Blue Amber

To explain Blue Amber we might want to line out the general history of Amber, according to the gospel of geology. Of course all points are either uncertain or still heavily debated, which comes to show just how little we really know about this fickle planet we call home.

Blue amber is amber exhibiting a rare coloration. It is most commonly found in the Amber mines in the mountain ranges around Santiago, Dominican Republic. Although little known due to its rarity, it has been around since the discovery of Dominican amber.

Dominican Blue Amber is blue, but not in the way you might think. The pieces below are taken in natural daylight on two different surfaces. 

Blue amber in reflected and transmitted light

When natural light strikes Blue Amber on a white surface, the light particles pass right through, and then are refracted off the white surface. The result is the slight blue hue of Blue Amber. When the same natural light particles strike the Amber on a black surface, the light particles don't refract off the black surface, thus refracting off the actual Amber. Hydrocarbons in the Blue Amber turn the sun's ultraviolet light into blue light particles, resulting in the glow of Blue Amber.
This effect is only possible in the Dominican Republic Blue Amber category. Any other Amber (such as Baltic Amber) will not display this phenomenon. 

Blue Amber looked at normally

This effect is only possible in the Dominican Republic Blue Amber category and in some Mexican amber. Any other Amber (such as Baltic Amber) will not display this phenomenon, because its original resin is not from the Hymenaea protera tree.

Blue Amber look at through Sunlight

So why is it blue?  Although there are several theories about the origin of Dominican Blue Amber, there is a great probability that it owes its existence to elements such as anthracene as a result of 'incomplete combustion' due to forest fires among the extinct species Hymenaea protera trees about 25 to 40 million years ago.

Recent discoveries and advanced hypotheses about the origin of amber such as the one by geologist Manuel A. Iturralde-Vennet suggest that previous assumptions concerning Blue Amber may no longer apply. Volcanic activity on Hispaniola had pretty much seized by the Miocene epoch, so the heat that caused the molecular changes must have a different origin. Common sense suggests the smoke and heat during the excretion of resin. This would also explain the lack of enclosures in Blue Amber, as well as the swirls of resin and pulverized fragments classical to Blue Amber because of repeated liquefaction of the copal.

If you want Blue Amber for yourself and want to be 100% sure that you are buying Natural Blue Amber without any doubt, buy Dominican Amber. They don’t need to modify their Amber either.  Dominican Amber is beautiful by itself… naturally.

 

What is top quality Blue Amber? 

For some it means that it should be dark and blue, with lots of inclusions that give a strong color.

For some that it is pure and without inclusions and with an elegant hue of blue.

And for others it means that the design is great and the inclusions are interesting.

How rare is Blue Amber?  Although there are no official numbers high-grade Blue Amber has probably a yearly output of approximately 150 to 250 kilos, while the low-grade does not exceed 900 kilos. Now, that IS rare.
So, to say it short and sweet, the expression "top quality Blue Amber" is relative. It really depends on everyone's own taste, opinion or purpose he has for it. Therefore, when it comes down to it, quality is your choice.

Just how is Blue Amber graded? There are three factors in setting prices and both fluctuate radically: availability, color and translucence or even transparence.

Availability is probably the most controlling one. Since Blue Amber is only found in just one small region of the world, many outside factors influence the amount surfacing, the least of which is not rain.   And nobody likes to work in a flooded mine. Therefore, during the rainy season (October to May) finds are scarce. And during the hurricane season (June to September), the mines are often flooded as well. The other question is: for how long will blue amber be found? The mines have not yet run out, but there is a strong possibility that it might happen one day. 

Color and translucence are the more complicated ones. The more inclusions, the stronger the color. The more translucence, the weaker the color. We have divided Blue Amber into different variations, and still each one can vary within its group. 

This makes it difficult for a blue amber merchant to please customers since he is bound by nature's limitations. In the Baltic most of the amber produced for the world market is heated and treated to guarantee an even quality. With blue amber, this is not possible.

Being this scarce, why isn't Blue Amber more expensive? The answer is: top grade Blue Amber is expensive. Compared to regular Amber and its color variations it is in the highest price range, fluctuating with the market value according to the above factors. Therefore, if you find a piece of Blue Amber being offered too cheap, it might not be the real thing you are looking at. 

Of course, Blue Amber has to be blue. Lately there is "HIGHEST GRADE DOMINICAN BLUE AMBER" being offered on cheap sale pages, like eBay and the sort. Just have in mind, if an offer is too good to be true, it usually is. Be aware that there is a difference between the Amber quality you get from different mines in the shades of color. Make sure you buy blue as blue, green as green and brown as brown. Don't get the wool pulled over your eyes. Therefore, make sure you buy from a solid source. Look on the internet, "google" it. If it comes up first - it's first for a reason.