Yellow Amber

Yellow and brownish amber pieces are found around the world.  They make up more than two-thirds of the amber found in the world.  The original place it amber was found was in the Baltic Sea area, and this area is still the best market for amber both in quality and quantity.  However, wherever old fossilized trees can be found, amber may be found as well.

Black Amber

Black amber accounts for about fifteen percent of the amber found.  However, it is not actually pure fossilized tree resin.  It has been mixed with the remains of the tree from which it came or other plant matter.  That does not make it any less appetizing.

When the specimen is made up entirely of carbonized coal, so there is little difference between jet and black amber.  Consequently jet is sometimes called black amber and visa versa.   When black amber is held up to the light, it will usually be another color.

The back-light shines through the amber and a different color will show.  This color is usually a dark red, blue, or brown.   It is criticized that the black amber is not truly black because of this property and some people deny that black amber even exists.

The cost of black amber is slightly more expensive than the common amber, but there is also not much of a demand for it.

Green Amber

Green amber is very popular.  It only accounts for about two percent of the amber, but there is plenty of it found in the to supply the world.  The Dominican Republic is known for the best specimens of green amber.

The cost goes up as the shade of green, or any other color, deepens in the rock.  Lighter amber, or yellow-green amber is less expensive. Green amber can also be treated by heating it and it will become even more beautiful as it becomes more transparent.

White Amber

White amber is especially rare (about 1-2%). It is also called “bony” or “royal white” for its unique texture. White amber is praised for the decorative swirls in butterscotch, grey, green, honey or blue hues which create one-of-a kind decorative effects. White amber is never treated as it is praised for its natural beauty.

Red Amber

The second most rare amber is red amber.  Only about one in every two hundred amber specimens are red.  The color is very authentic and can be very deep. This amber is very expensive per gram.

Blue Amber

Blue amber is the rarest of all the colors of amber. However, blue amber is fairly new to the gem industry.  It must be caught in the right light, or it will look like every other piece of yellow-brown amber.

A fascinating property of blue amber is the color that it will change when a fluorescent light is shown on it.  It will be a dazzling bright blue because the fluorescents inside it will react to the light.

However, the same rock will look yellow or brownish when a white light source, such as the natural sunlight, shines from behind it. Blue amber is almost completely found in the Dominican Republic.