On this page
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
Blue Amber
A trade name for Amber that shows a blue appearance or blue fluorescence under specific viewing conditions; the effect should be disclosed according to testing and viewing conditions. 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 Blue Amber forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Blue AmberHow far lab testing can go
- Treatments and enhancements of Blue AmberThe enhancements and treatments the GB/T and JJA/AGL tables list
- Caring for and wearing Blue AmberCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Blue AmberEach value with its source and check date
- Blue Amber 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 Blue AmberThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define Blue AmberWhich 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
"Blue amber" is a commercial name for amber distinguished by a blue appearance/fluorescence under specified conditions; it is not an independent mineral species or material type. The amber it denotes is a biogenic organic gem formed when resin secreted by ancient trees hardened and fossilized, its parent resin maturing after burial in sediment (drying, loss of volatiles/labile components, possible polymerization/cross-linking). NOTE: the authoritative sources used here, when describing amber colours and optical effects, do not cover blue appearance or fluorescence, so this record makes no claim about the cause of the blue colour or the fluorescence mechanism, and honestly flags an optical/colour-cause source gap.
Scope: Applies to the formation and maturation of the amber referred to as "blue amber", and defines it as a trade name based on blue appearance/fluorescence; no assertion is made on the origin of the blue colour and fluorescence (source gap).
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
Where it forms
Resin exuded by ancient trees is buried in sediment, where it undergoes maturation.
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)
The resin is buried in sediment and matures.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
The resin then solidifies, becoming amber.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
NOTE: the sources do not describe the cause of the blue appearance or fluorescence, so no such step is listed.
Sources GIA Amber Description · Journal article (resin maturation)
Link to appearance
NOTE: the sources used here do not describe amber's blue appearance or fluorescence, so no appearance/optical claim is made.
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): Blue amber is a commercial name for amber classified by its blue appearance/fluorescence, 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 colour 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 colour name.
Sources GIA Amber Description
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
Asia
- MyanmarTogether with the Dominican Republic and Mexico, almost all commercial blue amber
Sources Gems & Gemology Winter 2020
North America
- Dominican RepublicTogether with Mexico and Myanmar, almost all commercial blue amber
Sources Gems & Gemology Winter 2020
- MexicoTogether with the Dominican Republic and Myanmar, almost all commercial blue amber
Sources Gems & Gemology Winter 2020
These are localities recorded by authoritative sources, not an origin finding for any individual piece. The CIBJO Gemstone Book (2022, §4.2.3) says a place of origin names where a gem was mined or harvested, is a matter of opinion, does not imply a level of quality, and that cutting, processing or exporting centres must not be used to imply origin. See how far testing can go on this page, the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Other research findings
"Blue amber" is a commercial name for amber distinguished by a blue appearance/fluorescence under specified conditions, 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 definition, and the source does not describe the blue/fluorescence.
Sources GIA Amber Description
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- "Blue amber" is a commercial name for amber; none of the authoritative sources consulted gives it a mineralogical definition.
- The authoritative sources consulted do not describe amber's blue appearance or fluorescence, so the cause of the blue colour and fluorescence has no source behind it.
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 blue fluorescence effect
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
"Blue Amber" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
Evidence
- GB/T · Table A.3, row 琥珀 (Amber)
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Amber with blue fluorescence effect" 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
- Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
- Suggested listing name
- Amber with blue fluorescence effect
Care and wear
The item-by-item care advice that the GIA Care and Cleaning Guide gives for the whole class, and so for Blue Amber, 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
Chinese standard nameThe Chinese formal name for Blue Amber comes from GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3 “Amber”. Trade and mineralogical namesBlue Amber is a trade name, not a mineralogical species name, and the market-name ruling is “market name / ambiguous”. Recommended listing nameThe suggested listing name is “blue-effect amber (Blue Amber)”. Names in four languagesThe four-language names are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Blue Amber) and Japanese (a transliteration and a kanji name); the mineralogical name is described as amber that shows a blue appearance or blue fluorescence under certain conditions. Chinese standard nameAmong authority wordings, GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3 “Amber” lists Blue Amber; the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 lists the parent material “Amber”, but among authority wordings the CIBJO source text has no wording for “Blue Amber” (checked), nor does the FTC source text (checked), and GIA and Gem-A have not been checked; bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position. Japanese namesThe entry's own Japanese names are a transliteration and a kanji name; the Japanese GSJ wording for this name is not yet verified by this site.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- ブルーアンバー／青色琥珀 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Chinese formal name
- 蓝珀 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.3)
- Mineralogical name
- Amber showing blue appearance/fluorescence under specified conditions
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 蓝珀
- 繁體中文
- 藍珀
- English
- Blue Amber
- 日本語
- ブルーアンバー／青色琥珀
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
Optimizations and treatments for Blue Amber under GB/T 16552—2017 Annex B, Table B.1 are registered by this site by applying the Amber row of Table B.1: heating is classed as optimization, filling and coating are classed by graded definitions, and irradiation, colour change by heating under pressure and dyeing are classed as treatment. The notes to Table B.1 and its graded definitions are on this site's Gem treatments page, and the full effects of each treatment are registered 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
The transmitted body colour of Blue Amber is yellow, brownish yellow, yellowish green or brownish red; in daylight it shows blue of varying depth, and the blue becomes more pronounced under ultraviolet light. Apart from the definition of Blue Amber itself, structure, hardness, cleavage, density, optic character, refractive index, birefringence and lustre are all taken from clauses for amber (the whole class) and are not measured on Blue Amber separately. Per the amber (whole class) clauses, the structure is amorphous, Mohs hardness is 2–2.5 and there is no cleavage; the optic character is isotropic, with strain often causing anomalous extinction and interference colours; there is no birefringence; when untreated, the lustre is resinous, and it melts and gives off an aromatic smell when touched with a hot needle. Per the amber (whole class) clauses, density is 0.96–1.1 g/cm³, derived by this site from the cited clause value of 1.08 with a tolerance of +0.02/−0.12; the refractive index is 1.54, which this site notes is a reading commonly obtained by the spot method, a typical value rather than an absolute limit, and the clause has further sub-grades, with the overall value used for registration.
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 Blue Amber 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 Blue Amber (how to read class-level values).
Definition
Blue Amber: amber whose body colour appears yellow, brown-yellow, yellow-green or brown-red in transmitted light, and which shows a distinctive blue of varying tone in daylight, more pronounced under ultraviolet light.
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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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
Blue Amber — 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 Blue Amber 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
In the clause-level definitions, Blue Amber corresponds to the entry Blue Amber in GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A, defined as amber that shows a blue appearance or blue fluorescence under particular viewing conditions. The cross-check result is that GB/T lists it directly, and no CIBJO entry with the same standalone heading was found.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Amber | GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A | Amber showing blue appearance/fluorescence under specified conditions | 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 (Blue Amber) is marked.
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 Blue Amber 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.