Amber is a stone in demand all over the world due to its attractive appearance and many healing properties. The demand for it is growing more and more every year. So, how much does amber cost? Let us consider in detail the answer to this question.

How much does amber cost in Russia?

As mentioned above, the demand for stone is growing every year. As, indeed, the price. When considering how much amber costs, it is worth noting the fact that over the past ten years the price has increased by 900%. And this trend continues.

So how much does amber cost in Russia? Various products from this stone are produced mainly in Kaliningrad. Most of the goods are sold in the capital and St. Petersburg. The price depends, of course, on the finished product. One gram of stone can cost from 30 to 150 rubles. A lower price per gram (retail) indicates the sale of pressed or stolen stone to the consumer. Or an outright fake.

Properties of the stone

In fact, looking at how much amber costs, you shouldn’t be surprised. The stone is used not only for making jewelry. It has a lot of medicinal properties. In modern medicine, the stone is used to make succinic acid. This is an excellent biostimulant. In addition, it is a remedy that has anti-stress, anti-inflammatory and antitoxic properties.

In folk medicine, the stone is considered an excellent cure for almost all diseases. To cleanse the body of toxins and normalize the functioning of the thyroid gland, it is recommended to wear amber beads on the neck. With the help of the stone, diseases of the skin and hair, visual and hearing impairments, asthma and bronchitis, intestinal infections, nervous breakdowns, etc. are also cured.

Amber market

Please also pay attention to the following factor. Before deciding how much amber (raw) costs, you need to understand that stones differ in their texture. Small raw materials, for example, are used to make jewelry. It is easy to process. Such products cannot be called truly exclusive. That’s why jewelry is relatively inexpensive (about 30 rubles per gram). The amber used is larger and has a higher price.

However, the final price of products depends on many factors. The basis of cost is the level of world prices for raw stone. For example, a kilogram of sorted unique amber costs at least 20 thousand rubles. But if the stone also contains inclusions in the form of insects or animals, then the cost per kilogram can even reach several thousand dollars. Although such raw materials are not found very often.

In Kaliningrad, the cost of raw materials varies within the following limits: 2-5 grams - about 200-300 euros, 5-10 grams - from 400 euros, 10-20 grams - from 700 euros, 20-100 grams - from 1600 euros, 200- 500 grams - from 5000 euros, from 500 grams - very expensive due to the large shortage. Don't forget that stone prices are rising every quarter.

Illegal mining in Ukraine

Well, how much does amber (unprocessed) cost, illegally exported abroad? In Ukraine, for example, this phenomenon occurs all the time. Poland, Russia and China are very happy to purchase this gem of organogenic formation.

At Ukrainian customs, amber is often discovered hidden in personal belongings from control. Smugglers also use special storage facilities made in the cavities of cars. The seized amber is transferred to the ownership of the state - to the “State Repository of Precious Stones”. On average, during the year, customs stops about 35 attempts to illegally move amber across the border. In 2015, for example, about 296 thousand kilograms of amber (about 10 million hryvnia) were seized at Volyn customs.

Amber is seized in tons

However, it is not always possible to stop smugglers. Although customs officers try not to lose their vigilance. Most often, cases of illegal transportation of “sun stone” occur on the Polish-Ukrainian border. The largest number of attempts to violate the law were found in Biała Podlaska, Bialystok, Olystyn, Przemysl, and Warsaw. Smugglers know very well how much amber beads cost abroad. That is why they are trying to sell the stone for maximum profit.

Prices for Ukrainian amber

Thus, the opportunity to sell a precious stone abroad at a higher price creates a great desire to transport raw materials across the border. Some people succeed, some don't. In Poland, you can often find advertisements that indicate how much a kg of amber costs.

Ukrainian journalists decided to conduct an investigative experiment. They created a mailbox in the name of a fictitious resident of Germany. After this, amber sellers were sent offers from a “representative of a large German company” to purchase a large amount of the precious stone. Many replies were received that same day.

