 | Blue amber is the rarest of all ambers. Less than 1% of all the amber recovered on earth is blue. When natural light strikes blue amber on a white surface, the light passes through, and is refracted by the white surface. The result is the slight blue hue of blue amber. |  |
 | Under artificial light, the amber appears like ordinary amber, but under sunlight it has an intense fluorescent blue glow. When held against the sun it will appear like ordinary amber, and under ultraviolet light it will glow a bright milky-blue. Blue amber emits an agreeable smell (aromatic molecules), which is different from regular amber when it is being cut and polished |  |
 | Dominican blue amber is mined through bell pitting, which is extremely dangerous. The bell pit is basically a foxhole dug with whatever tools are available. Miners crawl around on their hands and knees using short-handled picks, shovels and machetes. |  |
 Blue amber beads from the Dominican Republic |  |  |
