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jayceerichjr · ‎02-01-2015

It is c clasp and signed MET Thanks, Carolyn

southernmermaid8 · ‎02-01-2015

That's always a tough one for me too . Real Amber always feels like plastic to me , the way this piece has the different shades of color makes me think Amber , but let's see what the other mavens have to say .

jayceerichjr · ‎02-01-2015

Southern, I don't really see any inclusions in it.

Carolyn

southernmermaid8 · ‎02-01-2015

Carolyn ,
In the picture it looks like there are a few tiny spots in the right leaf and maybe some bubbles in the beads ?
Dana

thornsandroses · ‎02-01-2015

There are several ways to confirm that it is amber.

Amber will float in salt water. It also fluoresces under a blacklight. You can put it in a Ziploc bag with a bit of air in it, run it under very hot water for a minute or so, and smell the air to see if you catch a whiff of pine resin, which confirms amber. You can put the piece under magnification and look for the presence of tree scales and/or pollen, bits of insect, bark, etc., which are all present in amber.

Another way to confirm plastic is to look at where holes are drilled in the piece. Plastic will usually have tiny airholes or signs of melting. Amber will look like it was drilled, and you should be able to see the drill marks down the length of the hole.

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"One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane." ~Nicola Tesla

jayceerichjr · ‎02-01-2015

I do see that Dana, I'll have to get my loope & check it again.

Thanks,

Carolyn

jayceerichjr · ‎02-01-2015

Thanks Thorns, I have found a few tiny inclusions, some are wierd like webs.one like an exoskeleton of an insect. I do believe this is amber, but I will do the zip lock bag test.

Thank you all for all the info.

Carolyn

flipping_treasures · ‎02-01-2015

Some plastics florescent under black lights. The float test will probably not work with this piece due to the weight of the findings. I too like to use the smell test with amber. Only instead of using hot water, I use a piece of wool and rub it until it is warm. There should be a distinctive smell of pine if it is amber. My guess would be amber based on the construction and the look of the carving in the leaves. But this is only a guess without holding it in my hand.

Though the beauty may be in the butterfly, the struggle and growth occur in the cocoon.

southernmermaid8 · ‎02-01-2015

I like the bag or wool test much better . I'll have to commit those to memory . The only test I knew was to heat up a pin and stick it which could easily damage it if it is real . Let us know if you smell pine .