One Pole offered a ten-gram stone for US$1,200 per kilogram, and a twenty-gram stone for US$2,400 per kilogram. Another person offered much higher prices. For nine kilograms of stone, 10-20 grams each, he wanted 2,500 US dollars per kilogram. He also offered several 200-gram nuggets for $6,500.

In addition, many offers of cooperation were received. The sellers assured that there would be no problems with transporting the stone.

Punishment for smuggling

It turns out that each trader decides for himself how much a kilogram of amber costs. The price may fluctuate a little. But the main thing is not to forget that you have to bear responsibility for smuggling. Although today legislators have removed violators from criminal offenses. There is only administrative responsibility. Offenses can be unlawful, intentional, negligent acts or omissions. Citizens who have reached the age of sixteen and officials of various enterprises are responsible for violating these rules. Confiscation of goods may be applied regardless of the time of detection or commission of violations of customs rules. These actions entail the imposition of a fine in the amount of 500 to 1000 non-taxable minimum income or confiscation of the goods, as well as confiscation of vehicles used to move them across the border.

In Poland the fines are even higher. There is a zero duty rate on unprocessed amber. However, VAT is as much as 23%. An attempt to evade taxation is regarded as a fiscal crime or a tax offense, depending on the amount of value of the goods. For illegal transportation of amber, a fine of up to 18 million zlotys, imprisonment of up to five years, or a combination of both penalties is provided. The fine for tax violation is up to 37 thousand zlotys.

Illegal export from Russia

One more question remains. How much does an amber stone, illegally exported from the territory of the Russian Federation, cost? From here it is supplied to China, Poland and the Baltic states. It is not for nothing that the Kaliningrad region is called the “Amber Region”. More than 90% of the world's known stone reserves are located here. Only in this region in the Russian Federation are there known reserves of amber.

In principle, the export of unprocessed amber outside the Russian Federation is prohibited. Without having the appropriate license. However, this does not stop either buyers or sellers. China is showing the greatest interest in raw materials. Here, amber jewelry is considered jewelry and is very expensive. Official prices for Kaliningrad raw meat range from 1-50 thousand rubles per kilogram. It all depends on the faction. However, outside Russia, the cost can increase even 10 times. Therefore, this business is incredibly profitable.

