Faked fossils in Amber

Fakes and Frauds with Amber FossilsI have been prompted to write this guide by the amount of transparently faked fossils in amber listed on E-bay. Much of what follows is common-sense but I hope it may still be useful. Some genuine pieces may fit one of the criteria - it is the combination that you have to look for.Excessive sizeAmber is made from tree-sap - it stands to reason that it is rare for a tree to be able to produce enough to form a piece of amber 6 - 7 inches across. Excessive regularityA perfectly oval piece of amber is thus also a bad sign for a genuine fossil.Lack of any other inclusions in the amberAlmost all genuine amber with fossil insects will have various bits of plant debris as well. The amber will probably have a "textured" rather than totally transparent and smoothe interior. Remember the drama took place in a forest; how likely is it an enormous insect got trapped in this huge pool of resin but not a single leaf fragment drifted down to obscure the clarity of the view of this mighty insect?Animal flat and perfectly positionedIn the position the creature would be if carefully laid out, rather than subject to chance and struggle.Rare animalsAnything preserved in amber has to be:a) reasonably likely to be found on a conifer treeb) Weak enough to be overpowered by the sticky resin, or else dropped on to it after death. It is thus rare to find a frog, mouse or scorpion in amber. It is not impossible, but this leads us to our next factor.Ridiculously cheap priceIf a humble fly sells for over

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