Amber for Amber...

Recently a customer contacted me to see about having a couple of rings made with Amber as an Inlay material.  I had not worked with Amber before, but after some research I found that Amber is very soft on the MOHS scale.  Making it very nice for inlay and finishing.

I tracked down some Baltic Amber and placed an order.  The Amber I received ranged in color from a Dark Honey Red to a creamy yellow.

Originally the customer wanted a dark wood to go with it.
 We choose Cocobolo.  After preparing the first ring, and starting the inlay, I found that the wood was too dark.  The Amber is so translucent, and when paired with a dark wood, it looks clear.  You cannot pickup any of the orange color.  I stopped the inlay process, and contacted the customer.

We then decided to switch to a Cherry Base, which works out great and highlights the Amber very well.  Here are the results.

Cherry Wood Ring w/ Baltic Amber Inlay