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UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural organic and biogenic materials · Organic or biogenic material · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Amber with Animal Inclusion
Also known asInsect amber (conditional name)
A trade name for Amber containing animal inclusions, listed under the "Amber" row in GB/T Appendix A Table A.3; whether the inclusions are genuine must be identified. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Amber with Animal Inclusion forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Amber with Animal InclusionHow far lab testing can go
- Treatments and enhancements of Amber with Animal InclusionThe enhancements and treatments the GB/T and JJA/AGL tables list
- Caring for and wearing Amber with Animal InclusionCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Amber with Animal InclusionEach value with its source and check date
- Amber with Animal Inclusion in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Listing and disclosing Amber with Animal InclusionThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define Amber with Animal InclusionWhich clause defines it, each cross-checked
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
“Amber with Animal Inclusion” is a commercial name for amber that contains animal inclusions; it is not an independent mineral species or material type. Amber itself is a biogenic organic gem: resin secreted by ancient trees hardens and fossilizes; while the resin is still soft and hardening, once-living animal remains become trapped inside as inclusions. The parent resin matures after burial in sediment (drying, loss of volatiles/labile components, possible polymerization/cross-linking), during which the inclusions are preserved.
Scope: Applies to the formation of the amber (fossil resin) referred to as "amber with animal inclusion" and of its inclusions, and defines it as a trade name based on inclusions; no mineral-species assertion is made for this Chinese trade name.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
Where it forms
Resin exuded by ancient trees is buried in sediment and matures there.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
Before/while hardening the resin can entomb biological remains as inclusions.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
How it forms, step by step
Resin, or sap, is exuded by ancient trees.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
While hardening, the resin traps animal inside.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
The resin is buried in sediment and matures.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
The resin hardens into amber containing inclusions.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
Link to appearance
Amber may contain animal inclusions visible to the unaided eye or with magnification; NOTE: the authenticity and identity of inclusions require testing and cannot be settled by appearance alone.
Sources GIA Amber Description
Timescale
The sources require amber to be older than a million years and report that its creation took place tens of millions of years in the past.
Sources GIA Amber Description
Related base materials
- Amber (fossil resin): Amber with animal inclusions is a commercial name for amber classified by the animal inclusions it contains, not a separate material type
Supporting findings
Amber is a biogenic organic gem, formed when resin secreted by ancient trees hardened and fossilized.
Evidence grade BScope: Applies to amber overall; not the inclusion trade name.
Sources GIA Amber Description
The parent resin, buried in sediment, matures (drying, loss of volatiles/labile components, and possible polymerization/cross-linking into a macromolecule).
Evidence grade AScope: A maturation mechanism from experimental simulation; describes fossilization.
Sources Journal article (resin maturation)
The sources require amber to be older than a million years and report that its creation took place tens of millions of years in the past.
Evidence grade BScope: Gives amber's age boundary; not the inclusions.
Sources GIA Amber Description
Other research findings
Scientists and collectors treasure amber that contains suspended animal or plant fragments; these fossilized bits of once-living things were trapped in the hardening amber, creating a time capsule.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes how inclusions are entombed; not the identification of a specific inclusion.
Sources GIA Amber Description
“Amber with Animal Inclusion” is a commercial name for amber divided by its animal inclusions, not an independent mineral species or material type; the cited authoritative sources give no definition of this Chinese trade name.
Evidence grade CScope: Defines it as a commercial name; no authoritative mineralogical definition.
Sources GIA Amber Description
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- “Amber with Animal Inclusion” is a commercial name for amber (divided by inclusions); none of the authoritative sources consulted gives it a mineralogical definition.
- The authenticity and identity of inclusions require testing and cannot be settled by appearance alone.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Amber with animal inclusion
GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3 “Amber” · CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 §7.2.2.1 “Amber”
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments recorded for this material: Heated / Heat-treated (via parent material), Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Coated (via parent material), Irradiated (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material)
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Amber with Animal Inclusion" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Laboratory identification required before the name is used.
Evidence
- GB/T · Table A.3, row 琥珀 (Amber)
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Amber with animal inclusion" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Laboratory identification required before the name is used.
- Suggested listing name
- Amber with animal inclusion
Care and wear
The item-by-item care advice that the GIA Care and Cleaning Guide gives for the whole class, and so for Amber with Animal Inclusion, is set out in full under care on the Amber entry.
