glow, not a bright, vivid one. Some plastics, including certain types of acrylic or "Lucite," contain fluorescent molecules that absorb ultraviolet (UV) light and re-emit it, causing them to fluoresce. The glowing effect is often more pronounced in vintage or colored Lucite items, while clear Lucite might show a more subtle effect.

 

That is what I see in your UV photos. Amber would fluoresce very clearly.
A lot of faux amber is lucite/perspex.

 

I learn something new every day. Thanks!

 

Still a very good buy at $3.