How To Tell Real Amber From Fake Amber

Ryan Zschomler
Dec 9, 2025
9 min read

Updated: Dec 19, 2025

Fake amber is any kind of man-made recreation trying to pass as real amber. Common types of fake amber are: insects in plastic, amber colored plastic, amber-colored glass, and copal being sold as amber. This section will teach you how to spot the fakes.

Fake Plastic Amber - It is a real beetle, trapped in yellow plastic and put on a keychain. — **Fake Plastic Amber -** It is a real beetle, trapped in yellow plastic and put on a keychain.

Fake amber often tries to mimic the appearance of high-quality specimens with exceptional size and clarity. It can be

made of plastic with large insect inclusions that are perfectly placed in the center, plastic beads labeled as amber, glass, or any number of creative ways with a store-bought resin. The difference between real and fake amber is clear when examined closely. Learn how real amber forms and captures insects here.

Out of respect for sellers, please note that most of them are not aware of these distinctions and do not intentionally sell fake amber. Most of them have been tricked themselves into thinking it is real. This is especially true for brick-and-mortar stores, and mom-and-pop shops.

Your main tools to distinguish real amber will be your UV light, a jeweler’s loupe, and a keen eye for details. Be prepared! The UV Light Test Using a UV light around the 365-nanometer spectrum, almost all amber fluoresces under UV light, with few exceptions like red amber or heat-treated amber. Some fake plastic ambers have been made with a UV-reactive resin, which also fluoresces under UV light. When conducting the UV test, look for a bright glow, and unique characteristics revealed by real amber, such as flow lines, imperfections, or color variations. Fake plastic amber does not produce unique flow lines. If your amber glows and exhibits individual characteristics under a UV light, it is likely real. This test is quick, easy, and reliable.

Dominican Amber - Glowing under a 365nm UV flashlight. — **Dominican Amber -** Glowing under a 365nm UV flashlight.

In the photo below we have a strand of real Mexican amber beads, vs fake plastic beads. Notice where the UV light shines, the amber beads glow green. Beside them, the plastic beads do not glow at all.

Real Amber Beads vs. Fake Amber Beads - Amber glows under UV, most plastic does not — **Real Amber Beads vs. Fake Amber Beads -** Amber glows under UV, most plastic does not

The Microscope Test Real amber often contains detritus and possibly small insects that are more visible under a microscope. Fake amber is almost always perfectly clear. Examining your piece of amber under a microscope or magnifying glass can reveal small insects, imperfections, dark inclusions, and more, indicating its authenticity. Fake plastic ambers will typically have one very large insect perfectly centered or no insects or inclusions at all.

Note that plastic fakes will have real insects inside, and these will have excellent clarity. Therefore poor preservation is a sign of authenticity.

B-Grade Amber - Unrecognizable detritus in Mexican amber. — **B-Grade Amber -** Unrecognizable detritus in Mexican amber.

B-Grade Amber - A low-quality wasp inclusion in Dominican amber. — **B-Grade Amber -** A low-quality wasp inclusion in Dominican amber.

The Saltwater Test Real amber will be buoyant in saltwater, while plastic will sink. Prepare a saltwater solution by dissolving salt in a cup of water until no more salt can be dissolved. Then, drop the amber piece into the solution. Genuine amber, being less dense than water, will float or exhibit buoyancy. Plastic or synthetic materials, which have a higher density than water, will sink to the bottom quickly. While this test is useful, it should be used in conjunction with other tests for a more accurate determination.

It is important to note that this test is not conclusive. Because amber will exhibit buoyancy, but it will not necessarily float to the top. This test is easily misunderstood and cannot be considered conclusive. The fake plastic amber sunk, the Dominican amber floated. Note that the amber would sink if pushed down. It does not float straight to the top, as many people believe. It exhibits buoyancy, which means it tends to be more floaty than plastic but does not necessarily shoot to the top of the water.

real amber vs. fake amber using the saltwater authenticity test — **Amber vs. Plastic in Saltwater -** The amber floats, the plastic sinks.

The Rub Test Real amber will emit a clay or pine scent when lightly warmed up, whereas plastic will not. The rub test is a quick and simple method. To conduct the test, rub a piece of amber with your thumb until it feels warm from the friction. Then, bring the amber to your nose and smell it. If it has a clay or pine smell, it has passed the test. If it smells like plastic, it has failed.

The Smash Test

Caution: The smash test is not recommended unless you have a piece of amber you are willing to lose. To perform this test, simply smash your amber, either using a hammer or throwing it on the ground. Real amber is brittle and will shatter into small pieces upon impact. On the other hand, plastics are not brittle and will not shatter as easily as amber. If your piece smashes into tiny pieces, it indicates that you had a real piece of amber. Now you have real smashed amber pieces.

smashing real amber vs. fake amber — **Real Amber and Fake Amber Under a Hammer -** The fake amber survived multiple hammer strikes, but the real amber smashed into pieces. That is because amber is brittle, while plastic is not.

The Common Sense Test The common sense test relies on the principle of "if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t." If you come across a piece of amber with a large, ultra-clear insect inclusion priced at an unbelievably low cost, such as $5 or $10, it is likely a plastic fake. Amber never has a mass-produced type of packaging either, which is another red flag.

Real amber has its price, and it often exhibits imperfections, marks from the polishing process, color variations, and small or unusual insect inclusions, passing the common sense test. If it is “dirty” inside, for lack of a better word, that is better for the common sense tests.

Fake Plastic Amber Examples - The insect is too big and perfect, the amber is too perfectly clear and uniform. Fake amber looks great in photos, hence its popularity online. — **Fake Plastic Amber Examples -** The insect is too big and perfect, the amber is too perfectly clear and uniform. Fake amber looks great in photos, hence its popularity online.

