Service
Caring for amber
Amber sits around 2 to 2.5 on the Mohs scale, softer than a copper coin. Treated sensibly it outlives you; treated like a diamond it will not last a year.
Do
Do not
Cleaning properly
Lukewarm water, a drop of plain soap, fingers rather than a brush, then dry immediately with a soft cloth. Nothing else is needed and nothing else is safe.
Cord and findings
Silk and cotton cord stretches and eventually frays. Check the knots twice a year on anything strung, and have a heavy strand restrung before it fails rather than after.
Patina
Amber darkens slowly across decades, from honey towards cognac. That is normal, expected, and the reason antique amber looks the way it does.