Let me speak frankly: in this industry, if you want to avoid being scammed, you have to be a bit more vigilant yourself. Especially with amber — it looks simple on the surface, but if you get serious about it, beginners end up paying their dues very quickly. Let me tell you, when I first entered the business, I saw all kinds of strange “amber” pieces, and looking back now, those were all traps! Today, Old Zhou is here to chat with you about how to truly distinguish real amber from fake.

What mistakes do beginners most often make?

If you ask me where beginners most easily get fooled when buying amber, it’s definitely mistaking “copal resin” for “real amber”. Simply put, copal is a younger form of amber that hasn’t fully fossilized yet; it’s quite soft but looks very similar to amber. Many unscrupulous dealers use this to deceive buyers, pricing it close to real amber. Don’t take my words lightly — when I first started, an old client almost got tricked by this. If I hadn’t asked some extra questions, tens of thousands would have gone down the drain.

Another common confusion is around the concepts of “enhancement” and “treatment”. Enhancements like clarifying water content or heat coloring are widely accepted in the industry and not considered fake. But treatments such as pressing, gluing, or coating are different — these are no longer natural products and their prices should be significantly discounted. Some sellers like to play word games, calling treated amber “naturally enhanced,” which sounds okay but is actually misleading.

Several simple and practical identification methods you can try at home!

Honestly, amber can be tricky to identify just by looking with the naked eye. But there are some small tricks that ordinary people can use to weed out most fakes.

Feel it in your hand



    • Check surface temperature: Amber feels warm and smooth, unlike glass or plastic which feel cold. Hold it for a while and it quickly warms up to your body temperature.

    • Sense the texture: Natural amber usually has some fine textures or “orange peel” patterns on the surface. It may not be perfectly smooth but has a unique oily feel. Plastic products tend to be very smooth and lack this tactile quality.

    • Weigh it: Amber is lightweight and feels “light as air” in your hand. Glass or plastic of the same size will feel much heavier.

Shine a flashlight through it


This method is especially useful. Use a small, strong flashlight and shine it through the amber.



    • Observe internal structure: Real amber has flow lines inside, resembling layers of mist or clouds. You might also see bubbles, but natural bubbles are usually round, vary in size, and are scattered individually. Pressed amber shows “stirred patterns” or “blood vein patterns” that look unnatural. Its bubbles may appear in strings or flattened shapes.

    • Check fluorescence: Many natural ambers fluoresce under UV light, showing blue, green, or pale yellow hues. However, this can’t be the sole criterion because some natural ambers have weak fluorescence and some plastics can fluoresce too. So use this as a supplementary check.

Saltwater buoyancy test (handle with care!)


This method is a bit “rough” but quite effective. Note: this test is only suitable for loose amber stones or beads without any metal settings. Never soak mounted pieces, or you might damage the metal!


Take a cup and mix salt and water at about a 1:4 ratio, stirring until fully dissolved. Then put the amber in the solution. Natural amber has a specific gravity around 1.05–1.10, so it will float in saturated saltwater. Glass or plastic fakes will sink. However, there are exceptions — copal resin also floats in saltwater, so combine this method with others for a reliable result.

Common fakes and tricks I’ve seen too many times!

When it comes to fakes, there’s a whole spectrum, constantly evolving. Over the years, I’ve seen all kinds of “bizarre” fakes.



    • Pressed amber: The most common fake, made by melting amber fragments and pressing them into shapes. Inside, you’ll see the “stirred patterns” mentioned earlier, and the color is usually uniform without natural variation. Last year at the Ruili market, I saw a “big piece” that looked perfect and evenly colored. But under the flashlight, it was full of pressed amber swirl patterns. The seller insisted it was natural and priced it at tens of thousands. I told them it wasn’t worth it.

    • Plastic imitation: A very low-level fake made of plastic. These are usually very light, feel rough, and can be scratched with a fingernail. They lack the warm, oily feel of real amber. When I first started, a young lady excitedly showed me a “amber necklace” worth three or four thousand yuan — I took one look and told her it was just plastic, worthless.

    • Copal resin impersonation: As mentioned earlier, this is the most deceptive because it looks so similar. Beginners find it hard to tell apart. Copal is usually softer than amber; wiping it with alcohol or ether will make it sticky or even dissolve, while natural amber won’t. Of course, don’t randomly wipe people’s items with alcohol — this is just the principle behind identification.

    • “Second generation amber”: This is just a fancy term for pressed amber, used by sellers to sound more upscale and trick buyers.

When should you go to a testing lab?

Honestly, if the amber you’re buying is expensive or you really can’t be sure, my advice is to honestly go to a professional testing institution for certification. Don’t skimp on this! There are many authoritative gem testing labs in China, such as NGTC (National Gem Testing Center) and GIC (Gemological Institute of China). Having a certificate gives peace of mind and makes future transactions easier.


A friend of mine once brought back a very large amber rough stone from abroad. It looked beautiful but he wasn’t confident about it. He asked me, and I thought it was good, but since it was a big piece worth millions, I still recommended he get it tested. It turned out to be genuine amber, so he felt relieved. So, don’t hesitate to spend on testing when needed.

If you’re planning to buy amber soon, here’s my advice…

If you’re thinking of buying amber, my advice is to look more and buy less, and ask questions if you don’t understand! Don’t fall for flashy advertising or hope to “snag a bargain.” There aren’t that many bargains to be had, and if there were, they wouldn’t be for you. Start with lower-priced entry-level pieces, handle them often, shine a flashlight through them, and gradually develop your eye. Also, choose reputable sellers or bring along a knowledgeable friend. Finally, remember this: price is always a reference, but the real value lies in the piece itself. Don’t be trapped by price, thinking expensive means good and cheap means fake. I’ve fallen into that trap before — don’t make the same mistake!