The Amber vs. Copal Alcohol Test Amber and copal can be differentiated using the alcohol test. Copal will melt in alcohol, whereas amber will not. Copal is an intermediate stage between fresh tree pitch and fully fossilized amber. To perform the test, apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to a specific part of your amber or copal and keep it wet for a few minutes. If it becomes tacky and starts to melt, it has failed the test and it is copal. If it doesn't melt, it may be amber. Plastic ambers will not melt in alcohol either, so this test is not definitive. Dominican amber, left and Colombian copal, right, both bathed in rubbing alcohol for 20 minutes. Notice how the amber has maintained its shine, and the copal has started to lose its shine and get a little gloopy. If they were to remain in the alcohol overnight, A significant amount of the copal would be dissolved away. The amber would remain unchanged.

real amber vs. amber copal authenticating with rubbing alcohol — **Amber and Copal After Soaking in Rubbing Alcohol -** The amber is unaffected, the copal is beginning to melt and get sticky.

The Temperature Test Amber feels warmer than most other materials at room temperature. When you touch a piece of amber, it will feel warmer compared to stones, crystals, glass, or ceramics in the same room. This test can help determine if the material is amber or if it is a glass or stone with an amber-like appearance. If it is warm to the touch, it has passed. If it is cold like glass, it has failed.

Plastic will also be warmer than glass at room temperature, so this test is not definitive. It is only to tell between amber, fake glass amber and maybe crystals or rocks you may think are amber.

Touching Amber and Glass - Touch amber and another hard material like glass, a mirror, a rock, or a crystal. The amber will be warmer than the other materials at room temperature. — **Touching Amber and Glass -** Touch amber and another hard material like glass, a mirror, a rock, or a crystal. The amber will be warmer than the other materials at room temperature.

The Hot Needle Test The hot needle test is done by heating a needle until it becomes red hot and then gently poking the piece in question, causing a small burn. By smelling the hot amber (not the smoke), you can distinguish between amber and plastic. Amber will emit an earthy or clay-like smell, while plastic will have an acrid burnt-plastic smell. It's worth noting that inhaling plastic fumes is harmful, and burning amber produces a strong smoke as well which is not recommended to be inhaled deeply. Conduct this test with caution in a well-ventilated area. The Burn Test The burn test is not recommended, as it can damage your piece of amber, and you may inhale smoke. It is also not a conclusive test. However, it can be used to differentiate between amber and plastic. Amber is flammable and will crack, shatter, and may fling off small shards. It may drip a little, but not a lot. On the other hand, plastics will melt and steadily drip down while burning.

The amber will emit a pleasant resinous smell, but do not inhale the smoke closely! The plastic will emit a bad, acrid smell. Inhaling plastic fumes is hazardous, and this test can destroy your amber, so should be done with caution in a ventilated area.

A Piece of Amber on Fire - Smells good from afar, but do not inhale the smoke directly. — **A Piece of Amber on Fire -** Smells good from afar, but do not inhale the smoke directly.

A Fake Plastic Amber On Fire - Smells bad from afar, and is toxic. Not recommended to do. — **A Fake Plastic Amber On Fire -** Smells bad from afar, and is toxic. Not recommended to do.

The Glow in the Dark Test

The glow in the dark test is applicable only to pure yellow ambers with abundant yellow material inside. In a completely dark room, bring your amber and a flashlight or preferably a 365nm UV flashlight. Put the flashlight directly on the amber and then turn off the flashlight. When you turn off the light, the glow from the flashlight may remain in the amber for up to 10 seconds. The glow will be blue-green and in the same shape as the bulbs of the flashlight. Keep in mind that this works on some yellow ambers, but not all. The reason it does not work on all ambers is unknown.

This test is not very well-known, and even some reputable amber scientists and dealers are not aware of this. You now know a magical quality of amber that few people in the world know! This test is hard to show in photographs due to needing darkness. Below are before and after photos.

Put the UV Light Directly on the Amber - In a pitch black room. — **Put the UV Light Directly on the Amber -** In a pitch black room.

amber glowing in the dark — **Turn Off the UV Light -** A green glow will be left behind that lasts a few seconds.

The Electron Spectrometer Test The most advanced authenticity test uses a machine called an electron spectrometer. This machine shoots a laser beam through the amber, and can read its chemical constituents by examining how the laser beam comes out of the other side. The irony of this fancy test is that it will tell you the least: if it is amber, or not. It cannot determine the locality of the amber, or anything else. Copal has been known to pass this test and be called amber. You will receive a printout with your test, with a result that simply reads “Species: amber.”

This test is very expensive, costing around $150 USD to start with a small piece. You also need to mail your piece to the laboratory and wait for them to return it. Often the test costs more than the amber. This is the test least frequently done, for obvious reasons.

Electrospectrometer Certification Test for real amber — **Electrospectrometer Certification Test -** $150, for this? The bigger the piece, the bigger the cost of the test.

Mixed Amber Insects Scam Sometimes amber dealers will purchase cheap insects from Myanmar, due to their relative abundance, and mix them with their amber lots from another location and resell them at a more expensive price. You must watch out for this if you are buying amber insects wholesale. It is a scam that has never been discussed elsewhere, and you will only learn about it here!

The best way to determine if your lot is mixed is this: have all the amber together in one pile, and shine your UV light near the edge of the pile. The Myanmar amber will react with a more purple color, and the other ambers more green. You will see purple Myanmar pieces react more strongly to the light. Separate out all the purple glowing ones from the green ones, and you will see they have different characteristics and polish jobs Insects in amber pieces can sometimes look similar, because they are mostly in the clear yellow ambers.