Gemological and paleontological value of amber and laboratory methods of its detection

Amber is known as jewel with organic origin, which was formed during the fossilization of the resin of some plants. The resin of plants in the early stages of petrification is called copaline. There are, however, some synthetic organic materials such as Bakelite, with amber-like appearance and are a counterfeit for amber. Main characteristics of natural ambers include: having a higher melting point and refractometry index, not dissolving in some organic solvents such as acetone, blue fluorescence under ultraviolet light and having a pleasant resinous smell in heat. Most ambers have been found from the Cretaceous, Eocene to Miocene sediments, and the largest numbers of ambers discovered is from the Baltic basin. Having some well-preserved fossils, and presence of gas, liquid and solid inclusions, cause to increase the valuable of amber in the paleontological studies. Simple physical tests as well as the use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) or Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Pyrolysis-GC-MS) are useful analysis methods in the amber detection.