A number of special preparatory operations should be completed to process amber. First, the amber is washed and sorted, after the appearance of natural amber, it is quite unpresentable, the stone is covered with a brown oxidized crust. After sorting, the amber enters this mass production, where the stone is de-skinned (peeled off one of the surface), polished and seen to represent the new material. The blanks of future products are roughly processed pieces of natural amber. They are given the desired shape on an abrasive machine. This operation is called rough grinding.  For those who appreciate the exquisite beauty of amber, ukrburshtyn.com offers an exclusive collection of meticulously crafted jewelry and products, showcasing the intricate artistry involved in amber processing.

A delicate, final sanding of amber is created on a sanding wheel with fine-grained abrasive paper or felt and felt. They are polished on a calico wheel rubbed with a special paste made of amber shavings, paraffin and chalk. A real master is awestruck by every piece of amber, opening a window into the amazing world of the creation of living nature.

After the time-consuming polishing, amber is significantly transformed, its small shades shimmer, various optical pictures emerge - the colors of golden autumn, the goldenness of pine trunks and other fantastic pictures created by nature.

Plastic possibilities of amber

it is enough to slightly emphasize with a cutter a motif, a play of paint, a line created by nature, and a piece of amber turns into a sometimes beautiful product. The mineral has an amazing ability to combine with many materials. Jewelry compositions combine it with silver, gold, ivory, wood and even with precious stones, resulting in products of amazing beauty: rings, pendants, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks and other beautiful products in which the metal acts as an equal partner , in others - plays a leading role, and sometimes only a secondary one.

One of the most popular products in the production of gems is an amber necklace. Patterns of different shapes are produced: round, faceted - up to 64 faces, elongated, decorative and others. Talented jewelers have developed more than two hundred models of amber beads, different in color, size, arrangement of beads and cut.

In order to get round outlines, they are polished, through the drilled openings they are put on a thread - and the product is ready. Faceted beads require additional bead processing. The edges are gradually acquired on a bead that is turned with the help of a lion sharpened from the end of a stick. With each turn, the bead loses its round outline, and new faces appear on it. The faceted pattern is polished with quick touches of the soft felt of the rotary wheel. After that, it becomes shiny and shines with warm sunlight. The contour of decorative beads is subject to the natural forms of a piece of amber. Such beads are never symmetrical. When assembling the amber necklaces, artificial light lamps are lit, and the windows are closed, after the amber looks better under artificial lighting. Each bead glows with a vivid warm light. This is how an amber necklace appears, which has been loved by many women in different countries around the world.

Amber processing methods: scraping, shaping, leveling, grinding and polishing

The production of amber products is reduced to such methods as: scraping, shaping, grinding and polishing. The master, before starting work, very importantly studies natural amber, it is likely that inclusions may be found in some samples. Transparent stones are selected from this place, inspected, and then thin pieces are cut from two sides with a hacksaw. The resulting faces are polished with a fine peel and examined, as if through a prism, for the lumen. The nature of the future work and methods of processing the process completely depend on the characteristics of this raw material.

Peeling - removal of the crust, patina formed as a result of weathering, with the help of a coarse-grained skin, a file. Peeling is always started from the transparent side of the stone, which at the time was turned to the sun. The lower part of the crust will be a great background for the future amber product

Forming - giving the workpiece the intended shape. With the help of the same tools and devices, the stone is given a certain volume, silhouette and spatial pattern.

Leveling - obtained after scraping and shaping, the product has a rougher, with visible scratches, uneven appearance. The medium-grained peel smoothes the entire surface. The movements of the skin or stone are light, without pressure, circular and rotational.

Grinding - this method exactly copies the previous one, only in this case the skin is taken with a finer grain. This method can be used in several approaches, little by little, reducing the degree of granularity. The skin should be water-resistant, after processing, moisten the stone or the skin itself.