r/Amberfossil

Is this real amber? It feels like plastic but honestly I didn't realise it was lightweight. I thought it would be heavy like a gemstone.

I tried the tp test and it didn't pick it up. But it didn't go sticky when I dipped it in some white wine. Plus it doesn't scratch when I try to scratch it with my nail.

The metal is 925 silver and has a stamp and the lady who sold me it claimed she got it from a good jewellers - Lawrence jewellers in Eastwood Nottinghamshire, and that it was sold as Amber and sterling silver.

I would test to see if it floats but the silver will likely weigh it down.

When rubbing it and smelling it, it does smell nice, but who's to say it wasn't the lady before me's perfume?

If I asked a jewellers, would they tell me for free, or is it a paid service?

Also the stuff inside is evidently veiny leaf/ petal things, but no bugs I can see.

I found a piece of what I believe is Baltic amber (?), found in the North Sea! And I was wondering if some of these features are common.

The inside looks very white/cloudy in some areas — is that normal for Baltic amber? Also, the surface has these ridge-like structures/textures.

Another question: if I polish it, would it still be possible to see any insects or inclusions inside, despite the white/cloudy areas?

Part of me likes the natural rough structure, but I’m also curious whether it would be worth polishing to better see what’s inside. What would you do?

RARE HUGE SNAIL in Burmite amber fossil

Age: 99 Million Years Ago
Order: Architaenioglossa
Superfamily: Cyclophoroidea
Family: Cyclophoridae (Extinct Tropical Land Snail)
Genus: Hirsuticyclus
Species: Hirsuticyclus canaliculatus
Other notable inclusions: Coprolites (Fossilized Poop), pieces of leaves, Dipterans (True Flies) and a degraded Orthepteran (Cricket) in this piece.

Hirsuticyclus canaliculatus is an extinct species of fossil land snail from the family Cyclophoridae, first described in 2022 from Burmese amber. It is known for its distinctive spirally grooved shell, relatively large size, and flaring peristome interrupted by two canals.

This example is very large, measuring about 14mm-15mm. The amber stone measures about 46mm x 27mm x 12mm. This snail shell is extremely detailed with intricate grooves and patterns.

Extinct Stem-Group Ant (Gerontoformica) in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

*From My Personal Collection of Hymenoptera*

Age: 99 Million Years Ago

Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Subfamily: Sphecomyrminae (Extinct Stem-Group Ant)
Genus: Gerontoformica
Species: (Inconclusive)
Other notable inclusions:

I'm unsure of the species.

Gerontoformica is an extinct genus of prehistoric "stem-group" ants that lived approximately 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. These ants bridge the evolutionary gap between solitary wasps and the social ants seen today.

*From My Personal Collection of Hymenoptera*

Extinct Wasp (Burmasphex sulcatus) with another wasp in Burmese Burmite amber fossil

*From My Personal Collection of Hymenoptera*

Age: 99 Million Years Ago

Order: Hymenoptera

Superfamily: Apoidea

Family: Burmasphecidae (Extinct Wasp)

Genus: Burmasphex

Species: Burmasphex sulcatus

Other notable inclusions: an unknown Apoid wasp also in the piece.

The species of the the main wasp is Burmasphex sulcatus.

*From My Personal Collection of Hymenoptera*