Baltic gold is associated with a warm, cognac-like transparency - yet some amber looks like set butter or ripening cheese. Milky amber, known in amber workers’ jargon as “cheese,” is a completely opaque, creamy-yellow variety of Baltic amber. Its color does not come from any dye. It is pure physics: light scattered by hundreds of thousands of microscopic gas bubbles trapped in resin from tens of millions of years ago.
Why is milky amber white?
When coniferous trees growing across what is now Scandinavia and the Baltic basin were damaged during the Eocene, 40-50 million years ago, they released sticky resin - a kind of natural bandage. Air bubbles and droplets of water became trapped inside it. Transparent varieties contain few of them. In the milky variety, however, their concentration reaches as many as 900,000 per square millimeter, according to research on Baltic amber.
These microscopic bubbles scatter light in every direction, creating the illusion of a white or creamy-yellow, opaque color. It is the same principle that makes sea foam or milk white - even though water and fat are transparent in themselves.
Fun fact: fossilized foam
Geologists poetically call milky amber “fossilized foam.” The resin from which it formed may have reacted rapidly with water or been intensely aerated by wind as it flowed from the tree - hence its spongy structure at the microscopic level.
Where did the name “cheese” come from?
In the jargon of amber workers and jewelers, “cheese” refers to pieces ranging in color from off-white, through cream, to intense yellow - often with subtle pores and “eyes” reminiscent of Swiss cheese. Its marbled, swirling texture is also distinctive: a natural fingerprint that cannot be imitated.
Chemically, it is still the same succinite, or Baltic amber, which we write more about in our amber guide. It is worth remembering that amber is not strictly a mineral at all - it is a maceral, a substance of organic origin. Unlike cool, crystalline gemstones, it feels warm to the touch, something you notice the moment it rests against your skin.
Milky pieces account for only a fraction of amber extraction - and it is precisely this rarity that makes them a sought-after material for sculpture and jewelry. Pure, homogeneous pieces with a buttery color can be valued more highly than small, standard cognac-colored pieces.
From tesbih to Art Nouveau cameos
For centuries, milky varieties of succinite have been valued not only in Europe but also in the Middle East. The purest butter-colored pieces were carved into exclusive prayer beads - tesbih - which were regarded in Arab countries as symbols of luxury and high status. In Europe, the same material was carved into intricate cameos, chess pieces, and luxurious everyday objects.
Today, the trend is returning: more and more people are looking for stones with an organic, unexpected character, where every scratch and change in shade tells its own story - rather than perfectly transparent, mass-produced cuts.
A stone that matures
Milky amber has another remarkable feature: it changes over time. Because of its high content of trapped oxygen, pieces gradually darken at the edges over the decades, developing a refined, honey-colored patina. This oxidation process is completely natural and is evidence that we are dealing with an organic original, not a synthetic material.
Physically, amber is delicate - its hardness is only 2-2.5 on the Mohs scale. It also has a low enough density to float in highly salted seawater. This is why the most amber is washed onto beaches by the Baltic’s rough autumn storms.
How to wear and care for milky amber
It looks most beautiful in rounded cuts, especially as a cabochon - the smooth, curved surface highlights its marbled swirls and color transitions. In oxidized silver, it takes on a raw, almost ethnic character; in gold, it becomes the quintessence of retro style, evoking Art Nouveau jewelry. In lithotherapy, milky varieties are also believed to possess a gentle, “enveloping” energy, while folk medicine has for centuries associated succinic acid - found mainly in the outer “cortex” of the pieces - with various beneficial powers. We treat this as a colorful element of tradition, not a health promise.
Resin requires gentle care. Do not clean it in ultrasonic cleaners or with harsh chemicals - a soft, damp cloth is enough, along with a drop of almond oil or olive oil rubbed in and polished to a satin sheen from time to time. Apply perfume before putting on your jewelry: alcohol in cosmetics can dull the surface of the piece.
Milky cabochons in our original settings can be found in our amber jewelry collection, and in person - at the Brazi Druse Jewelry studio in Warsaw, ul. Grzybowska 61/5 (Platinum Towers). Every piece is different; the one with your cloud from millions of years ago is already waiting somewhere.