Featured Confused about cherry amber and cherry amber bakelite

Post pictures when you can!

 

I will, thanks!

 

Hey Guys,
Can someone clear something up for me as I have been dealing in bakelite for a long time now and now amber has become popular I am hearing different things off different dealers and want to see what the general consensus is...

So I have a few queries 1. 'Cherry amber' is just bakelite - you don't get dyed amber.

2. If amber is dyed or heated to manipulate appearance - how do I tell this? is this when the simichrome comes up dark read? - I have had this with bakelite before.
- I tend to use a UV light as floating tests etc aren't effective enough with all the fakes and I have never had a 'facetted' (pressed) bead cherry amber necklace - it has always been prystal bakelite.

Any other info would be great!

 

Welcome GemCity.
This is an old thread, so most people won't look. I do understand why you selected this thread though, your question is relevant to the question Joan posted.

- Cherry amber is supposed to be natural cherry amber, not dyed, and certainly not bakelite. It makes up ca 2-3% of the amber total.

- Cherry amber bakelite is a form of faux amber made of bakelite. While it is sought after by collectors, it is not actual amber and not as rare as genuine cherry amber.

- Sellers often use the wrong terms for items of any kind, either because they are clueless, or because they want to deceive buyers.

- Cherry amber bakelite should always be sold under the correct term, including the word bakelite. If a seller uses the term cherry amber (without bakelite) for bakelite, that is a red flag.

I think you are still talking about cherry amber? In general, because cherry amber is rare, beads are left in a pretty raw state, with the natural dents and other irregularities, to show that it is the real deal and not faux amber.

Early plastics are not my forte, so please correct me if I'm wrong. I always thought prystal was a type of catalin.

 

@Any Jewelry correct me if I am wrong here.

I'd venture to guess 99% of the graduated amber necklaces found in the wild are heated or oxidized to some degree to provide clarity and standardize the color. This is particularly notable when the color of each amber bead is exactly the same with no deviation.

Gia article on discerning heated vs natural amber:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2014-wang-heat-treatment-of-baltic-amber

 

Lucas, this is an old thread which was revived for a brief moment by a newbie called GemCity, who has since disappeared. The only reason I replied to her question was because it was relevant to the title of this thread, in short: 'cherry amber v cherry amber bakelite'.
I wouldn't even have replied otherwise, because we have new members joining daily and some keep reviving old threads with questions when there is only one regular left willing to reply. In this case yours truly.

It is best if any questions other than 'cherry amber v cherry amber bakelite' are posted in a new thread, or my head will explode from being the only one to handle all possible new diversions. We wouldn't want that now, would we.
You will probably find it helpful to read our many amber threads before posting a new amber thread.

 

My 80 yr old mom got these beads from her grandmother when she turned 18, she has always said they are cherry amber, but when I research that term, I see bakelite and resin used interchangeably with cherry amber and it is confusing. Thank you for the saline float test, I will try that. They are a rich wine color, mainly opaque, but with some ribbons of translucency. I only got to take a picture bc mom is napping, she has worn them almost every day most of my life. She said her grandmother also wore them frequently, they were a gift from a very dear friend. I would just like to know more about them, no one wants to sell them, but would also not be surprised if they are fabulously valuable!