Your FAQ Answered:
Baltic Amber
What is Baltic Amber?
All amber is fossilized tree resin. Baltic amber is mined from near the Baltic Sea and contains a substance called succinic acid. Other amber that can be found in the Dominican Republic does not contain succinic acid. When worn on the skin, body heat causes the amber to release an oil containing anti-inflammatory properties, succinic acid, which when absorbed into the skin provides pain relief. Succinic acid is an alkalinizing acid (like orange juice) so it won't add to your body's acidity and could even slightly lower it.
Baltic amber contains relatively high levels of succinic acid, ranging from 3% - 10%. Baltic amber jewelry has been a natural remedy for teething and joint pain relief for hundreds of years. For best results, it must be worn close to the source of pain. For teething pain, a Baltic amber necklace will deliver better results versus a bracelet.
Is it safe for my baby to wear?
Children should always be supervised when wearing any necklace. Choking or strangulation concerns are valid fear and must be addressed for any necklace.
Proper safety precautions should be taken with any necklace, necklaces (amber or otherwise) should not be worn overnight or be used if children fidget and grab at them constantly or chew on them. While any beaded necklace can be a potential choking hazard, our amber teething necklaces are safety knotted between each bead so only one bead will come loose if the necklace is broken. The beads are also small enough that if swallowed, they do not pose has a choking hazard and are non-toxic. Strangulation from a necklace is very rare. The risk of strangulation from window blind cords or purse straps is far higher.
Removing an amber teething necklace at night and closely supervising your child while they wear it will erase the majority of possible safety hazards.
Raw Amber vs Polished Amber?
Polished amber does contain succinic acid and still could relieve some pain, but raw amber is the untreated and unprocessed form of amber that is highest in succinic acid. Succinic acid is more easily absorbed through the skin when raw amber is used. Polished amber is heat treated and pressure treated to strip off the outer amber layers where most of the succinic acid is contained. This means that raw amber will have the highest levels of succinic acid.
How often should Amber be worn?
Everybody responds differently. Many families have experienced great results when amber is worn as often as possible. Amber is best worn for symptomatic relief so the body can "reset" between uses and feel amber's amazing benefits.
How do I take care of my Amber?
Amber is extremely sensitive to chemicals, so it is important to avoid contact with chemicals including perfumes, creams, lotions, sprays, shampoo, conditioner, chlorine, etc. Remove your amber jewelry when bathing. Even though this solar stone emerges from the sea, it is afraid of moisture and temperature changes are especially harmful to amber. Your amber should not be stored with other jewelry where it can rub against other pieces, especially metals. To lengthen its life, it should be kept in a dark, cool place.
To clean your amber, use a soft cotton or flannel cloth dampened with warm water. Do not clean your amber with other jewelry cleaning products or products containing alcohol which may create an unremovable whitish layer on the stone.
How long does Amber last?
If properly cared for, amber could last forever. Amber can be brittle, and the beads may eventually break, but with proper care, it could last years. The surface of the beads often tend to get coated with soap scum and other substances that inhibit their ability to release succinic acid into your skin. If you suspect it’s no longer working and you’ve already tried cleaning it, it may be time for a new one.
All amber is fossilized tree resin. Baltic amber is mined from near the Baltic Sea and contains a substance called succinic acid. Other amber that can be found in the Dominican Republic does not contain succinic acid. When worn on the skin, body heat causes the amber to release an oil containing anti-inflammatory properties, succinic acid, which when absorbed into the skin provides pain relief. Succinic acid is an alkalinizing acid (like orange juice) so it won't add to your body's acidity and could even slightly lower it.
Baltic amber contains relatively high levels of succinic acid, ranging from 3% - 10%. Baltic amber jewelry has been a natural remedy for teething and joint pain relief for hundreds of years. For best results, it must be worn close to the source of pain. For teething pain, a Baltic amber necklace will deliver better results versus a bracelet.
Is it safe for my baby to wear?
Children should always be supervised when wearing any necklace. Choking or strangulation concerns are valid fear and must be addressed for any necklace.
Proper safety precautions should be taken with any necklace, necklaces (amber or otherwise) should not be worn overnight or be used if children fidget and grab at them constantly or chew on them. While any beaded necklace can be a potential choking hazard, our amber teething necklaces are safety knotted between each bead so only one bead will come loose if the necklace is broken. The beads are also small enough that if swallowed, they do not pose has a choking hazard and are non-toxic. Strangulation from a necklace is very rare. The risk of strangulation from window blind cords or purse straps is far higher.
