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Artificial Amber: Description, appearance, the difference from the present, production of artificial amber and manufacturer do it. How to distinguish amber from fake? How to make an artificial amber from polyester

Modern technologies do not stand still. Methods for making fake stones and methods are greatly developed. This fate has suffered a beautiful and sunny amber. The quality of synthetic materials is able to mislead any buyer. According to its beauty, transparency and gloss, they may not yield to natural stone. Before purchasing a mineral, you should explore information on how to distinguish a real amber.

Although the fields of the real amber all over the world more than enough, unfair manufacturers are forged by it by various methods. We wrote this mineral about the beneficial properties and to whom.

Resin

Often, in a natural stone, they give the resin of various trees. Similar imitation softer natural gem. Fresh resin has a characteristic light flavor of needles. Amber is also able to exhibit a similar smell, but only after igniting or strong rubbing. When considering the fake fake from the resin has a homogeneous structure. The stone has grown in centuries, therefore it has laminated splashes.

Kopal

Paval is a resin coniferous trees, which is not and 100 thousand years old. In comparison with it, Amber ancient is a few million years old. A qualitatively treated fake is practically no different from the original. Even experienced jewelers visually do not distinguish a false sample. To distinguish the natural amber from the fake from the cheap can be melted.

Kauri

Kauri is a tree breed, from which the resin is mined for fake gem. Well-treated resin looks like a natural stone, but she does not have due toughness. For the production of Kauri ornaments is not suitable. It is used in the manufacture of furniture.

Imitation amber is much more common than natural stone. But determine the fake, relying only on the appearance, is quite difficult. Similar by the density of the resin can be identical external characteristics, but will never be able to reproduce the natural qualities of the stone. This is what is used in determining the naturalness of amber, which can be done at home.

Amber is a petrified resin coniferous trees that have grown on the planet 40-50 million years ago. There are many legends regarding the origin of the stone, and they are all accompanied by a number of scientifically proven facts.

The chemical composition of amber is as follows: C 10 H 16 O, where 10 carbon molecules, 16 hydrogen molecules and oxygen. Since the amber was created in vivo, it always has impurities in the form of aluminum, sulfur, iron, natural components.

The color of the stone varies from light yellow to saturated honey. The most rare copies that are found in nature are green and blue amber. It can be transparent or muddy, it all depends on the conditions in which the resins were frozen.

The hardness on the Moos scale is small, only 2-2.5 units. This is due to a low density - 1.05-1.09 g / s 3.

If the stone is natural, then when contacting with fire, it flammifies. When combustion, a unique coniferous smell is distinguished, which indicates the naturalness of the material. During the impact on amber by fire, he becomes viscous and drum, resembles a melted iris. When a decrease in the temperature of the resin immediately freezes in any form.

With intensive friction about the natural woolen surface, the amber is able to create a static voltage. If a small piece of natural material is lost about woolen fabric, then Amber will be able to attract small threads, dust, pieces of paper.

All these properties of the stone can detect the presence of fakes. Modern technologies allow you to create an amber imitation from any natural resins. This significantly reduces the cost of jewelry, but natural stone will always be in price. For example, the production of natural amber is engaged in the company "Amber Palace".

Amber is poorly stored in natural conditions. Under the influence of the mass of the Earth's layers, the stone is deformed and practically does not represent any jewelry value. The mining of amber is complicated, so in some cases the cost of amber is equal to the cost of white gold.

Amber authentication options

There are many ways to distinguish fake from natural stone. All are based on the chemical and physical properties of amber.

Appearance

Since amber is a natural stone, its main external characteristic is in heterogeneity. If you look at the stone through a magnifying glass, you can consider:

  • fine air bubbles;
  • particles and splashes of sand, land;
  • parts of insects.

Amber cannot have a homogeneous structure for the reason that at the time of falling the resin of the coniferous tree on the soil and its petition, foreign environmental particles fall onto its surface.

It is important to pay attention to the shape of bubbles in stone. They must have a spherical form, which indicates a high resin density at which the air is unable to exit the outside.

