Why Amber Jewelry is Different from Most Jewelry

Joanne visited us at the amber office today. She wanted to know about jewelry, which we have some amazing pieces of. Here's our conversation:

Joanne: I’ve always thought amber was pretty, but lately I’ve seen all this jewelry on your instagram - rings, necklaces, and earrings featuring actual insects. Are these real fossils? Is that legit, or are they plastic props and marketing?

Me: Oh, it’s legit. We provide museum-grade amber jewelry here. These authentic pieces of amber, that were mined out of the ground and polished, and these insects found. 100% natural. Sometime they contain ancient insects or even enhydro bubbles from the Cretaceous period. Not only is it pretty, it’s a time capsule you can wear.

Joanne: Wait, what are enhydro bubbles?

Me: Water bubbles trapped inside the amber from over 100 million years ago. They are formed on ancient rainy days, where heavy tropical raindrops pitted the still fresh resin and full pockets of water were trapped in resin flows They are very rare. We recently showed off a Burmese amber ring with a giant enhydro on the livestream—timestamp 43:12 – Burmese enhydro ring with clear bubble.

Burmese amber enhydro in a silver ring with bubble on right side

Burmese amber enhydro in silver ring with bubble on left side

Burmese amber enhydro in silver ring held in hands

See the Ring in action here:

How do I know it’s real amber?

Joanne: If I’m going to buy amber jewelry, how do I know it’s real? There’s so much fake stuff online.

Me: Great question. First tip—real amber is warm to the touch, not cold like glass or plastic. Also:

• It floats in salt water.

• If you rub it vigorously with your thumb until it gets warm, it emits a clay smell

• It fluoresces under UV light. This is an easy test: it glows brightly.

• And if you ever see a “perfect-looking” mosquito in a flawless clear yellow gem for $10? It’s fake. Real amber has it's price.

We actually did a deep-dive on identifying real amber in our July 9 livestream—timestamp 18:44 – Real vs fake amber breakdown. And here's our guide: How to Identify Real Amber.

Is amber jewelry valuable?

Joanne: So is this stuff valuable? Or is it more of a novelty?

Me: Depends on the quality. Most commercial amber jewelry is decorative Baltic amber—nice, but common. Nothing particularly valuable about that unless its a rare color. But when you move into Dominican amber with visible insect inclusions or Burmese enhydro amber in silver rings, you’re in collector-grade territory.

For example, this piece we showed off—Burmese amber ring with a museum-grade spider—is scientifically valuable and visually stunning. It’s not just jewelry, it’s prehistoric art.

Cretaceous spider in amber, set in a silver ring

Who buys amber insect jewelry? Just collectors?

Joanne: I’m not a scientist. Do you think fossil jewelry is just for paleo nerds?

Me: Not at all! Any jewelry collector can get these. They make a great unique addition to any jewelry collection. I’ve had customers buy these pieces as:

• Gifts for biologists or entomologists

• Personal Jewelry collection pieces

• Unique engagement rings

• Conversation starters

• Even protective amulets—especially for the amber teething necklace crowd (though I always clarify: that’s not the same as fossil amber jewelry)

Collectors love them, but so do jewelers, artists, and even history buffs. Amber jewelry sits right at the crossroads of natural science, design, and story.

What kinds of amber jewelry do you sell?

Joanne: So what’s in your shop? All rings?

Me: We rotate through:

• Silver amber rings with Dominican and Burmese fossils

• Necklace Pendants with visible insects (crane flies, beetles, wasps)

• Amber earrings or bracelets

• Lots of necklaces, earrings, and bracelets that don't have insects.

• All types of jewelry featuring amber with rare colors

Explore it all here: Shop Amber Jewelry

And here's a recent standout: Silver ring with Burmese ant inclusion

Spider in Burmese amber pendant

Spider in Burmese amber pendant

Where does it come from?

Joanne: Where do you source this stuff? I heard some amber comes from different places.

Me: We’re fully transparent. Most of our high-end jewelry comes from:

• Myanmar (Burmese amber) – Cretaceous, with fossil inclusions like scorpions, ticks, spiders

• Dominican Republic – Miocene amber, often clearer, rich in enhydros

• Mexico – Chiapas amber, beautiful green and red tones

• Ukraine - Eocene amber, with rare colors

We avoid industrial mass-market supply chains. Our pieces are hand-selected and ethically sourced from trusted suppliers and verified miners.

Do people really wear fossils?

Joanne: Isn’t it kind of weird to wear an insect? I love the look, but I feel like I’m wearing a museum.

Me: That’s exactly the point. Fossil jewelry isn’t just decorative, it’s a statement. Every piece is a piece of Earth’s history. In fact, that’s why we’ve launched the Amber Encyclopedia to document each specimen—like the Cretaceous mosquito ring we highlighted last month.

It’s one-of-a-kind. When you wear it, you’re the only person on Earth with that exact amber fossil.

Can I see them live?

Joanne: This is all super cool. Can I see them in action?

Me: Absolutely. Every week, we do live amber shows on TikTok(@amberbugs). You can see the rings, necklaces, enhydros, and insect inclusions in high detail. We post the full livestream on youtube(@amberbugs) after every stream.

Here are two jewelry-heavy livestreams:

• June 8 Show – Fossil Rings, Wasp Inclusion

• July 9 Show – Enhydros, Burmese Silver Rings

We walk through everything on-camera, answer questions, and sometimes drop live discounts.

Last thing. Are there specific types of amber best for jewelry?

Joanne: Should I be looking for Burmese, Dominican, or Baltic? What’s the best amber for jewelry?

Me: Here’s a cheat sheet:

• Baltic amber – classic, and very hard. This is the most common type of amber jewelry out there

• Dominican amber – extremely clear, often blue-tinted, great for enhydro lovers. Rare blue is very special

• Burmese amber – scientifically elite; hard, dense, and packed with unique insect inclusions

If you want something wearable and one-of-a-kind, Burmese amber in silver jewelry is hard to beat. You’ll find insect fossils, feathers, enhydros, all trapped in the same tree resin dinosaurs once rubbed against.

Why Amber Jewelry Is Worth It

Amber jewelry isn’t just unique, it’s a story. A relic. A window into the past. And when it's done right, it’s also elegant, wearable, and unforgettable.

• Explore the full collection: Shop Museum-Grade Amber Jewelry

- Learn more about fossil inclusions: Visit the Amber Encyclopedia

- Watch pieces live in action: Subscribe on YouTube

- Want more posts like this? Visit the Blog