Why are they buying “grandmother’s” amber from Kostyukovites? “Lately, I’ve often come across posted advertisements for buying amber beads.” What causes the demand for the precious stone and how much can you earn from “grandmother’s” jewelry. “You can use the money from the sale of one old necklace to renovate your apartment.” Banners on the Internet take us to the website of buyers from St. Petersburg, who work throughout Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. “You had no idea how much money you had!” - the site page greets visitors. Buyers claim that the price of good amber sometimes reaches $50 per gram. “1500, or even 3000 dollars in an old box. Or several thousand dollars lying around on the mezzanine. Think for yourself - with the money from the sale of one old necklace you can make renovations in your apartment, pay for school, buy the latest iPhone model, go on vacation..." However, then there is immediately a disclaimer that the cost, of course, depends on the type of amber, the presence of chips, color , the size of beads, “but still - often we don’t even imagine what wealth is stored in our bedside tables.” The authors of the site persistently invite users to look for old amber and bring it to them: “A hundred thousand rubles in a box, between an old jumper and a collection of left-handed ones.” socks! Therefore, go ahead and shake out the chests of drawers. Maybe your future money is very close." According to buyers, you will be doubly lucky if you find even beads made of opaque amber of yellow or yellow-orange color - "these are considered the most valuable, and you have already practically become rich. We have been buying amber for a long time and are well versed in its types.” Help FINANCE.TUT.BY: Amber is a fossil resin, a mineral of the class of organic compounds. To be precise, amber is not a stone. The color can be white, orange, yellow, gold, green, brown, red, colorless, blue (rare), black (rare). The last two are the most expensive. And the cheapest is brown. The mineral is characterized by various organic inclusions: small insects, plants. “It’s plastic!” Having borrowed some old beads from my grandmother for a while, very similar to amber beads, I called the phone number offered on the website. We managed to get through to St. Petersburg faster than using a Belarusian number. “We are only interested in certain beads,” answered the girl who answered the phone. - These are balls, ovals, bochata. In color - yellow, opaque, landscape. Send 3-4 photos. It is advisable to weigh them or at least attach a ruler to the photo. If they suit us, a courier will come to you. You meet, draw up a purchase and sale agreement, and they give you the money.” I sent several photos via Viber and waited for a response. But not even a minute passed before a message appeared: “This is plastic! The solder on each bead is visible.” They no longer responded to my messages - apparently, I, as a potential client, had lost interest in them. “Among modern jewelry with amber there are many artificial stones, but in old beads everything is natural.” An employee of one of the capital’s jewelry workshops, Valery, said that in the last 1 −1.5 years, there really was a great interest in amber. “Because now they make a lot of artificial ones, but natural amber has always been in price,” explains the specialist. - That’s why they buy old beads - then everything was made from natural raw materials. And now production waste (amber crumbs, residues from processing) are pressed under high temperature and then often sold as real amber. And the technology is now so developed that even a specialist cannot always distinguish good artificial amber from natural one.” Thus, at the end of last year, the world’s only industrial amber mining enterprise in Kaliningrad sharply increased prices for raw materials. For some items, the price tag has increased more than 6 times. But among Belarusians there is no demand for amber jewelry. “They’re not an acquired taste,” says Valery. The Chinese have become interested in amber in recent years. In their culture, this stone has a special meaning. It is the Chinese who are the most frequent visitors to amber exhibitions in Kaliningrad and Latvia. So it is to the Celestial Empire that “grandmother’s beads” from resellers are most often sent. Read completely.

Amber beads are considered one of the most popular jewelry in the world (not counting rings). What is the reason for such popularity of amber and beads made from it? And also why the price of amber beads varies from 1,000 to 100,000 rubles.

Amber beads

Amber beads are a very ancient and popular decoration among various peoples of the world.

This is due not only to the beauty of the sunstone amber, but also to the huge number of myths, legends and amazing stories that have been passed down from mouth to mouth for over a thousand years.

Amber is an organic mineral. The most sought after fossil amber is considered to be Baltic. It is from it that the most valuable amber beads are made. But if we look at amber from a different point of view, from the point of view of our ancestors, then we will see the most interesting world of this stone.

It is believed that amber protects its owner from the evil eye, gives strength and brings good luck. Amber beads (see Buy amber beads) are given as a wedding gift as a guarantee of long-term happiness and strong love. Elderly people value amber beads because in most works of scientists and researchers of antiquity, amber is considered a stone of life and longevity, which contains the power of the sun and is capable of changing life for the better.

Science is silent on these matters, and no research has been conducted. But those studies that were carried out by the Academy of Sciences in 1971 (see) brought extremely interesting results.

It has been proven that amber contains succinic acid. Typically this is from 2% to 5%. But the most interesting thing is yet to come.

Healing amber beads and succinic acid

What are amber beads? Amber beads are many processed or untreated pieces of amber of varying sizes, densities, textures and colors. In general, it is customary to distinguish 9 varieties of amber (see Varieties of amber), but not all are suitable for the production of beads, and only Baltic amber.

When pieces of amber rub against each other on a person's neck, the friction process produces amber powder (see Amber Powder) and succinic acid (see Succinic Acid). The latter is formed using mechanical activation. It has been proven that natural UC (succinic acid) has an extremely positive effect on the human body, acting as a powerful biological stimulant. Yes, UC is already formed in mitochondria. But as soon as the level of stress on the body increases, it becomes insufficient!