Natural amber will never have such characteristics:

  • the correct form, the geometrical equality of all its parts;
  • the presence of sequins and insects, which are located in the right form;
  • bright shine in stone.

Natural stone always has a more rich dark color, similar to the color of beer. The fake will always be a few tones lighter.

Hardness

The resin, which is created from the same components as amber, can have a different hardness, even close to the hardness of natural stone. The easiest way to check the stone is to take it and scratch it with the help of the nail. If in the process no small particles separated, then we are talking about fake. Naturally, the seller will not give a spoil product in the store, so such an experiment is appropriate exclusively at home, when the sample is personal property.

You can take a stone and with the help of a thick needle to spend a line, pressing on the metal product. If smooth chips appeared in the process, as it happens when exposed to wax or soap, then the stone is not real. Natural amber when exposed to mechanical strength always crumble, and chips and cracks have an uneven shape.

Weight

Natural amber, possessing low density, sinking in ordinary water. Amber, created from a resin in artificial conditions, will always be easier than water and remain on its surface. It is extremely difficult to determine the weight of the eye sample. Even with high-precision weights, it is difficult to compare the size of the stone and its weight.

Test in water

When immersed in salted water, natural amber will swim on the surface of the water, while most of its mass remain in water. With fake, things are as follows:

  1. A heavy sample will immediately go to the bottom, whatever part of the salt is dissolved in water.
  2. A light pattern will float on the surface even in the absence of salt in water.

To carry out experience, you will need to take a glass of cold water and dissolve 10 teaspoons of salt in it. With constant stirring, the salt is completely dissolved, after which the stone is placed in the solution. Only those stones that do not have cuts and other metal framing are subject to evaluation.


Test in water - one way to distinguish amber from fake

Salted water has a density of 1.1972 g / cm 3. At the density of amber 1.3 g / cm 3, the stone is capable of climbing the surface of the water, but most of it still remains in water.

Electrostatic charging

For experience take a piece of natural fabric from wool or silk. For 3-5 minutes, the stone is actively working about the fabric, after which it is applied to fine pieces of paper. If the amber is real, the pieces of paper will immediately attach it to it. This fact is due to the ability to accumulate a negative charge.

Plastics and resins produced in artificial conditions can also be statook, but the magnetization will be so weak that it will barely attract several paper samples.

Ultraviolet check

This method is the most effective, allowing to determine the fake not only at home, but also in the store. It is necessary to take a sample and shine an ultraviolet lamp on it. Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, the effect of luminescence arises. Amber provokes the formation of a glow from a pale blue, to a saturated blue.

Also, with ultraviolet, you can consider all the splashes and cracks inside the stone, as well as bubbles of frozen air. Wave-like transitions, blur, clarity of the shape of air bubbles, as well as the heterogeneity of the luminescence indicate the naturalness of the stone.

The fake possesses the following characteristics:

  1. The absence of glow - ultraviolet rays pass through the sample, are not concentrated inside.
  2. No air bubbles inside.
  3. The homogeneity of the composition, the absence of cracks, transitions.

Odor with temperature increase

Amber is frozen resin. When it is heated, a characteristic smell of a coniferous tree is formed. For experience, the candle and metal dishes will be required. They light the candle fire, amber put on metal dishes, gradually heating it. From the first minutes, a steady coniferous smell appears in the room, which indicates the naturalness of the sample.

In the laboratory, when there is a need to maintain the shape of the sample, the thermal experience is carried out with a soldering iron. It is heated, after which point is affected by the sample. The harshness of amber is due to the appearance of such odors:

  • aroma Gary, similar to plastic melting;
  • fragrance of pale paper;
  • the aroma of the burnt wool, which is saved for a long time in the room.

If the amber is natural, then it will make a pleasant fragrance even when he warmed him in his hands when friction. Artificial stone will not give any pleasant natural smells.