Care
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Treatments and identification leads
One row per treatment, with three standards side by side: how often it occurs and how stable it is (CIBJO), its category in GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (this site's paraphrase) and how the JJA/AGL 2025 table lists it. Each CIBJO value links to its entry under “Testing and market”, where the wording and source are given in full.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Market frequency (CIBJO) | Stability (CIBJO) | GB/T 16552 category | JJA/AGL listing | Identification leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating | — | — | Optimization | — | — |
| Filling | — | — | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 | — | — |
| Coating | — | — | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 | — | — |
| Irradiation | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
| Colour change by heating under pressure | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
| Dyeing | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
“—” means the cited source gives no value for that item, not “none”. Source: GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (row for Amber)
Whether a treatment has to show in the name differs between the two rule sets (this site’s paraphrase):
- GB/T 16552—2017: a method classed as treatment has to be stated in the name itself — the method put before the name, or added in brackets after it; a method classed as optimization does not need to appear in the name, though one marked “Optimization (annotation required)” still has to be noted in the quality documents. Source: §5.4.2.1 a), b); §5.4.2.2 a)
- CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022: no longer splits treatments into ones that need specific disclosure and ones that need only general disclosure: every treatment is to be disclosed, and the seller tells the buyer which treatment was used and what special care it calls for. Source: §4.2.5 Note 2, §4.2.5.1, pp.14–15
What this table covers
What this page can give
- Registered treatments, their stability and how often they occur (see the table above)
- Identification leads for each treatment, for use when sending a stone for testing
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Amber with Animal Inclusion, the name register records "Insect amber", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded.
Standard and listing namesThe Chinese standard name for Amber with Animal Inclusion comes from the amber group in GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3; the mineralogical name means amber containing animal inclusions, and the suggested listing name is Amber with Animal Inclusion. Sub-names and unacceptable namesThe trade name or synonym Insect amber refers only to insect inclusions and is registered as an English sub-name (variety or sub-type); it is aligned to Amber with Animal Inclusion only once the condition is confirmed, and no restriction on its use as a name is registered, on the basis of a ruling by this site (no clause attached). Names in four languagesNames are registered in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese, together with the entry's own English name. The Japanese name shown is the entry's own; the wording used by the GSJ (Japan) for this name is not yet verified by this site. Institution usageThe wording of GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A for this name is not yet verified by this site, and the entry's own English name does not represent the position of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (1) | ||||
| Insect amberEnglish | narrower name (variety or subtype) | matched only once the condition is confirmed | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 動物包有琥珀 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Chinese formal name
- 虫珀 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3)
- Mineralogical name
- Amber containing animal inclusion(s)
- Trade names and synonyms
- Insect amber (narrower name (variety or subtype); conditional name)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 虫珀
- 繁體中文
- 蟲珀
- English
- Amber with Animal Inclusion
- 日本語
- 動物包有琥珀
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural organic and biogenic materials
- Browsing family
- Amber and natural resin materials
- Identity tier
- Organic or biogenic material
- Mineral chemical class
- Not applicable
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments listed by standards
Treatments for Amber with Animal Inclusion are classified by this site applying the “Amber” row of GB/T 16552—2017, Annex B, Table B.1. The treatments named in the Amber row of Table B.1 are heating, filling, coating, irradiation, colour change by heating under pressure, and dyeing; heating is listed as an optimization, filling and coating are both graded, and irradiation, colour change by heating under pressure and dyeing are listed as treatments. The full row, with the effect column, is on the Amber page; what Table B.1 is and how the grades are defined are on the Gem treatments page.
GB/T 16552-2017, Annex B, Table B.1
Under the “Amber” row of Table B.1: Heating Optimization; Filling Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1; Coating Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1; Irradiation Treatment; Colour change by heating under pressure Treatment; Dyeing Treatment. The full row, with the effect column, is on the Amber page.
What Table B.1 is, and how the “see 5.4.1” grades are defined: see the GB/T 16552: optimization vs treatment page.
