Working on amber - you have to be aware of that

If you want to work on amber, there are a few things you should consider. Because the stone can break quite easily if you treat it too roughly. You will find all information here.

Is it really amber?

Confused between amber and phosphorus. The latter can lead to severe burns. Dries phosphorus, because it ignites itself.

• If it is a beach find, do not put the amber in your pocket. Store it in a bag or pouch. If it is phosphorus and ignites, you can throw the bag away immediately.
• Alternatively, place the finds in a closable glass, which you fill with water. Phosphorus only ignites when it has dried.
• You should also not take your find home with you. Only place the pieces at home on a fire-proof surface to dry. Only when the find is completely dry and has not ignited can you assume that it is amber.
• If you put phosphorus in your pocket and it ignites, take off the garment as soon as possible. Never try to extinguish the fire with water: burning phosphorus combined with water converts to caustic phosphoric acid. Instead, smother the fire with damp sand if possible.
• You then have to remove the mostly sticky phosphorus from the skin immediately. The residues ignite again immediately upon contact with oxygen.
• Even with only slight burns with phosphorus, you should go to the hospital or at least see a doctor - phosphorus is very toxic.

Working on amber - you should note that

You can work amber in various ways - grinding, polishing, and drilling.

• If you want to grind amber, wet sandpaper is best. Before sanding, however, you should wash the amber thoroughly with water to rinse off grains of sand. This would hinder the grinding process.
• Change the sandpaper to a finer grit, rinse the stone in front with water again. On the one hand, this prevents the amber from overheating, which would result in a sticky surface. On the other hand, scratches on the amber can be avoided.
• So that the amber shines beautifully, it is polished after grinding. Linen or cotton towels are suitable for this, soak them in a little methylated spirits and then brush them with chalk or toothpaste. It is best to polish with circular movements.
• Finally, wash off the chalk or toothpaste and polish with a chamois.
• If you want to drill a hole in amber, set the lowest speed on the drill. You should also drill with as little pressure as possible, otherwise the amber will break easily.

We will explain how to cut slate in the next article.