Read This Before You Buy Amber Online — Margaret Ashford
5 Things Slipping Into Your Jewelry Box Right Now… Including "Amber" That Was Never Amber At All
Last updated: Nov 3, 2026 · 5 min read
| Margaret's Amber | Typical Online "Amber" | |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine Baltic Amber | ✅ | ❌ |
| Feels Warm On The Skin | ✅ | ❌ |
| Natural Inclusions, 1 Of 1 | ✅ | ❌ |
| Polished By Hand | ✅ | ❌ |
| 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee | ✅ | ❌ |
A lot of what's sold online as "amber" is plastic, glass or pressed resin dyed the right color.
Real Baltic amber is fossilized tree resin, around 40 million years old. It's lighter, warmer and never perfectly uniform, and there are a few simple ways to tell the difference at your own kitchen table. Here are the 5 things I wish every woman knew. 👇
So Much "Amber" Online Was Poured Into A Mold Last Month
After decades at my bench, I can spot it from across a room. Those perfectly round, perfectly orange beads that all look identical? That's usually plastic or pressed resin, made in a mold and dyed to look like the real thing.
It photographs beautifully. Then it arrives, and it feels heavy, cold and a little sticky. Real amber was formed in ancient forests. You simply can't mass-produce that.
Real Amber Floats. Plastic Sinks.
Here's the simplest test I know. Stir a few heaping spoons of salt into a glass of warm water until it won't dissolve any more, then drop a bead in.
Genuine Baltic amber is barely heavier than water, so in salt water it rises and floats. Glass and most plastics sink straight to the bottom. It's not a perfect lab test, but it catches the most common fakes in thirty seconds.
If It Feels Cold, It Isn't Amber
Pick up a glass bead on a winter morning and it gives you a little chill. Amber doesn't. Because it's resin, not stone or metal, it takes on the warmth of your hand almost instantly.
Hold the piece in your closed palm for ten seconds. Real amber feels soft and warm, like it belongs there. Imitations stay cool and slick.
Perfect Beads Are A Red Flag
Hold real amber up to a window and look inside. You'll see tiny bubbles, flecks and swirls, and color that drifts from lemon to honey to deep cognac within a single bead.
Those little "imperfections" were trapped there millions of years ago. If every bead in a bracelet looks exactly the same, crystal clear and flawless, be careful. Nature doesn't make copies.
Nobody Ever Polished It By Hand
Factory jewelry goes from a machine into a plastic bag. Mine doesn't. Every piece in my collection is hand-selected for its color and warmth, then Polished By Me at my own bench and strung one bead at a time.
That's why no two of my bracelets are exactly alike, and why the one you choose will be the only one like it in the world.
Meet My Final Collection
One collection, made the slow way. Genuine Baltic amber, hand-selected and polished at my bench, light enough to wear from morning coffee to bedtime.
And because this is the last collection I'll ever make, every remaining piece is marked down further than I've ever priced real amber, with up to 45% extra off when you bundle and free shipping on orders over $59.
Love It In 30 Days, Or Your Money Back. Every Penny.
Wear it for a full 30 days. If it isn't everything I promised, send it back and I'll refund you. The risk is entirely on me.
Reaching Reason #5 Means One Thing: You Care About What Touches Your Skin.
Every order ships with tracking, and every piece is covered by my 30-day guarantee.
Not everyone takes the time to learn the difference. But once you've felt the real thing, it's very hard to go back to imitations.
UP TO 80% OFF THE FINAL COLLECTION
- Bundle & save up to 45%
- Free shipping over $59
- 30-day money-back guarantee