Removing an amber teething necklace at night and closely supervising your child while they wear it will erase the majority of possible safety hazards.
Raw Amber vs Polished Amber?
Polished amber does contain succinic acid and still could relieve some pain, but raw amber is the untreated and unprocessed form of amber that is highest in succinic acid. Succinic acid is more easily absorbed through the skin when raw amber is used. Polished amber is heat treated and pressure treated to strip off the outer amber layers where most of the succinic acid is contained. This means that raw amber will have the highest levels of succinic acid.
How often should Amber be worn?
Everybody responds differently. Many families have experienced great results when amber is worn as often as possible. Amber is best worn for symptomatic relief so the body can "reset" between uses and feel amber's amazing benefits.
How do I take care of my Amber?
Amber is extremely sensitive to chemicals, so it is important to avoid contact with chemicals including perfumes, creams, lotions, sprays, shampoo, conditioner, chlorine, etc. Remove your amber jewelry when bathing. Even though this solar stone emerges from the sea, it is afraid of moisture and temperature changes are especially harmful to amber. Your amber should not be stored with other jewelry where it can rub against other pieces, especially metals. To lengthen its life, it should be kept in a dark, cool place.
To clean your amber, use a soft cotton or flannel cloth dampened with warm water. Do not clean your amber with other jewelry cleaning products or products containing alcohol which may create an unremovable whitish layer on the stone.
How long does Amber last?
If properly cared for, amber could last forever. Amber can be brittle, and the beads may eventually break, but with proper care, it could last years. The surface of the beads often tend to get coated with soap scum and other substances that inhibit their ability to release succinic acid into your skin. If you suspect it’s no longer working and you’ve already tried cleaning it, it may be time for a new one.
Milk
Lemon
Honey
Multicolored
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Are the lighter Baltic amber colors more powerful than the darker colors?
Yes, and additionally the raw colors are stronger than polished. The following scale will give you an arbitrary idea of the range of effectiveness, using a scale from 1-10. All Baltic amber colors work well for teething pain, but some colors may be better if dealing with chronic pain levels. 11 White <- Goes up to 11! 10 Milk 10 Butter 9 Lemon 9 Butterscotch 9 Nutmeg & Lemon 9 Milk & Honey 8 Honey 8 Nutmeg 8 Multicolored 8 Lemon & Cognac 7 Mixed Honey 7 Lemon & Cherry 7 Rainbow 7 Cognac 6 Dark Cherry 6 Dark Green |
The Ultraviolet Light Test
All of our amber is inspected under UV light to check that it fluoresces.
Real Baltic amber will fluoresce under UV light while copal won’t. This is a super easy test to do, particularly if your amber is the on lighter side. You’ll need a real UV light (think LED UV flashlight or florescent tube, traditionally called a black light.)
- Milk & Butter and White amber show up like yellow highlighter. Obviously you can mimic this with fluorescent plastic, but then under natural lighting the plastic is going to look nothing like real amber.
- Lemon and the Lemon bits within Dark Green will fluoresce a bluish color. Most amber UV test information will say that ALL real amber fluoresces blue, but that’s a radical oversimplification and just not true. Amber that is nearly clear (very light lemon) gives off the most bluish color.
- As you shift hues into darker yellows and oranges with shades of Honey, the non-fluorescing colors within the bead mix with the blue color and generate greens and whatnot, with much less brightness. You’ll also note how semi-polish (polished with air instead of water) glow less, the rough surface is not as mirrored as a full-polish bead and naturally absorbs more light.
- Darker amber won’t fluoresce hardly at all. You’ll see almost no reaction in colors such as Cognac and Dark Cherry and their semi-polish variants, Nutmeg and Coffee. Some times you’ll get flecks of bright fluorescence from pocket of lighter color within the beads that you’d never notice with the naked eye.
Real Baltic amber will fluoresce under UV light while copal won’t. This is a super easy test to do, particularly if your amber is the on lighter side. You’ll need a real UV light (think LED UV flashlight or florescent tube, traditionally called a black light.)
- Milk & Butter and White amber show up like yellow highlighter. Obviously you can mimic this with fluorescent plastic, but then under natural lighting the plastic is going to look nothing like real amber.
- Lemon and the Lemon bits within Dark Green will fluoresce a bluish color. Most amber UV test information will say that ALL real amber fluoresces blue, but that’s a radical oversimplification and just not true. Amber that is nearly clear (very light lemon) gives off the most bluish color.
- As you shift hues into darker yellows and oranges with shades of Honey, the non-fluorescing colors within the bead mix with the blue color and generate greens and whatnot, with much less brightness. You’ll also note how semi-polish (polished with air instead of water) glow less, the rough surface is not as mirrored as a full-polish bead and naturally absorbs more light.
