I know what you’re asking, isn’t all Baltic amber raw, pure, genuine? And the answer is yes! But… there’s always a but… amber looks very different when it comes out of that big blue Baltic Sea. When Baltic amber was created over 30 million years ago an oxidisation process altered the appearance of the outside of the amber (say what? I won’t bore you with some chemistry explanation but basically means the appearance of the product changes with contact from oxygen). Amber has a very rough, dull appearance that straight from the sea, would not be comfortable to wear! So, in order for this to be comfortable for us and our children to wear we polish it up!

“Raw” amber involves a polishing process that smooths out the surface of the pieces whilst still leaving is with a porous matte-like finish. Due to this porous surface, there is a greater surface area which allow more amber to be in contact with the skin. It has a lovely earthy, natural appearance and looks great on.

“Polished” amber involves a more powerful polishing process that removes all the oxidised amber from the outer layer leaving a shiny, almost see-through amber bead. They glisten in the sun and have a beautiful smooth shimmery finish.

So which is better? The more amber in contact with your skin, the greater the effects will be, so with this in mind, raw amber may offer you a greater result. However, we have amazing feedback from both our raw and polished designs so we suggest you just choose what you love! We always recommend an amber teething necklace for children so you have the most amber in contact with the skin.

Check out our amber jewellery here.