Test solvent

The use of chemical reagents in most cases is necessary in a laboratory. The essence of the technique is to exposure to the surface of the sample with a chemical with solvent properties. Most often it is a medical concentrated alcohol.


A few drops of alcohol drip on the surface of the stone, after which the sample dry. If the amber is real, its surface becomes rough, sticky. Dotted eyes are visible to the naked eye, which indicates the heterogeneity of the material.

Fake in 99% of cases does not change its shape and integrity of the surface. When exposed to other solvents, the effect is reverse. Natural amber does not react, and fakes change their structure.

Methods for fakes and their distinctive features

Competed with amber in appearance can various fakes, which, at first glance, no worse than the original. But natural stone will always be higher than any imitation, and this applies not only to the price.

Pressed amber

Stone is obtained using the recycling of amber residues. The smallest particles are placed in a special apparatus, where samples of natural stone are obtained under the exposure of high pressure.

A distinctive feature is the inhomogeneity of the color and the absence of oxygen bubbles inside the sample. All other qualities Amber sample will inherit from natural stone.

Take the resin coniferous trees and dried it to a solid state. Distinctive features are:

  1. Resistant coniferous smell, which is present even with a slight touch to the stone.
  2. Low density, with severe squeezing between fingers, the deformation of the sample may appear.
  3. Uniform structure and lack of characteristic luminescence when exposed to ultraviolet.
  4. The absence of inclusions and bubbles of oxygen.

Resins are usually used to decorate paintings and other items. In jewelry, amber from the resin is practically not used due to the low density and lack of necessary properties.

From other materials

The most common copies of amber are Kopal and Kauri. Fakes from these materials are quite difficult to distinguish from natural amber, as they have similar chemical and physical qualities.

Paval is the predecessor of natural amber. Natural resin coniferous trees, which is in the depths of the Earth less than 100 years. It has a similar structure, appearance and quality with amber, but is distinguished by low density and cracking during cut.

Kauri is a breed of trees that give the resin, with a special processing of which a stone appears, similar to amber. But in jewelry, this material is not used due to low strength.

Natural stone with inclusions of rare insects costs several thousand dollars per 1 kg. Therefore, folk craftsmen are interested in how to make amber: such decorations can be beneficial to sell.

A manual work in the era of machinery is also valued high, as well as the creations of nature itself.

Idea for business

The manufacture of artificial amber is a margin option for organizing a profitable case.

What can be done from amber

Amber is a very beautiful stone with different types of color: pale yellow, lemon yellow, red-brown, blue, even black or green.

The structure of natural stone is heterogeneous: with various bubbles, inclusions, transparencies and translucents.

Amber is used to create all sorts of bracelets, suspension, rings, pendants, boxes, paintings, or figurines.

A bright example of finishing the premises is an amber room, decorated with boards with mosaic, wall mosaic panels from solar stone.

The decoration of premises with natural stone is expensive, so it is worth paying attention to artificial material.

Amber raw materials for the production of decorations costs from 20 thousand rubles per 1 kg.

Varieties of imitation

There are several types of real amber, whose properties are almost the same.

Baltic succinite uses the greatest popularity. Also known types such as Sicilian Symethyite and Burmese Burmit.

Among the imitation of whole amber, the pressed (the so-called "Ambroid" made of amber flour) is popular. It is worth noting the polyber with the Fatone - created from waste after the extraction of amber with the addition of epoxy and other resins.

Some materials are masked under amber. For example, polyester, the type of plastics, is masked under the resin or acrylic and stain "under amber".

How to make amber at home

Sometimes natural mineral is added to the mixture.

Consider in detail the technology of making artificial stone.

What ingredients will need

The following components are needed to create an artificial stone at home:

  • 1 part of the resin (polyester, epoxy, turbid);
  • 1 part of white rosin;
  • shellac;
  • gelatin.

To achieve greater truthfulness, wood chips, insects and dye are added to the finished composition.

It is important to consider: the number of rosin and resin should be equal.

