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Amber Cut Gemstones

Baltic succinite scissor cut and oval cut near three carats, alongside domed Persian turquoise from the Neyshabur district.

Buy Loose Amber Cut Gemstones by Carat, Millimetre and Cut, Ready for a Setting

An amber cut gemstone is fossilised tree resin faceted or domed as a loose stone and sold unmounted, priced by carat weight and described by millimetre dimension so a jeweller can build a setting to it. Astro Gallery of Gems photographs each of the 11 loose stones on this page individually, measures every one across three axes, and names the origin and any treatment in the description before a bench ever sees the parcel.

What Each Loose Amber Gemstone Costs Today

Amber prices from carat weight, the clarity of the resin and the labour buried in the cut rather than from a published rarity table. Every row below points at one stone that Astro Gallery has already cut, weighed and photographed, and a stone that sells leaves this table rather than lingering as a listing nobody can buy.

PieceDetailPrice
Amber Oval Cut Gemstone (3.1ct) 3.1ct $ 100.00
Amber Oval Cut Gemstone (3.2ct) 3.2ct $ 100.00
Amber Oval Cut Gemstone (3.3ct) 3.3ct $ 100.00
Amber Oval Cut Gemstone (3.3ct) 3.3ct $ 100.00
Amber Oval Cut Gemstone (3.5ct) 3.5ct $ 100.00
Amber Oval Cut Gemstone (3ct) 3ct $ 100.00
Carat weight and millimetres on every stoneAstro Gallery measures each gem across length, width and depth and publishes the figures, so a mount is drawn before the stone travels.
View all 11 loose stones Ask for bench measurements

Baltic or Dominican? Origin Decides Age, Hardness and What Sits Inside

Two deposits supply almost all gem quality amber, and they behave differently on the wheel. Astro Gallery cuts Baltic material for this collection because succinite holds a faceted edge that softer resins crumble under, and the origin appears in writing on the listing rather than being left to a photograph.

Baltic succiniteBaltic amber comes out of the blue earth layer of the Sambian Peninsula, hardened from Eocene conifer resin roughly forty million years ago and carrying three to eight percent succinic acid. That succinic content makes it the toughest amber in commercial supply, which is why it survives faceting and carving where other resin chips at the girdle.
Dominican amberDominican amber comes from the La Toca and Palo Quemado workings in the Cordillera Septentrional above Santiago, formed from Hymenaea resin some fifteen to twenty million years ago. It runs younger, softer and clearer, holds far more insect and plant inclusions, and supplies the blue fluorescing material that collectors pursue.

What Colour, Clarity and Inclusions Tell You About a Cut Amber

Nothing inside an amber gemstone is decorative the way an inclusion in quartz is decorative, because every cloud, bubble and fragment records what the resin trapped while it flowed and hardened. Astro Gallery describes those features in the listing instead of editing them out of the photographs.

Cognac and honey body colourThe Baltic ovals here run golden through cognac brown, the commercial heart of amber colour. Tone deepens as the stone thickens, so an eight millimetre pavilion reads noticeably darker than the same resin cut shallow.
Cloudy and bastard gradesCountless microscopic bubbles turn amber opaque and produce the butterscotch and bastard grades. Clarification in heated rapeseed oil drives those bubbles out and leaves the disc shaped internal fractures the trade calls sun spangles.
Organic inclusionsBark fragments, plant hairs, stellate oak trichomes and the occasional insect sit suspended where flowing resin caught them. Astro Gallery states inclusions in the description, since they raise interest for a collector and complicate a bezel for a setter.
Pressed amber and disclosureAmbroid is produced by heating and compressing small amber fragments into a block, and it shows flow lines and elongated bubbles under magnification. Every stone in this collection is solid natural amber, and pressed material would be labelled pressed.

Cuts and Carat Weights Currently Held Loose

Amber weighs almost nothing for its volume, with a specific gravity near 1.08 against 2.65 for quartz, so a three carat amber faces up far larger than three carats of any silicate. The millimetre line rather than the carat line tells a bench what it is actually setting.

Cut and weightWhat it gives the buyer
Scissor cut oval, near three caratsCross facets worked over a step outline at roughly fourteen by twelve by ten millimetres, a treatment that pulls motion out of a material with no fire of its own.
Faceted ovals, three to three and a half caratsFourteen to fifteen millimetres long, ten to eleven wide and eight deep, the standing choice for a pendant centre or a substantial ring in yellow gold.
Turquoise cabochons, eight to sixteen caratsDomed Persian turquoise from the Neyshabur district in Khorasan, twenty to thirty three millimetres across, the other loose cut material currently held in this room.
Custom outlines throughoutEach stone is cut to its own rough rather than to a calibrated size, so no duplicate exists and the mount gets fabricated to the measurements published.

Four Tests That Separate Amber From Copal and Plastic

Amber attracts imitation more than almost any other gem material, and the separations are physical rather than a matter of opinion. Astro Gallery works through these checks before a stone reaches the catalogue.

