How to....

Amber comes in a variety of colours from the better known yellow-orange hues to white, even black or the more uncommon colours of green and red.

It is fossilized tree resin and so, often has many inclusions such as air bubbles, insects and internal "cracks" which all add to the character, beauty and individuality of each piece.

Amber from the Baltic regions of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are probably the most widely known and it is accepted that pieces from this region are of the best quality.

There are a few ways to test if your piece of amber is genuine or a fake. Now, you are not going to want to stick a hot needle into that beautiful piece of amber you have fallen in love with just to see if it releases a pine-tree fragrance but there are other less damaging tests you can do yourself.

Firstly, and most importantly buy your Baltic amber from a reputable seller. One who is ready to provide evidence of authenticity that it is in fact genuine Baltic amber. Also, be wary of unbelievably cheap price tags.

Amber can be verified from an easy touch test. Hold the piece in you hands and you should start to feel it "warm" up and true amber will feel lighter than you would think for its size. Fake pieces will be cold and heavy to the touch.

Finally, you can easily invest in a small UV torch and under UV light true amber will give off fluorescent blue and green hues.

So, now if you do fall in love with that Baltic amber piece you can confidently and easily verify its authenticity and confidently wear a unique and beautiful piece created by nature.