Find rav

Finding amber during autumn

Photo: Toppen af Danmark

Amber is also called "the gold in Denmark" and it is a very special experience to walk in the breakers looking for amber. With some great advice you might get lucky and find some golden nuggets yourself. It only takes patience and a little bit of luck.

Patience and luck

It takes experience, patience and luck to find an amber nugget. But if you know where and when to look, you might have a chance to find some amber.

Where to find amber?

The possibilities of finding amber in North Jutland are good. There are several great amber beaches along the long coast. If you are lucky, you might find amber at most beaches, however the possibilites are largest at the wide, low watered beaches.

How to find amber?

Many people look for nice golden nuggets between the rocks at the beach. It is not here you find amber. Normally amber nuggets lie between wood sticks.

When the storm and waves have loosened the amber nuggets at the bottom of the sea, the nuggets are gathered with wood sticks, wood pieces and other things with fairly the same specific gravity. Often the amber is placed at the top of the layer, but when the layer is thick it might be a good idea to poke about in the layer. Maybe you have luck.

Not all amber comes in with this layer. The big amber nuggets have their own rules for coming into the beach. It is a coincidence whether you find these big nuggets as the rule for their movements are that there are no rules. Here luck is the decisive factor.

When do you find amber?

By stormy weather the big waves rake up the bottom of the sea og move the loosened material including amber. As long as the storm is raging, this material can't come in to the beach. However once the sea calms down after a storm, the amber nuggets start settling on the beach.

The big storms often come during autumn and winter time, so therefore this is the best time at the year if you want to try your luck finding amber.

The chance of finding amber is largest in the morning before all other amber collectors emerge. Of course you may also find amber in the middle of the day, but then there are also many takers.

Photo: Toppen af Danmark

What does amber look like?

If you are lucky enough to find amber, it is actually fairly easy to recognize amber from rocks. Amer is light and weights only a third of a rock. Amber has a hollow sound so if you put the nugget carefully against your teeth, it sounds hollow. Rocks will always feel colder than amber, and amber is soft. With a rock you may scratch in amber until small splinters jump. This you can't do with a rock. Finally amber can burn with a red, sooting flame. Therefore amber is actually called "burning stone" in German and Swedish. Also amber gets electrical when rubbed - and the word "electricity" actually comes from the Greek word for amber, elektron!

The oldest gemstone in the world

Maybe amber is the oldest gemstone in the world. We know that already in the oldest stone age our ancestors in the North appreciated the amber and used the nuggets in barter deals when trading with people from Italy and Greece. In Rome during the time of the emperors amber was so high fashion that it was used not only for jewellery but also for mugs and other practical items. The Romans also knew that amber when lit, gave out an aromatic smell and was there great in use as incense.

Unique jewellery

Amber is foremost found along the coastline in the countries around the the Baltic. Throuch centuries amber has been used to make jewellery and other ornamental items. This is also the case today when many artists are still fascinated by the colour and glow from amber. But also gold, silver and precious stones or pearls are used to produce breathtaking uniqe jewellery inspired by the rough nature to the north and in harmony with the best Danish arts and crafts traditions.

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