Poor Broken Reconstituted Amber Cross

I've been meaning to ask about this cross for ages.

You cannot imagine my chagrin when I opened its own individual box meant to protect it and discovered it in two pieces.

Oh, I suspect you can.

Anyway. This came to me (30 years ago?) from an aunt who traveled. And shopped at thrift stores. No idea where she found it.

Obviously, it's reconstituted, because you know, it's molded. Correct me if I'm wrong and it's not amber at all.

But it floats in salt water and it fluoresces.

Thoughts on where it came from? And should I glue it back together? It's a very clean break and I have good glue.

No intention to sell it, but would send it to a new home if I found one I thought loving enough for its sad state.

 

If you have something that will do the job with a really thin layer of adhesive & that is not going to discolor with time, I'd glue it. Seems like a better than average candidate for it if broken surfaces mate cleanly.

 

If you have clear jewelry-grade glue I'd say try gluing it. I'm not sure I'd wear it afterward but that break does look like a good one to try.

 

A good candidate for superglue. Do not try to apply the glue to any surfaces and attempt to assemble!
Assemble the piece DRY and then just *one dot* of superglue placed on an inconspicuous part of the seam and your piece will be invisibly and permanently repaired FOREVER.

 

Might be carved, not reconstituted. Get some glass windscreen glue. The kind that cures in light.

 

Much muckier/messier than superglue, but it's up to you.

 

I'd worry strong glues may melt it. Could be worth asking if any one has experience of gluing Amber on the scary vintage jewellery restoration page on FB?. Not suggesting the above posters are wrong as ive never tried it!

 

My commiserations.
Why not ask the International Amber Association? They are in Poland but the website is also in English. They have a lab, so are bound to know.
https://www.amber.org.pl/en/kontakt

 

I've restored argillite, ivory, tortoiseshell, porcelain, pottery and amber with superglue. It's brilliant on non-porous materials. I even restored the harmonic balancer on my Jaguar's engine with it. (that only held for a day or two though; had to replace it ...got me home though!!)

THIN Superglue - No problem - no solvents, and in the quantity suggested here, negligible heat.
Keep in mind that superglue (a finer grade, but superglue nonetheless) is used in medical situations to hold wounds closed.
If used properly, and in places where no gap-filling is required (cracks, pieces in intimate contact) there is no better adhesive.

 

I am pretty Glue Familiar. I will glue it together and report back (eventually, I'll be out of town shortly and while I'll have board access, the gluing will not happen before I leave).

Maybe. But everything about it "feels" molded. I suppose if they used heat in the carving process (the piece is just so "melty"). I dunno enough about the topic to talk further on it, lol.

No one has thoughts on where it came from? Or too big an area of possibilities?

 

I am a huge superglue fan myself. But I have never tried it on amber. Fortunately I have never had to. Knock on wood.