Cooking form

DIY artificial amber can be made in several ways:

  1. pour the prepared mass in the form to obtain the necessary parameters of this material;
  2. get the desired figure by pressing.

When choosing the first method, it is necessary to prepare a form in advance: to lubricate with rude vegetable oil or glycerol.

Step-by-step instruction

The manufacture of artificial stone consists of the following steps.

Method number 1:

  1. Slim with gelatin in proportion 9: 1 mix well and pour into the form.
  2. Add to the composition of 2 drops of water room temperature and mix gently, applying a thin wooden wand.
  3. Send to a well-ventilated room and leave for 24 hours.
  4. Then you can proceed to the processing of the product obtained.

Method number 2:

  1. Resin - 1 part melt in a tin pan and add shellac to it - 2 parts. After reaching a mass of translucent, add rosin - 1 part.
  2. Cook the composition to the state of complete transparency. Improving the transparency of the material depends on the duration of the cooking process.
  3. Pour in forms and leave up to complete cooling.

The process of further processing of the product:

  1. The first stage of processing is a ridder. It lies in the removal with the help of a coarse skin of the peel, which is formed as a result of weathering.
  2. The next stage is an alignment of a product that has a grungy look with noticeable chips or scratches. For this stage, medium grain leather will be required.
  3. Next, it is necessary to grind and polishing an artificial amber. To this end, they are inhibited by the skin of shallow grain and felt (felt, flannel).

As a rule, there is also cutting, faceting and additional polishing of artificial amber.

The combination of these measures allows you to achieve the desired form of material, thickness and size.

The same applies to the gallery - techniques used to obtain a large amount of amber beads of various shapes. This process is the processing of small pieces of artificial amber in the drum.

Amber - The word Russian, but in its sound it is close to the Lithuanian name of this sunny stone - Gintaras. A real amber is a petrified amorphous resin of coniferous trees.

Amber is not mineral, but fossil resin, or rather different resins with an exemplary composition: 79% carbon, 11% hydrogen and 10% oxygen. Their age is equal to 45-50 million years old, but there are more "elderly" age 65-135 million years.

Each piece is heterogeneous in color from pale yellow, lemon yellow (most fashionable) to red-brown, rare blue, green and even black. The stone is transparent, translucent or opaque, right up to porous if there are many bubbles or inclusions.

In the Baltic amber, in addition to mineral inclusions, residues of 197 types of vegetation and several hundred species of the animal world were found.

This amazing nature gift from ancient times is used to make jewelry. But from it not only made decorations. Everyone is known to the amber room, the walls of which were made of 22 wall mosaic panels, sets of boards with mosaic and decorations from the solar stone.

Many beautiful products (bracelets, rings, pendants, caskets, various figures, paintings, souvenirs) can be seen from amber in stores and museums of the Kaliningrad region - Amber Territory.

It is not necessary to make such products from the real amber, this is the knelling material, and besides, it can not be purchased everywhere. As a small business at home, you can make the same products, but only from an artificial amber, which can easily get each.


Methods of making artificial amber:

1 way

It is necessary to take 1 part of the turpentine resin, 2 parts of the shellac and 1 part of white rosin. In a tin vessel, the double walls of which are filled with oil to achieve a uniform temperature, the turpentine resin is melted, and then shellac is added.

Gradually, shellac will soften and connect with turpentine, turning into an opaque, white, thick mass.

The mass will become all alone and more transparent. In a separate dish, it is necessary to melt the rosin. When the mass becomes almost transparent, it is necessary to pour the melted rugged rosin.

After a while, the mass will become quite transparent and liquid, ready for the manufacture of conceived products from it by casting or pressing. In appearance, products made from this mass resemble a real amber, but less durable. The mass is insensitive to water, but dissolves in alcohol.

Depending on the color of the shellaca, the masses color can be obtained from brown to lemon color. The longer heated, the darker there will be a color.

With an increase in the turbid resin, the mass will turn out to be fat and after cooling it will be softer and less breaking. The increase in the shellac or rosin leads to mass fragility. The material obtained can be polished and varied.

