What is Amber Resin?
Genuine amber resin (succinite) is fossilized tree sap originating from pine trees that lived 40 to 50 million years ago.
How To Identify Real Amber
It is actually very easy. Amber (succinite) is a hard, rock-like resin that has little to no scent until heated. Most man-made amber incense is a soft dough that is highly fragrant right out of the bag.
When heated, real amber quickly melts and produces an earthy, pine-like fragrance. Fake amber stones will give off a burning plastic smell when heat is applied.
Test: Heat up the tip of a pin and apply it to the amber; if the amber melts and gives off a piney aroma, it is generally real.
Genuine amber holds a static charge when friction is applied. The word “electricity” comes from the word “elektron” the ancient Greeks’ word for amber. After rubbing the resin with a cloth, it should hold and demonstrate a significant static charge and easily be able to pick up small debris. Newer resins like copal do not hold a static charge for as long as real amber or demonstrate as strong of a charge.
What is amber used for?
Amber has been burned as incense for thousands of years. The earthy light-pine fragrance is said to be grounding and help promote a state of relaxation and focus for prayer and meditation. Smoke from burning amber was believed to be cleansing and was used to purify the air in early medical facilities. Amber powder is used as an herbal supplement said to support calm.
Burning Amber Safely
- Burn in a well-ventilated area.
- Never leave burning incense unattended.
- Use a stable, fireproof burner on a non-flammable surface.
- Place out of reach of children and pets.
- Do not use near flammable materials.
How to burn amber
There are three popular methods for burning amber.
- Charcoal
- Electric incense burners
- Tealight candle burners
Tealight candle burners are great for burning most incense resins, but because amber melts into a thick liquid, it can leak through the screen and coat the bottom, insulating it from the candle’s heat. It also requires cleaning the screen after each use.
Electric incense burners with temperature control work very well for heating amber resin to the point that the fragrances are released without going over an burning it. Set the temperature control to the center. Heat up the burner and add some small pieces of amber (larger pieces can crackle and pop) and watch how it burns and smells. The amber should slowly melt and produce a small to moderate amount of smoke. If it melts immediately and produces a large amount of smoke, lower the temperature. The learning curve is rather low; in a short period of time, you will identify the temperature setting that offers your preferred result.
In this article, I am going to demonstrate in detail how to burn amber using a charcoal disk, which at this time is the most popular method for burning incense resins.
How to Burn Amber Using Charcoal (Step by Step)
Understanding the goal is the first step to perfecting any endeavor. When burning resin incense, including amber, the goal is to heat the resin to the point that the essential oils and fragrances are released. If the heat increases past that point, you start burning materials in the resin you do not want to burn.
What You’ll Need
- Amber (succinite) broken into small pieces
- Charcoal disks
- Aluminum foil
- Scissors
- A pair of tongs
- Heat-safe incense burner or censer
Step one:
Cut some small squares of tinfoil just slightly wider than the charcoal.
Step two:
Use a cold charcoal disk as a mold to make a couple of tinfoil plates to put the amber on.
Once molded, the corners can be adjusted to set the amount of space between the charcoal and the tinfoil. Which can have a significant effect on the amount of heat being applied to the resin.
Step three:
Light the disk and wait for it to turn a light gray. A slight breeze can help the charcoal burn more evenly and thoroughly.
Step four:
Using a pair of tongs, place the tinfoil plate on top of the disk. Make sure it is level and centered on the disk.
Step Five:
Place a pile of small pieces of amber on the tinfoil. As stated previously in this article, larger pieces of genuine amber can pop when heated. The amber should slowly melt and give off of small amount of smoke (vapor). If it is producing too much smoke consider using the corners of the tinfoil to create more space between the charcoal and the tinfoil plate. If the amber is not melting, try to reduce the space.
Step Six:
Relax and enjoy the soothing fragrance of genuine amber. Depending on the amount of amber added and the amount of heat being applied, it should release its fragrance for between 15 and 30 minutes.
Helpful Tips:
Amber can be burned directly on the charcoal. When placed on charcoal, amber liquefies and immediately leaks down into the red-hot part of the coal, resulting in a fast burn and a lot of smoke. However, it does not give off a burnt or smoky aroma. The aroma is often compared to cinnamon and lingers like burning incense sticks or cones.
When the charcoal is no longer able to produce enough heat to release the amber’s fragrance with the tinfoil buffer, if you are using sand in your burner, you can use a pair of tongs to carefully place small pieces of amber around the side of the charcoal. This helps to keep it away from the red-hot center, produces less smoke, and increases the burn time.
Where to buy real amber?
A lot of the amber on the market is not real amber; it is a highly fragrant, man-made version. This incense is sought after, and many people enjoy it. To find genuine succinite, read the product description and look at the images. Most vendors will state exactly what the product is somewhere in the listing. Genuine amber looks like rocks; man-made amber incense looks similar to dough. If you are not 100% sure, from what is shown on the product page, contact the seller.
This product listing is genuine amber; you can use the images and page description to compare to other listings when shopping.
Conclusion:
The fact that burning incense resin takes a little bit of know-how is part of the fun. There is a slight learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, the results are well worth the effort. Your questions, options, experience, and knowledge are valuable. Please consider sharing them in the comments.