A Few Words from Old Zhou Before Beginners Buy Amber!

Let me tell you, when you walk into the market in Ruili, it’s truly a colorful spectacle with everything you can imagine: jadeite, South Red agate, beeswax, and of course, amber, which is what we’re discussing today. Many friends from out of town get dazzled and confused. Once they hear the sellers hype it up with phrases like “heirloom treasure” or “huge appreciation potential,” they immediately pull out their wallets. Let me tell you, amber is a tricky business, especially for beginners. If you’re not careful, you’ll fall right into a trap.

Common pitfalls beginners often fall into—I’ve seen them all!

If you ask me where beginners usually stumble with amber, I’ll break it down for you. These pitfalls are so common they can’t be overlooked:

• The first pitfall is not being able to distinguish real from fake. There are so many fakes out there—copal resin posing as amber, synthetic amber sold as natural, and even plastic! When I first started, I saw an elderly lady happily buy a “chicken fat yellow large bead necklace,” but when she showed it to me, the plastic smell was overwhelming. She told me she spent tens of thousands of yuan, and honestly, I didn’t know what to say at the time.


• The second pitfall is having only a superficial understanding of origin and variety. Baltic, Burmese, Fushun, Dominican... each type of amber has its own characteristics and vastly different prices. Some sellers exploit your ignorance by passing off cheap amber as expensive, or exaggerating the rarity of common varieties. Take “blood amber” for example—while some high-quality pieces are indeed expensive, many on the market have been treated or even dyed. If you ask me, beginners shouldn’t aim to buy rare varieties right away. Start with basic Baltic beeswax amber, learn the fundamentals first.


• The third pitfall is chasing “perfection” or “stories” too much. Many buyers want flawless amber or get swayed by sellers’ tales of “old patina” or “century-old unique pieces.” Let me tell you, natural amber is never perfect. Small bubbles, tiny cracks, or some inclusions inside are all normal. Those stories sellers tell are just to inflate the price. Remember, the quality depends on the actual piece, not the story. Last year at the Ruili market, I saw a piece touted as “old beeswax,” with sellers raving about its natural thick patina and family heritage. But when I shone a UV light on it, it clearly showed signs of modern treatment—definitely not old material! It was priced around 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, which I thought was not worth it.


• The fourth pitfall is having no sense of pricing. This is the most fatal. If you don’t know roughly how much amber should cost, whatever the seller says goes. I once saw a young man eyeing an amber pendant priced at 8,000 yuan, which later dropped to 7,000 yuan. He thought he got a great deal, but when he showed it to me, it was worth at most 2,000 yuan. His face turned green on the spot.

The most outrageous scam case I’ve seen

Honestly, there are too many scam cases to count, but the most ridiculous one involved a friend who does live streaming. One of his fans bought a “full beeswax chicken fat yellow big Buddha” from another live stream, supposedly costing tens of thousands of yuan. When the fan received it, the entire Buddha was made by hot-pressing several small pieces of beeswax together, with visible seams. The color was obviously fake at a glance. When he showed it to me, I couldn’t help but laugh and cry. This piece was basically reprocessed scrap material with very low cost, definitely not worth the price. Sellers prey on people’s obsession with “full beeswax” and “chicken fat yellow,” combined with the impulsive buying atmosphere of live streams, and that’s how these scams happen.

Common tricks used by sellers

Over the years, I’ve been through the ups and downs of this industry and seen many seller tricks. Let me tell you, these are their favorite moves:

• Confusing concepts. For example, copal resin pretending to be amber. Copal is the “precursor” to amber and hasn’t fully fossilized, so its hardness, density, and stability are much lower, and its value is much less. But to outsiders, it looks very similar to amber. Sellers will say things like “this is just younger amber” or “this is natural amber without treatment,” creating a false impression.


• Exaggerating benefits. Claims like “calms the mind,” “attracts wealth,” or “beautifies the skin” are just for show. Buying amber should be for enjoyment and appreciation, not for those vague health claims. If you’re unwell, see a doctor—expecting amber to cure diseases is wishful thinking.


• Hype based on origin and rarity. Some origins are indeed rarer, like Dominican blue amber or Burmese tea amber. But sellers will hype ordinary varieties as “exclusive to certain rare origins” or call treated amber “natural rare.” This is especially common in live streams, with phrases like “exclusive online” or “special deal,” designed to get your heart racing.


• Using certificates to deceive. Certificates aren’t useless, but some sellers use certificates from unregulated labs to fool buyers. The certificate might say “natural amber” but not clarify whether it’s “natural treated amber” or “natural untreated amber,” which is a big difference. Sometimes, the certificate is outright fake. If you ask me, if you really need a certificate, make sure it’s from a nationally recognized authority, such as NGTC or GIC.

How to avoid being scammed? Let me teach you a few tricks!

It sounds complicated, but it’s actually simple. If you want to buy amber, remember these points:

• Look more, buy less, and learn first. This is what my mentor told me when I started. Don’t rush to buy; visit markets often, learn online. There are many educational videos on Bilibili and plenty of useful articles on WeChat public accounts. Understand the basics well—know the difference between copal, second-generation beeswax, pressed beeswax, at least roughly.


• Find trustworthy sellers. This is crucial. Instead of random live streams with unknown backgrounds, look for reputable physical stores with good reputations or sellers who have been in the industry for years and have credibility. I’ve built my business on honesty for over a decade; my regular customers trust me, and I wouldn’t ruin my reputation.


• Learn simple identification methods. While you can’t rely solely on yourself, some simple tests help: saltwater float test, UV light observation, and friction static electricity test. Natural amber generally floats in saturated saltwater, while copal or plastic may sink. Under UV light, natural amber fluoresces blue or green, while fakes often don’t fluoresce or show abnormal reactions. These little tricks help you weed out some fakes when buying.


• Don’t be greedy for bargains. This is old advice but especially true in the jade and amber trade. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If you see amber priced way below market value, be very cautious—there’s a 90% chance it’s problematic. Good amber doesn’t sell cheap.


• Be rational and buy within your means. Buy amber because you like it and want to appreciate it, not to compete with others. Buy what fits your budget. Don’t sacrifice your quality of life just to buy a “good” piece—that’s not worth it.

What if you’ve already been scammed?

I’ve fallen into that pit myself. When I first started, I got scammed a few times. If you’ve already lost money, first, don’t panic. Regret won’t help; just treat it as a tuition fee.

If you bought from a physical store and the amount is significant, with clear evidence of fake or inferior goods, you can try negotiating with the seller. If that fails, you can file a complaint with the local market supervision authority. But honestly, the cost of defending your rights is often high, and the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

If the amount is small or you bought online, chances of getting your money back are slim. My advice is to learn from the experience. Keep this lesson in mind and be more cautious next time. You can keep the piece you lost money on as a reminder not to make the same mistake again. Or if you know a reliable expert, show it to them and ask for advice—you might learn something useful.

In short, buying amber is a matter of good judgment, plus a bit of luck and character. Don’t overcomplicate it. Just remember: ask when in doubt, look more and buy less, and don’t be greedy for bargains. This way, you’re less likely to get scammed and can truly enjoy the beauty of amber.