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Natural organic and biogenic materials · Organic or biogenic material · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Amber with Plant Inclusion
A trade name for amber containing plant inclusions, listed under "Amber" in GB/T Annex A Table A.3; it is not a separate mineral species. 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 Plant Inclusion forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Amber with Plant InclusionHow far lab testing can go
- Treatments and enhancements of Amber with Plant InclusionThe enhancements and treatments the GB/T and JJA/AGL tables list
- Caring for and wearing Amber with Plant InclusionCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Amber with Plant InclusionEach value with its source and check date
- Amber with Plant 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 Plant InclusionThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define Amber with Plant 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 Plant Inclusion” is a commercial name for amber that contains plant 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 plant 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 plant 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 plant 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 plant 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 plant inclusions is a commercial name for amber classified by the plant 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 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 Plant Inclusion” is a commercial name for amber divided by its plant 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 Plant 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 plant 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 Plant 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 plant 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 plant 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 Plant 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
Standard and listing namesThe Chinese formal name for Amber with Plant Inclusion comes from GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3 "Amber"; the suggested listing name is Amber with Plant Inclusion (plant amber). Names in four languagesAmong the four-language names, the Simplified and Traditional Chinese names are the same, the Japanese name is the entry's own, and both the English name and the mineralogical name express amber containing plant inclusions. The entry has its own Japanese name, and the wording used by 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 also not yet verified by this site; the entry's own English name, Amber with Plant Inclusion, does not represent the position of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 植物包有琥珀 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Chinese formal name
- 植物珀 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3)
- Mineralogical name
- Amber containing plant inclusion(s)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 植物珀
- 繁體中文
- 植物珀
- English
- Amber with Plant Inclusion
- 日本語
- 植物包有琥珀
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
The treatment classification for Amber with Plant Inclusion is applied by this site from the amber row of GB/T 16552—2017 Annex B Table B.1: heat treatment is listed as an enhancement; filling and coating are both noted as graded; irradiation, colour change by heating under pressure, and dyeing are all listed as treatments. The notes to Table B.1 and the grade definitions are on the treatments page; the full row, including the effect column, is on the amber entry.
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 Plant Inclusion is amber enclosing plant material such as flowers, leaves, roots, stems or seeds. Its overall structure is amorphous; Mohs hardness is 2–2.5 and cleavage is none; density is 0.96–1.1 g/cm³, with the limits derived from the cited clause's value of 1.08 and its stated tolerance of +0.02/−0.12; refractive index is 1.54, which the cited clause gives as the reading commonly seen by the spot method, a typical value rather than an absolute limit, and the clause has finer sub-ranges of which the overall value is taken; birefringence is none; optical character is isotropic, with strain often causing anomalous extinction and interference colours; it can be electrically charged by rubbing. In the untreated state, pleochroism is none, lustre (quality factor) is resinous, and a hot point melts it and gives off an aromatic smell. Values for structure, hardness, cleavage, density, optics and lustre are written by the cited clause for amber as a whole class and are not measurements of Amber with Plant Inclusion alone; for chemical composition, UV fluorescence, the spectra and magnification, see the Amber entry.
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 Plant 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 Plant Inclusion (how to read class-level values).
Definition
Amber with Plant Inclusion: amber holding plant remains such as flowers, leaves, roots, stems or seeds.
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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber with Plant Inclusion | GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A | Amber containing plant 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 Plant 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 Plant 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.