COLOURS OF AMBER
The composition and colour of amber is determined by many factors, such as the origin of amber, the sediments in which the amber has been deposited, the local climate, the formation of the near surroundings and the temperature in the ground.
COGNAC AMBER
Cognac amber is the most common and typical colour from the Baltic amber family. The colour originates from the sap colour as well as the ageing of the amber over 30 to 50 million years. This colour does not contain as much air or gasses as the milky and antique amber, hence its transparency. Cognac colour can also have a sparkling look due to air bubbles trapped inside and can contain inclusions such as leaves, pieces of wood and insects.
CHERRY AMBER
In composition, cherry amber is just like cognac amber. The colour originates from warm sediment surroundings millions of years ago. If a very dark piece of cognac amber is left for many years in open air with the right conditions around it, you will see the surface of the material oxidise and darken. This will make the amber look anything from wine red through dark brown and almost black, and usually opaque.
MILKY AMBER
Yellow amber holds more gasses and more oxygen than other amber colours. Therefore it is opaque or non-transparent. The colour varies from white and light milky to honey colour and dark antique. The surface of the raw amber is often quite dark. However, after cutting and polishing it can turn into a more yellowish and light colour. After decades milky amber will turn into light antique and later again into golden antique.
BLUE AMBER
One of the finest and most precious types of blue amber originates from the Dominican Republic. Dominican blue amber pieces of AAA quality are very rare and often more expensive than gold and diamonds. They are 25-40 million years old and are mined deep down in sandstone mountains. Dominican blue amber turns blue in natural sunlight and any other light source that has a slight component of UV light due to its fluorescence.
AURORA GREEN AMBER
Green amber originates from the tropical areas of South America. It has a green colour hue that ranges from light greenish to dark green. Green amber is around one million years old and therefore much younger than the classical Nordic amber. We call it Aurora Green Amber, due to its resemblance to the Northern Lights.
