Rosanna - do you own "Bernstein - Tränen der Götter". A 600 page German book on amber from 1996, in my opinion the last word on amber. DEFINITELY a must-have for anybody interested in this incredible material and its substitudes.

I own a variety of amber books. Some good - some mediocre - some bad. This one was published by the "Mining Museum in Bochum", supported by the German President Prof. Herzog, at the time.

An academic publication that is easily readable for the layman. Hundreds of fantastic pictures, the whole mining-, and lapidary machinery; many photos from the early days of mining and production and, towards the end of the book, several pages on the various alternative materials and what was made of them.

In German language, but still a must-have for a non-German speaker, I believe.