Featured Costume jewellery CAN have real stones

This is a 60s brooch by a UK maker called Exquisite. It's genuine amber. With bits. These days, the amber cost would mean you'd set it in at least silver.

Bought yesterday, peanuts.

 

NICE Amber....kinda looks like some dead bugs in it.....which would mean the amber at least is old, doesn't it???!!!

 

the method of processing amber is calcination. With the help of this processing method, the amber is enlightened and the husk of “fish scales” appears inside the stone. The essence of this method is to heat amber in sand at a temperature of 140-150 degrees.

 

This isn't processed amber.

Yup, that's old as dirt.

 

A lot of amber is treated in some way. That doesn't make it any less attractive, it just makes it easier to use in jewellery etc, because the shape is adjusted during the treatment.

If you look in the second row, you will find a stone which looks like yours, only more cognac coloured:
https://www.amber.org.pl/en/klasyfikacja

 

Genuine natural amber with genuine inclusions of pre-historic bugs is pretty rare.
But people are fascinated by bugs in amber, so some Chinese manufacturers have been putting 'fresh' bugs in amber and amber-like resin for quite some time.