Succinic acid is responsible for feeding cells with oxygen and more. It has been proven that biological succinic acid (see Difference between natural and synthetic succinic acid) is capable of stimulating the regeneration process of sluggish cells.

Perhaps this is exactly the effect that our ancestors discovered experimentally when they began to revere amber, and amber beads became one of the most desired gifts.

Properties of healing amber beads

Speaking about the properties of amber beads, we need to talk about the properties and areas of application of succinic acid and amber powder.

The “amber” theme, raised by the newspaper in the issue of September 7 (V. Kozlovich, “Those who seek, are found”), has a continuation. There is a boom in amber in Minsk. From pillars and entrance doors, advertisements invite people to sell beads and other jewelry made from “sun stone.” "Expensive. Very expensive. I’ll buy from $1,000,” the buyers vyingly promise, competing with each other. At a special price are old Soviet beads of regular round shape. While, succumbing to “amber fever,” someone is in a hurry to empty grandma’s box with family antiques, SB correspondents decided to find out: what is it? Another “scam” from lovers of rare valuables or a good deal?

Some offers look more than tempting and... suspicious. Buyers promise that the proceeds from one necklace will even be used to, for example, go on vacation or make repairs. The price per gram of a good stone can reach 50 dollars, and for some amber threads they offer 3000 and more! Businessmen are also interested in raw amber - an unprocessed stone. They are also willing to pay for it, but with a caveat: the amount depends on the color of the amber, the presence of chips, size and type. Nevertheless, they promise not to offend at a price. And provide the services of an experienced gemologist - a stone specialist - for free. True, he will evaluate your amber only from a photograph. And only if the buyer is satisfied with everything, the courier will contact you. Isn't it alarming? But in vain. In fact, the story with amber is not so simple.

From the world an amber string - and we at the editorial office collected a decent pile of stone, which, according to legend, we wanted to “drive.” Our collection also included a photo of an incredibly expensive specimen from the Museum of Geography of the Faculty of Geography of BSU. We call on the first ad. They question us in detail about each piece and disappoint us: “We don’t buy translucent amber jewelry!” You only need properly round beads, balls or pieces of unprocessed raw material.

“Not interested,” the man answers dully and hangs up.

For the second ad, the answer is similar. Even the museum exhibit, a 60-centimeter thread of royal (the most valuable) amber, did not attract anyone’s attention. What will the experts say? It turned out that in our country there is not a single appraiser who could make an expert opinion and name the cost of jewelry made from the “sun stone”! Pawn shops don't accept it either. For antique dealers, amber jewelry in itself means nothing if it is not an antique item. In jewelry stores where there are gemologists, they only offer to check the stone for authenticity.

Indeed, there are no experts who could name the exact cost of jewelry and semi-precious stones, the category of which includes amber, says Valentina Smolyakova, head of the Museum of Geography of the Faculty of Geography of the BSU. - Even in the event of confiscation of illegal amber at the border, customs officers turn to us. However, our conclusions are advisory in nature. Yes, there are quite qualified gemologists in Belarus, but they specialize in precious stones...

Meanwhile, the demand for amber has been growing over the past 3 years. And with it comes the price. This is the reason for the increased activity of buyers who saw this as a profitable business. But what happens next with the “sun stone” after we have shaken hands with, we note, an illegal buyer?

“In general, amber is a fossilized resin that has undergone various physical and chemical transformations over millions of years,” says Valentina Smolyakova. - And it is widely used not only in jewelry, but also in medicine. Succinic acid is the main and most valuable component. There is not a single microbe or bacteria on the surface of natural untreated stone. Many medical preparations are obtained from amber. This is a powerful biostimulant. Beads made from raw amber are believed to help with thyroid diseases. The stone is also recommended for headaches (including migraines), rheumatic, muscle and joint pain, colds, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and even for children when they start teething. Amber is also highly valued in the paint and varnish industry, perfumery, and cosmetology.

