Can Amber Beads Expire?

The quick answer is Yes! Amber is a natural thing.  It is a soft gem and will react to its environment.  Over time, with exposure and constant rubbing, the amber will become spent.    So it will lose its effectiveness over time and can be considered expired.  It becomes brittle, more likely to split and crack with age.  The length of time amber beads are good for depends on how they are used and cared for. 

How long do amber beads last?

Amber beads themselves can be good for approximately 2 to 3 years.  With constant rubbing against the skin, they react and change.   It diminishes in in effectiveness slowly over time. 

Some things that can make them expire quicker are

• Skin creams
• Soaps and shower gels
• Sanitizer containing alcohol
• Perfumes
• Chlorine from a swimming pool
• Detergent – if they took a spin in a washing machine, forget it!

With regular use and none of the above, amber should help for up to 3 years. 

How will I know if my amber beads are worn out?

Have a look at your beads and see if they have become dull and cloudy.  Have they lost their previous brightness? If so, it is possible they are spent and past their best. You can try to revive them. In this case, you can try to remedy this by giving your amber beads a very good clean.  Have a look at How to Care for Amber.   In brief, simply run under warm water and give each bead a gentle rub with a soft cloth. This may revive it somewhat. But in honesty, if it is 'spent' then it will not come back to life and your best option is to replace it.   

You can try a little experiment to see if they are still good.  Stop using them for a week or so.  Do symptoms return or get worse?  When you put them on again, wait a few days and observe if there is an improvement.  If not, maybe you should consider a new set of beads. 

Why are my amber beads not working?

If you think your amber is just new, if it has only been used for a few months, but do not find it effective or it is not as effective as it was previously, This causes us to ask more questions to know better what is happening here.  Please have a look at this post where we deal with this question in more detail. 

What Color Amber is Best?

The first question we are often asked by customers is “Which color amber beads are best”.  Contrary to popular belief, there is not just one color amber.  Amber comes naturally in such a range of colors, it can be a little confusing for folks to know which is best for their needs.  We can tell you that in our 15 years’ experience of using amber for pain relief, we cannot point to any one amber color being more effective than another! But we often suggest that a mix of amber colors is the traditional healing necklace and there must be some value in this.  A combination of amber colors is probably the best solution to the question of which amber beads to use.  It is important to use Baltic amber, amber from the Baltic region of Europe.

Is light or dark color amber better?  

Some people say white or lighter color amber is better than darker colored amber.  The thinking is that it is a purer resin, not including other organic matter as it flowed from the tree originally.  Maybe there is a basis for this reasoning.  And secondly, the darker coloured beads maybe treated to enhance the colour, are not as close to nature.  But, if you test the beads used in an amber necklace or bracelet, I don’t believe you will find a substantial difference in the succinite level in the different colors. Baltic amber generally has a level of 8%.   I compare it to looking at a box of oranges and trying to know which has the most Vitamin C.  They all have Vitamin C, some maybe a little more than others.  But it is there in them all. Would a 1% difference make a difference in healing?  Not perceptively, I think.   

Maybe because the white shades of amber are less frequent in nature, people have supposed they are better.  When we started in this business, the only selection available were either Honey or Mixed.  We have had plenty of feedback and happy customers with these 2 choices.  So our recommendation is choose whichever of these two your prefer.  Our experience is that you don’t need the lighter color amber to experience a healing benefit.  

What about raw amber or natural amber?

Like vegetables and anything we eat and wear, it is thought there is more ‘goodness’ in a raw product.  When testing amber for succinite, it is found that there is more succinite acid in the outer layer, the unpolished raw crust.  But this is polished off to make it wearable and usable.  Internally, there is no real difference.  So is not necessary to use raw amber.   The beads used to make bracelets are polished smooth and often heat treated slightly to ‘bind’ the amber.  Natural untreated amber beads can be brittle and likely to split and break, not suitable or ideal for long term use.   Maybe a sand polished finish, with a matte natural appearance rather than a polished shiny finish, will work against the skin more for a quicker effect. But it will change with use to become polished.  So really, we don’t feel there is any advantage long term.  We have lots and lots of happy customers with the polished beads.  We get so much positive feedback that we cannot say you are better with unpolished or raw amber beads.

So what are the best amber beads? 

The best amber beads are the ones that are worn against the skin all the time!  In our experience, the most important thing in getting amber beads to help for pain relief, is not color.  It is to wear them continually.  This is to get ‘maximum effect’.  For some, an improvement can be noticed with a day.  But for others, it may take a few weeks to observe a difference.  So be a little patient.  They can help when worn all the time, regardless of the color of amber.  This is the key. 

Browse our selection of amber bead necklaces and bracelets/anklets for children.

All of the above information is our opinion and experience of the use of amber for wellness.  The usual cautions apply that we are not medics and this information does not constitute medical advice.