What is Dominican Amber? Age, Origin, and Characteristics

Dominican amber contains, arguably, the best insect inclusions in the world. As well as blue amber, this deposit is one of the highest quality for fossil hunters.

A Pine Leaf Preserved in A-grade amber.

A Wasp Full body, with museum grade preservation

 Dominican amber originates exclusively from the Caribbean Island of the Dominican Republic. It is dated to be 16-20 million years old, from the Middle Miocene Era. It is renowned for its exceptional clarity and the presence of large, clear insect inclusions.

The Island of The Dominican Republic . The source of some of the finest amber on Earth 

     It was produced by the now extinct Hymenaea Protera tree, called "Algarrobo." It is the extinct ancestor to the modern Hymenaea tree, pictured below. It was a flowering tree, which means its flowers are sometimes found in the amber itself. This tree exuded far more pitch than most trees, making it an excellent source of amber. This same tree produced Mexican amber and Indonesian amber.

The Modern Hymanea Tree Ancient amber-producing forests may have looked similar to this. 

Dominican Amber Mines

     Amber mining in the Dominican Republic is conducted manually in private mines. Numerous small mines are worked by hand. Amber miners enter the mines equipped with a headlamp, a railroad spike, and a hammer. They chisel away at the earth until raw amber pieces are discovered and collected.

A Dominican Amber Mine, In Palo Quemado D.R.

Dominican Amber Workshops

     Dominican amber polishers go through lots of raw pieces in search of valuable insect fossils, or colorful blue amber.

A Professional Amber Polisher  Notice the wooden box with finished amber pieces in the back 

Insects in Dominican Amber

     Dominican amber insect inclusions are considered among the best amber fossils on Earth. The Dominican Republic consistently produces the largest and clearest insects in amber of any deposit on Earth.

A Full Body Spider With museum-grade clarity and preservation.

     Because Dominican amber comes from an island, it presents a unique case in insect fossils. Biological island communities represent ideal systems for investigating patterns and processes in evolutionary ecology. Significant species losses and extinction, as well as some species displaying remarkable status over time, have been discovered through Dominican amber fossils.

A Wasp in Dominican Amber Viewed through a 30x jeweler’s loupe.

     Here are some examples of Dominican amber inclusions that showcase why it is so exalted in the world of amber collectors.

Mammal Hair  An incredibly rare inclusion. A rodent may have rubbed up against fresh amber  resin in the ancient forest.

Clear Wasp A clear wasp in cogñac Dominican amber. Excellent preservation, rare.

Full Body Spider A museum-grade clarity,

The Same Spider as Above Under a 60x microscope. Notice the details in its body, signs of excellent preservation. This quality preservation allows scientists to study unique evolutionary traits in ancient insects.

An Algarrobo Leaf From the Algarrobo tree that made the amber. Museum-grade preservation.

A Glowing Red Wasp Surrounded by a swarm of museum-grade mosquitos. The wasp is red due to oxidation. This is a sign of authenticity, because oxidation on an insect cannot be faked.

Two Enhydros An enhydro is a moving bubble of air and water. These are some of the most coveted pieces by collectors. Very rare.

Two Enhydros Notice that the piece is tilted and the bubbles moved. The greater the movement of the bubbles, the better the enhydro.

Dominican Amber Colors

     Dominican amber tends to be found in large raw pieces, which are usually clear and yellow. More rare colors like blues and reds can be found here as well. The fact that such large colorful pieces are found here makes Dominican great for colorful amber.

Clear Yellow Amber Common, and great quality.

Clear Blue Amber Very rare and sought after.

Yellow Amber, Green When Toplit. This green glow is common, and beautiful. Not rare and it happens in most ambers. Dominican produces the most of this type of any deposit.

Polished Red Amber With raw red skin intact on the backside to preserve the red color.

Blue Dominican Amber 

     The Dominican Republic is the source of the world-famous amber, blue amber. The top-quality blue amber can fetch prices higher than gold. Blue Dominican amber is the result of black smoke from forest fires settling into yellow tree pitch, resulting in blue hue. Blue amber tells us the story of massive prehistoric forest fires. Other deposits can produce blue colors, but Dominican is the best of them all.

Learn more about Blue Dominican Amber Here Dwindling Supplies, Rising Prices

Currently, Dominican amber with insect fossils are becoming scarce, because the high cost of mining makes it difficult for profitable operations. Remember that the miners' job is somewhat of a gamble, so if they do not find amber with insects or good blue colors, they might lose money on the mining operation and close the mine. This is a common occurance, and these conditions leading to dwindling supplies and rapidly rising prices.