But it is unlikely that “sunstone” is bought from us for processing into perfumes or medicines, says Valentina Smolyakova. This is irrational. Moreover, buyers are only interested in an externally attractive stone. For industrial and medical purposes, only jewelry production waste, small grains and contaminated substandard amber are used. Where do the amber beads go? Buyers operating in Belarus refused to answer. But the Russians shared information. In exchange for a selection of Internet sites and electronic flea markets where we, Belarusians, look for all sorts of things. Deal.

So, the “amber boom” in Russia and Ukraine began a long time ago. Buyer Dmitry from St. Petersburg said: mostly the stone is then sent to China and the United Arab Emirates. Recently, the fashion for rosaries has returned there (that's why round beads are required!). And for the Chinese, yellow round amber also has a symbolic meaning. The demand among foreign buyers is huge. The price is high.

On average, Belarusian buyers buy beads from you for about 20 - 50 dollars,” explains Dmitry. - Rarely more, because few people know their true value. There is a thread from my great-grandmother in a box - why not get rid of it, and also get money for it? But then these beads cost at least 5 times more. Moreover, most often they first fall into the hands of Russian resellers, and only then they resell them to China. Can you imagine the profit?

The fact that buyers ultimately offer an unreasonably low price for amber was confirmed by the Museum of Geography.

Each stone is assessed individually, - Valentina Smolyakova shows museum exhibits. - Small and unattractive, of course, will cost less. The price depends on the type, color, transparency, whether there are chips and cracks. For jewelry and medicinal purposes, amber will have different evaluation criteria. The price for one kilogram of a good stone can reach 10 thousand dollars! Inside some of the fossilized pieces of resin are insects and particles of plants that inhabited the planet millions of years ago. These are inclusions. The price of such amber immediately increases significantly. This is a valuable exhibit, interesting both for science and for collectors. In addition, the cost of amber rises in proportion to its size. The larger the piece, the more the cost per kilogram will be.

Only in the Museum of Geography were we able to appreciate our jewelry at its true worth: all the jewelry is made from high-quality Baltic amber, which is approximately 40 - 35 million years old. But it is simply impossible to determine the value (and most importantly, the authenticity) of a stone from a photo, as buyers do. And Valentina Smolyakova notes: lately she has had to deal with counterfeits more and more often. Once, customs officers detained a large shipment of amber at the border, and Valentina Leontyevna was asked to participate in its assessment. There are several ways to verify the authenticity of a stone, all procedures were performed, and in all respects it turned out that it was a real stone. But she couldn’t shake the feeling: no, it was an imitation. In addition, each amber is unique, there are no identical stones in nature, and the expert saw that they were all somehow monotonous. As a result, they decided to check the density, and it turned out that the amber in the detained batch was fake. Only good quality.

Valentina Smolyakova has encountered similar cases more than once. She is often approached, especially by foreign guests. After all, their “sun stone” costs many times more, which is why they buy it in considerable quantities. And often, unfortunately, they are very disappointed.

By the way

In Belarus, the vast majority of amber deposits are located in Polesie, mainly in the southwest. Seven amber-bearing provinces have been identified. The deposits lie at a depth of approximately 0.3 - 7.5 m, and in some places - 25 - 80 m.

How to check the authenticity of amber at home?

In fresh water, real amber will sink to the bottom, in salt water it will float. For one glass you will need 7-8 teaspoons of salt. The imitation stone will sink in both cases.

If you touch amber lightly and carefully with a hot needle, you will feel a characteristic aromatic smell.

Real amber, if you run a sharp object over it, will crumble. Artificial - crumble into shavings.

Authenticity is also checked under ultraviolet light. Natural stone will luminesce.

However, with modern technologies for producing counterfeits, it is sometimes very difficult to identify imitations of amber, which are increasingly making their way onto store shelves. So be careful.

savitskaya@site