When heated, this material becomes plastic, and with further heating melts. These properties can be used in the manufacture of jewelry.

2 way

To make an artificial amber in this way, first in the bath (in the form of the part) is poured gelatin. When gelatin gets dry, it is sprinkled with fine-colored golden-skinned mica sparkles and are again poured with a thin layer of liquid gelatin.


With this layer, dry out, sprinkle with a mica powder again and again everything is covered with gelatin. The layering lead as many times as need to achieve the required plate thickness. After that, they give a lot to dry a bit and covered with adhesive solution, can be painted in a cherry color. This way often uses small restoration work.

Artificial amber

Having made a form or taking advantage of you with suitable items, you can make beads, bracelets, pendants and other decorations.

You can try to make a pendant with the inclusion of some vegetation (leaflets, flower petals, etc.). Pendants with images of zodiac signs are very popular, with names.

For the manufacture of decorations, it is additionally possible, you may have to purchase chains for pendants, a row for beads and other materials. From artificial amber, you can make a mosaic panel, the picture is already more expensive things.
Costs for the production of artificial amber - Small, and income will depend on those products that you can make.

Part of the products can be spacked in stores in the sections of souvenirs or in the art shop, if such exists in your city. Invite the manufacture of interesting souvenirs, keyfobs, colors, bracelets in organizations for certain holidays.

By the New Year, you can cast the features of animals corresponding to the signs of the zodiac. In addition, the prepared mass as a material can be offered to those who are engaged in crafts.

Profitability:

  • Starting costs: from 1000 rubles.
  • Monthly income: 3-10 thousand rubles.

In this master class, we will imitate real amber with insects inside. Options for using the finished product - set. In this case, he was a decor of the handle of canes. With the same success of the workpiece, you can make other crafts and souvenirs.

Materials

To imitate Yantar with your own hands, prepare:

  • pieces of plywood;
  • composition for polyester resin;
  • dye to give a succulent shade;
  • mDF unit;
  • composition for the preparation of silicone;
  • scotch;
  • dried insect;
  • food film;
  • sandpaper;
  • lathe;
  • saw
  • sharp tools to give the shape of the product;
  • protective gloves.

Step 1. Initially, you will need to make a form for casting blanks. To do this, take the MDF block suitable for you.

Step 2.. From the residues of sawn timber or plywood make a box. The walls of it are attached to each other in scotch and watch the lumens between them.

Step 3.. Inside the resulting box, we remove the piece of MDF. Stick it for reliable fixation. If you want the form to turn out perfectly smooth, wrap MDF Food Film. So Silicone will definitely not stick to the tree.

Step 4.. Instruct Silicon in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Fill it into the box. Leave everything to the complete drying of the silicone. Time for it will be needed about 24 hours.

Step 5.. With the help of water and measuring cup, measure the volume of your form to understand how much polyester resin will need for the manufacture of one product.

Step 6.. Divide the polyester resin in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Do not forget to add a dye to get an amber shade.

Step 7.. Divided the resulting resin volume into two parts. First fill in the form. Pour neatly, without scolding so that bubbles are not formed. When working with epoxy resin, it is possible to get rid of them with the help of a burner, but the polyester at the same attempt will simply light up.

Step 8.. Lifting the resin in the form to stand for 30 - 60 minutes so that it thickens, send the selected dried insect to it. In this case, it was a large size of the merchandise. So that he remained the whole, he was lying alive, put in a jar with a wrap, moistened in the solvent, and waited until he was dragging completely.

Step 9.. Fill the second layer of resin. Leave everything to the complete drying of the workpiece.

Step 10.. Now the workpiece must be given a form. You can do it manually. In this case, a lathe was used. In any version of work, the tools for trimming and fitting the workpiece in shape should be very sharp. Polyester resin In this regard, the material is capricious and fragile.

Step 11.. Carefully polish your homemade. For convenience, moisten the resulting figure with water and after processing sandpaper or grinding nozzles.

At the end of the process, polish the product.