Featured Confused about cherry amber and cherry amber bakelite

I bought this necklace recently for $5 at an antique show and am trying to figure out if the beads are dyed amber or bakelite. I rubbed a q-tip with Simichrome on one of the beads and it turns reddish-orange, which seems like the beads must have been dyed. When I've used Simichrome on red bakelite beads, the q-tip turns yellow (not reddish-orange).

I see a lot of similar necklaces listed on eBay that are called "cherry amber bakelite," but this one seems too lightweight for bakelite (59 grams).

It has an old sterling silver clasp and should be restrung, but I'm wondering if I should leave it on the original string with spaces between the knots so potential buyers can see that it's old. The beads are also really dirty (I cleaned/polished the largest one). I ran it under hot water and it doesn't smell like formaldehyde (but some of the other beads I have that test positive for bakelite with Simichrome don't smell like formaldehyde under hot water). I also tried the static test with a piece of tissue, and the beads attracted the tissue, but that also happens with bakelite.

I shined a 9UV 405 nm flashlight on it and the color didn't fluoresce, but from some online research I've done, not all amber fluoresces. I'm tempted to cut the string and see if a single bead floats in salt water (which I've done with a real amber bead). But maybe someone on this forum can tell me if this type of faceted "cherry amber" bead necklace is never real amber. Any help will be appreciated.

 

Lovely necklace, Joan, amd a very nice bargain.
The beads are pressed, not facet-cut. Amber can be heated and pressed to any shape, but faceted amber beads were always facet-cut.
So it is some kind of artificial resin, and bakelite is unlikely.

My cherry amber bakelite beads are opaque, I don't know if that is always the case with cherry amber bakelite.

 

Now I'm confused about faceted amber beads always being facet-cut, not pressed. The necklace shown below is the one I tested using the leftover bead, which floated in salt water, so I assumed it's real amber, but the beads look like they have pressed facets.


I also have another faceted "cherry amber" bead necklace, which was represented as real amber. The facets don't look exactly uniform, so I'm wondering if this one is real amber with cut facets, and if so, was it dyed since a Q-tip with Simichrome rubbed on a bead turns reddish.

 

All.so.beautiful.

 

I decided to cut the string on the first necklace and see if a bead floats in warm salt water, which it doesn't, so Any Jewelry is right about it being some type of artificial resin.

 

You can test the entire necklace in salt water, there is nothing to weigh it down. You can do that with any bead necklace that doesn't have beads of another material with it. A small metal clasp is no problem, and at least the necklace will stay in one piece.

Amber necklace with clasp:


And it floats:

 

I really appreciate your demonstration AJ. I'm going to try that with the necklace in my 3rd photo and also some other necklaces and prayer beads I've picked up at thrift stores over the years and have wondered if they're real amber (haven't wanted to do the hot pin test on them).

 

Hi,
I'm new at this. I have two really pretty necklaces that belonged to my grandmother and it was always said that they were Amber. I'd like to know for sure as my daughters wear these colours and I don't so they can know a little more about them. One looks like egg shaped, graduated in size, butterscotch coloured Amber and the other one is like the ruby colour above and faceted. I took them to a antique store and was shown little interest. Wanted to pay for the job lot which was about 40 pieces. The two amber necklaces were with some others and they just referred to them as 'that group of beads' and they've said the rings would be pulled apart and stones and gold sold separately. So I've bought them back home to do a little research my self. How much salt in what quantity of warm water to see if they float.
Kindest regards Robyn.

 

Welcome to the forum Robyn. The saltwater solution should be about 7-8 tablespoons salt dissolved in 300 ml of water (double if needed). I've learned that a resin called copal will also float in saltwater, so another test for amber is shining a UV/blacklight flashlight on them in a dark room to see if they fluoresce a bright blue or yellow-green color.

 

Welcome @Robyn Harrison . Could you start a new thread and show us photos of the necklaces please? Many of us love amber, and sometimes you can tell if it is natural amber just by looking at it. No guarantees though, but we can always say what the right way of testing is for your necklaces.
Are the beads light weight and warmish to the touch?
Sounds like your necklaces have quiteb some metal findings, which means the salt water test may not work. If there is more metal than just a clasp, the metal could weigh it down.

True, and so will polystyrene. Copal is a 'young' stage of amber.
Amber can fluoresce in a variety of colours. The colour of the fluorescence depends on the colour of the amber.

 

Welcome to Antiquers, @Robyn Harrison !

 

Others may disagree but I’ve always considered true copal to be amber. It’s not a different resin. It’s the same resin as amber only not of the same age. Copal that stays buried becomes amber. It takes thousands of years for resin to become copal and millions to become amber. Someone please correct me if I’m giving false info.

 

Oops I just saw AJ’s post on copal...

 

I stand corrected. For what it's worth, here's a slightly different take on copal from the Manager at mindat.org ("world's largest open database of minerals, rocks, meteorites and the localities they come from.") -- he was commenting on the statement, The only essential difference between amber and copal is age" "...Partly true, but I wouldn't like to see that made into the most important part of the definition; it's a bit like saying the only essential difference between grape juice and fine wine is age. The difference between "copal" and amber is in physical characteristics due to polymerization of the constituent molecules, which is what gives amber whatever minor hardness, toughness and chemical resistivity it has to enable it to be used as a gem. Amber is far more than just very old dried tree resin. "Copal", on the other hand, really is just old dried tree resin, it doesn't satisfy the minimum qualifications of a gem, and if someone ruined a piece of it while doing a solvent test, who cares?" quote from Alfredo Petro, Manager, mindat.org. Others on the forum disagreed with his statement implying that no one would care if a piece of copal was ruined while doing a solvent test.

 

Agree except I would care if I ruined some of my vintage African copal lol.

 

And I do think the analogy to grapes/wine is absurd and invalid. One is manipulated by humans and processed while the other is a product of nature and time.

 

There were others on that forum who agree with you.

 

Good to know LOL...and I should have said “manipulated by humans”.
I’ll edit..

 

@Robyn Harrison Welcome and definitely start a separate thread on the amber. Some can sell for serious money and not all antique stores would know what is what.

As you go through your lot, might not hurt to post some of the other items in a separate post as well to get info.

 

Good to know. I have an “amber” necklace that is cracking and crazing. I live in a very dry climate. But now I am wondering if this is an indication that it is actually a copal necklace. I have wondered about it before.