Amber Bead Necklace ? I don't know....

[calis_stuff]

Hi Everyone, hope all are well and healthy !

Amber is just not my strong area.

Picked this up this week at a TS, I haven't tested it with saltwater and my UV light has gone missing.

There is no hidden clasp, it's strung on an older string. 

My sense of smell is not reliable but maybe you guys can give me an idea what you think.

There is marbling on quite a few of the beads, in some areas the white swirls are a bit rough at the surface and can be scratched and it's produces a fine powder.

No seams and a few areas near the holes have small chips like glass would chip.

Any thoughts ?

TIA !

[goaldeelocks]

Cali - I tried to check out this vague recollection I have but came up empty and am limited on time - something about "sick plastic" , damage due to age.im pretty sure I read something about this some time ago - but all i found just now was stuff about micro beads messing with ocean critters. Sorry I can't pursue more

[calis_stuff]

Thank you Diane. I have actually had a necklace that has the 'sick plastic' coating on it, it's like thin pieces of shellac or crackling that appears on some faux amber beads. I had posted about it here a year or two ago.

This doesn't have that coating, it's just one of the whiter areas can be scratched and it's slightly powdery, hard to explain.

[arlene_v]

Hi Cali

To me this looks like amber. Very nice! Amber often chips just like glass and whitish powder is a good sign too. 

Best wishes

Arlene

[rixstuff]

Can you scratch a little and see if it smells like pine?

[old.crows.nest]

Maybe put the beads in a zippy bag and run the bag under warm water and see what they smell like.

[kpamber]

They sure do look like amber!  And the fact that the beads each have their own characteristics would seem promising...nothing mass produced looking to them at all.

What's the weight? 

I've been watching a few amber auctions on ebay (still trying to get my mind wrapped around what makes one so much more desirable than another)...watched one strand sell three different times, each time at a progressively lower price, and I just can't figure out what that was about! 

I agree with OCN, put them into a baggie and run them under hot hot water.  There should be a nice pine smell that comes from that.

[old.crows.nest]

A Google search "egg yolk amber beads" found this old ebay forum topic:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-Fine-Jewelry-Gems/egg-yolk-amber-beads/td-p/2649684

[evelyb30]

If they weigh a lot less than they look like they should, you probably have real amber.

[old.crows.nest]

My unconventional test for Amber is to rub the surface slowly with my thumb. To my touch Amber is smooth with a resistance not exactly but somewhat like silicone. Plastic is slicker.