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.