Amber - Why So Crazy!?

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

I'm really having trouble figuring out Amber. I'm going to the south baltic and planned to do some beach combing/shopping looking at amber. I really have no idea why one piece is $1 and another about the same size is $1000.






Or these finished pieces...





Seems Egg Yolk/Butterscotch that are opaque are more sought after...or are they naturally round? Weight seems to make a difference, but not always. These are huge price differences. Any Amber experts out there?

It'd be fun to even check stores there and look for deals, but not if I don't know what to look for obviously.

Thanks in advance!

 

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[EricTheCat]

Aren't the more expensive ones a greater volume/number of stones, or am I miss-understanding?

The only thing I know is you can get a little piece of amber with a bug in it for around $30 so I can't help you much more than that.

 

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

Aren't the more expensive ones a greater volume/number of stones, or am I miss-understanding?

Sorry some confusion with the metric system. Those raw stones are grams so like 44 grams compared to 1000 grams (1kg), but still a large discrepancy. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[DDancer]

Not sure about whats being offered in the first set of pictures~ no weights or sizes. The second set is priced in realtion to the size of the stones for the total lot weight. Larger pieces command a higher price as they are more scarce. As to the butter scotches they are scarce as well but are more desired by some for jewelery. No they are shaped and drilled Its rare for nature to make a piece you can just put on your neck.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Well, the gem market is a weird place. You also have to keep in mind on ebay, there might be fakes. Fakes tend to be cheap compared to the real deal.

Now if I recall right, white amber is the cheapest. It's not as appreciated as the yellowish varieties.

 

[gunsil]

Amber from different localities is rarer and more valuable than that from other places. The clear stuff with insects trapped in it is very sought after. I worked in an antique jewelry store for a while and the owner taught me that real amber will float in water and the fake stuff will sink.

 

[unclemac]

you may be able to buy from the source there at a good price too....the last time I was in Australia, there were all sorts of opal shops selling fantastic stuff for very good prices.