Density in brineBaltic amber floats in saturated salt water at a specific gravity near 1.08, while glass, most plastics and cast resin sink. Astro Gallery runs that float check on rough before anything reaches the cutting wheel.
Hot point responseA heated point touched to a concealed spot releases pine resin scent from true amber and an acrid chemical smell from plastic. Copal, being immature resin, softens and beads far sooner than fossil amber does.
Longwave fluorescenceBaltic amber returns a pale blue to milky white glow under longwave ultraviolet, and Dominican material can fire a strong blue. Dyed and reconstructed stones fluoresce unevenly and give themselves away along the joins.
Surface hardness and prior wearAmber measures Mohs 2 to 2.5, so a set stone picks up scuffs that topaz would shrug off. Any repolish, chip or earlier repair appears in the description ahead of checkout.

Amber Terms Printed on These Listings

SucciniteThe mineralogical name for Baltic amber, taken from the succinic acid that makes up three to eight percent of the resin and gives it its comparative toughness.
Scissor cutA step cut whose crown facets are divided diagonally into four triangles, chosen for material like amber that carries no fire and needs facet junctions to create motion.
CopalResin that has not completed fossilisation. It looks convincing to the eye, dissolves under a drop of acetone and belongs in an entirely different price bracket.
Sun spangleA disc shaped internal fracture produced when amber is clarified in hot oil, sought by many buyers and always a product of treatment rather than of nature.
AmbroidPressed amber, formed by heating and compacting fragments under pressure. It remains real amber, reconstructed, which is why honest labelling keeps it apart from a solid stone.
GirdleThe outer rim where crown meets pavilion, the zone a bezel grips and the first place to inspect for a chip on any soft gem material.

Setting Amber: What a Bench Needs Before the Stone Arrives

Amber sets like a soft organic stone rather than like a faceted silicate, so the mount does the protecting. A bezel suits it better than claws because a bezel spreads pressure right around the girdle instead of loading four points, and a closed back keeps the pavilion clear of skin oils and perfume. Astro Gallery publishes length, width and depth for every gem, which lets a setter confirm the pavilion clears the finger rail before ordering. Soldering near a mounted amber is out of the question, since the resin softens well below the temperature a torch reaches, so any later repair runs with the stone lifted out of its setting.

Wearing and Storing Cut Amber

Amber asks for more restraint than anything else in the gem case. Perfume, hairspray, alcohol, acetone and household solvents attack the surface and cloud the polish, so a set stone goes on last and comes off first. Clean it with a soft damp cloth and a trace of mild soap, never in an ultrasonic tank or under a steamer, both of which crack amber outright. Store each gem in its own soft pouch away from harder material, since anything above Mohs 3 sharing the drawer will mark it, and keep it out of prolonged direct sun and away from radiators, where the resin darkens and eventually crazes.

Ordering a Loose Amber Gemstone

Checkout accepts Shop Pay and PayPal alongside Apple Pay, Google Pay and Visa, Mastercard, Discover and Diners Club cards, and produces an itemised invoice recording species, carat weight and the three measured dimensions. Astro Gallery of Gems has traded loose gem material on that paperwork since 1961, and the published returns policy attaches to the same document. Stones leave in individual gem parcels inside a rigid box, tracked and fully insured at declared value, with export documents completed for international destinations. Duties at the receiving end follow local rules and are billed by the carrier, and Astro Gallery confirms the route in advance where a country restricts gem imports.

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Photographs from the angles a setter needsAstro Gallery will shoot the girdle, the pavilion and the stone against a millimetre gauge before you commit to it.
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Amber Gemstone Buying Questions Answered

How much does a loose amber gemstone cost?
Each listing carries its own live price, set by carat weight, the clarity of the resin and the labour in the cut. A scissor cut costs more than a plain oval of equal weight, and the table above shows the current figure for every stone in stock.
Is this amber natural or pressed?
Every amber stone in this collection is natural Baltic amber cut from solid rough rather than pressed from fragments. Pressed amber, known in the trade as ambroid, would be described as pressed on the listing itself rather than in small print.
What is the difference between Baltic and Dominican amber?
Baltic amber is roughly forty million year old conifer resin from the Sambian Peninsula, harder than other amber because of its succinic acid content. Dominican amber is younger, softer and clearer, richer in insect inclusions, and it supplies the blue fluorescing material collectors seek.
How big are these amber stones?
The current ovals sit near three to three and a half carats at about fourteen to fifteen millimetres long, ten to eleven wide and eight deep. Amber is light for its volume, so those weights face up much larger than the same carats of quartz.
Can amber be set in a ring?
Yes, with a bezel rather than claws and with the depth checked against the finger rail first. At Mohs 2 to 2.5 amber scuffs under daily wear, so many buyers keep it for pendants and earrings and reserve rings for occasional use.
How do I clean an amber gemstone?
Wipe it with a soft damp cloth and mild soap, then dry it. Ultrasonic cleaners, steam, alcohol, acetone and perfume all damage amber, and none of them belongs anywhere near the stone or its setting.
Why does this collection include turquoise cabochons?
This page gathers the loose cut stones currently in stock, and Persian turquoise cabochons from the Neyshabur district sit alongside the amber. Every listing names its species and carat weight, so the material is never in question at checkout.
Do you ship loose gemstones internationally?
Yes. Stones travel tracked and fully insured at declared value with export paperwork completed, and returns run under the terms published on the returns page. Contact the gallery before ordering if your country restricts gem imports.

Continue From Cut Amber Into the Wider Gem Rooms

Loose amber sits between two departments. Buyers who want the material follow amber into rough specimens and finished jewellery, while buyers who want an unmounted stone to set compare it against the other faceted and cabochon species held loose in the gallery.

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