Comparison with Baltic Amber Amber is found worldwide, but only in two areas are the deposits extensive, the Baltic sea area and the Dominican Republic. Until the 1960's, only the Baltic amber was generally known, and when Dominican amber entered the market there was resistance and skepticism among dealers, and severe competition in price, the Dominican amber entering at a significantly cheaper price, was a strong factor in this. There are differences between the two ambers that should be noted. This, and environmental conditions during formation result in a slightly different appearance in the two ambers. Both ambers, however, go through the same processes of polymerization, and amberization.
Dominican amber is found in a wide range of colors, and generally is translucent.
Most common are the yellows, golds, oranges and brown hues. Inclusions are more common in Dominican than in Baltic amber, and due to the natural translucence, generally more visible. Baltic amber is also found in a wide range of colors and, additionally, is often opaque, or partially opaque, due to minute bubbles in the amber. Dominican amber is generally not subjected to enhancement by heat or oil treatment. Inclusions add to the value as well as the craftsmanship involved in the piece of jewelry itself.