Baltic gold is associated with a warm, cognac-like translucence — 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 relatively few of them. In milky amber, however, their concentration reaches — according to research on Baltic amber — as many as 900,000 per square millimeter.
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 sponge-like 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 replicated.
Chemically, it is still the same succinite — Baltic amber — which we discuss in greater detail in our amber guide. It is worth remembering that amber is not technically 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 meets the skin.
Milky pieces account for only a fraction of amber extraction — and this rarity makes them a sought-after material for sculpture and jewelry. Pure, uniform, butter-colored specimens can be valued more highly than small, standard cognac-colored pieces.
From tesbih to Art Nouveau cameos
Milky varieties of succinite have been prized for centuries not only in Europe but also in the Middle East. The purest butter-colored pieces were carved into exclusive prayer beads — tesbih — which were considered symbols of luxury and high status in Arab countries. In Europe, the same material was used to carve intricate cameos, chess pieces, and luxurious everyday objects.
Today, the trend is returning: more and more people are looking for stones with an organic, unconventional character, where every scratch and change in shade tells its own story — instead of 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 along the edges over the decades, taking on a refined, honey-colored patina. This oxidation process is completely natural and is evidence that we are dealing with an organic original rather than a synthetic material.
Physically, amber is delicate — its hardness is only 2–2.5 on the Mohs scale. Its density is also low enough for it to float in highly salted seawater. This is why the most amber is washed onto beaches by the Baltic’s turbulent autumn storms.
How to wear and care for milky amber
It looks most beautiful with rounded cuts, especially as a cabochon — its smooth, curved surface showcases the marbled swirls and color transitions. Set in oxidized silver, it takes on a raw, almost ethnic character; in gold, it becomes the essence of retro style, evoking Art Nouveau jewelry. In lithotherapy, milky varieties are also associated with gentle, “comforting” energy, while folk medicine has for centuries linked succinic acid — found mainly in the outer “crust” of amber 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, followed occasionally by a drop of almond oil or olive oil, rubbed in and polished to a satin sheen. Apply perfume before putting on your jewelry: alcohol in cosmetics can dull the surface of the piece.
You can find milky cabochons in original settings in our amber jewelry collection, or see them 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.