- Darker amber won’t fluoresce hardly at all. You’ll see almost no reaction in colors such as Cognac and Dark Cherry and their semi-polish variants, Nutmeg and Coffee. Some times you’ll get flecks of bright fluorescence from pocket of lighter color within the beads that you’d never notice with the naked eye.
Gemstones
How do I take care of my Gemstones?
Gemstones can be extremely sensitive to sunlight, water or chemicals so it is important to avoid contact with chemicals, including perfumes, creams, lotions, sprays, shampoo, conditioner, chlorine, etc. Remove your gemstone jewelry when bathing or swimming. To lengthen their life, gems should be kept in a dark, cool place.
Gems that don't like water:
Angelite, Turquoise, Kunzite, Selenite, Kyanite, Malachite, Calcite, Labradorite.
Gemstones that don't like sunlight:
Aventurine, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Beryl, Citrine, Kunzite, Sapphire, Fluorite, Rose Quartz, Smokey Quartz
Gemstones can be extremely sensitive to sunlight, water or chemicals so it is important to avoid contact with chemicals, including perfumes, creams, lotions, sprays, shampoo, conditioner, chlorine, etc. Remove your gemstone jewelry when bathing or swimming. To lengthen their life, gems should be kept in a dark, cool place.
Gems that don't like water:
Angelite, Turquoise, Kunzite, Selenite, Kyanite, Malachite, Calcite, Labradorite.
Gemstones that don't like sunlight:
Aventurine, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Beryl, Citrine, Kunzite, Sapphire, Fluorite, Rose Quartz, Smokey Quartz
Are your gemstones enhanced?
All of our gemstones are authentic, but some varieties are almost always enhanced, like Lapis Lazuli, Agate Fluorescence, Agate Colorful, Red Striped Agate Cherry Quartz. These are often enhanced with an all natural wax based solution to create interesting patterns in the Agate and enhance the color of Lapis which is quite bland. To find these gemstones completely natural and unenhanced, they would come at a premium price. Under normal use and proper care, the gemstones should not lose color.
All of our gemstones are authentic, but some varieties are almost always enhanced, like Lapis Lazuli, Agate Fluorescence, Agate Colorful, Red Striped Agate Cherry Quartz. These are often enhanced with an all natural wax based solution to create interesting patterns in the Agate and enhance the color of Lapis which is quite bland. To find these gemstones completely natural and unenhanced, they would come at a premium price. Under normal use and proper care, the gemstones should not lose color.
Hazelwood
What do you recommend between a hazelwood necklace or a bracelet?
We recommend wearing a necklace, as there are more hazelwood beads on the necklaces. It seems the more hazelwood that is contact with your skin, the better the results. But people do still get great results from using a bracelet or anklet.
We recommend wearing a necklace, as there are more hazelwood beads on the necklaces. It seems the more hazelwood that is contact with your skin, the better the results. But people do still get great results from using a bracelet or anklet.
How will I know when my hazelwood necklace is no longer working?
First, you may begin to notice the symptoms returning. You may also see the flesh of the wood beads start to darken. When either of these occurs you will need to replace your hazelwood. Note that it is the flesh darkening and not the outer bark that indicates whether or not the wood is worn out. If the outer bark darkens or starts peeling off, there is no need to be concerned. That's a natural occurrence and will happen sometimes with normal wear and tear.
First, you may begin to notice the symptoms returning. You may also see the flesh of the wood beads start to darken. When either of these occurs you will need to replace your hazelwood. Note that it is the flesh darkening and not the outer bark that indicates whether or not the wood is worn out. If the outer bark darkens or starts peeling off, there is no need to be concerned. That's a natural occurrence and will happen sometimes with normal wear and tear.
Is it normal that my necklace or bracelet loses pieces of bark, cracks or splits in some places?
Since 100% natural hazel wood (no varnish or preservative is applied) this may sometimes cause some minor inconveniences that are out of our control. For instance, it may happen that the bark comes off or crumbles. Some wood pieces may also crack slightly or, more rarely, split and fall off. While this may alter the general looks of the jewelry, it doesn't affect the effectiveness of the wood.
Since 100% natural hazel wood (no varnish or preservative is applied) this may sometimes cause some minor inconveniences that are out of our control. For instance, it may happen that the bark comes off or crumbles. Some wood pieces may also crack slightly or, more rarely, split and fall off. While this may alter the general looks of the jewelry, it doesn't affect the effectiveness of the wood.