What it is and how it's identified
Amber with Animal Inclusion is amber enclosing insects or other organisms. Registered for amber (the whole class): structure (overall) amorphous, Mohs hardness 2–2.5, no cleavage, triboelectricity: becomes charged when rubbed, optic character isotropic, with strain often causing anomalous extinction and interference colours, and no birefringence. For amber (the whole class), density is 0.96–1.1 g/cm³; site note: the cited clause gives 1.08 with a stated tolerance of (+0.02, −0.12), and the range shown is worked out from that. For amber (the whole class), refractive index is 1.54; site note: 1.54 is the reading commonly obtained with the spot method under the cited clause, a typical value rather than an absolute limit, and the clause also gives finer sub-ranges, with the overall value used. For amber (the whole class), untreated, the quality factor (lustre) is resinous.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Chemical composition, long-wave UV luminescence, short-wave UV luminescence, UV-visible spectrum, infrared spectrum, magnification: these whole-class features are given in the cited clause for amber (whole class), so they are not repeated on the Amber with Animal Inclusion page; see the material facts on the Amber entry.
Items below that name the class they cover give the cited clause’s value for that whole class, not a measurement of Amber with Animal Inclusion (how to read class-level values).
Definition
Amber with Animal Inclusion: amber with insects or other living things trapped inside
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 Additional notes (locator checked 2026-09-28)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Structure
Amber with Animal Inclusion — structure (overall): amorphous (not crystalline)
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Durability
Amber with Animal Inclusion — Mohs hardness: 2–2.5
GB/T 16553—2017
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Amber with Animal Inclusion — cleavage: none
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Amber with Animal Inclusion — stability: may melt on contact with a hot needle, giving off an aromatic smell.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Physical properties
Amber with Animal Inclusion — density: 0.96–1.1 g/cm³
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
- Qualification
The clause we cite gives 1.08, with a stated tolerance of +0.02 / -0.12. The range shown here is worked out from that.
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Amber with Animal Inclusion — triboelectricity: may become electrically charged when rubbed
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Optical
Amber with Animal Inclusion — optic character: isotropic, but stress often gives anomalous extinction along with interference colours.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Amber with Animal Inclusion — refractive index: 1.54
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
- Qualification
The clause we cite gives this as a value commonly read by the spot (distant-vision) method. It is a common value, not an absolute limit.
- General note
- the clause has finer ranges
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Amber with Animal Inclusion — birefringence: none
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Amber with Animal Inclusion — pleochroism: none
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Quality factors
Amber with Animal Inclusion — quality factor (lustre): resinous
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- amber (whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.3.5 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
This material (RI / SG midpoints): 1.54 / 1.03; Closest values: 1Turtle Shell 1.545 / 1.31, 2Plastic 1.58 / 1.3, 3Jet 1.66 / 1.32, 4Black Coral 1.565 / 1.71, 5Mammoth Ivory 1.53 / 1.75
Show the full chart (330 registered materials)
Outside the full chart's range, drawn as triangles at the edge (RI / SG midpoints): Hematite 3.045/5.12, Synthetic Rutile 2.76/4.26, Rutile 2.753/4.23, Synthetic Moissanite 2.67/3.22
Testing and market
The CIBJO laboratory protocol covers Amber with Animal Inclusion under “Amber” (§6.2.1): see identification on the Amber entry; the required tests are listed on the CIBJO laboratory protocol table for Amber.
How far testing can go
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Clause-level definitions
Amber with Animal Inclusion has a clause-level definition in Annex A of GB/T 16552—2017: the term registered in the clause corresponds to Amber with Animal Inclusion, and the definition is amber containing animal inclusion(s). The cross-check result is that GB/T lists it directly, while no standalone CIBJO entry under the same name was found.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber with Animal Inclusion | GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A | Amber containing animal inclusion(s) | Listed directly by GB/T; CIBJO carries no standalone entry under the same name. |
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
Related-entry tree for Amber on this site: 10 entries listed by this site's parent-entry links; synthetic, treated and similar entries carry their recorded state after the name; this page (Amber with Animal Inclusion) is marked.
- Amber
Sub-entries (9)
- Amber with Animal Inclusion
- Amber with Plant Inclusion
- Blue Amber
- Copal
- Golden Amber
- Green Amber
- Opaque Amber
- Patterned Amber
- Red Amber
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Amber and natural resin materials | Live |
| Treatments recorded for this material | Heated / Heat-treated (via parent material), Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Coated (via parent material), Irradiated (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material) | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Amber with Animal Inclusion entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original; clause-level definitions also carry a cross-check result. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.