Once I realized that when polishing amber under running water some darker layers turned lighter at first,  to become opaque again later. 

These stratifications are due to microflaws on the surface that allowed the water to penetrate, therefore opacity must be due to some soluble material penetrated inside.

Since then, when treating a newly acquired piece of amber, I  use the following method: for one day I keep it in distilled water, then I let it dry very well, and  I repeat this various times. 

The results are not always satisfactory, but at times the opacities disappear significantly thus revealing inclusions not visible at first.

This is undoubtedly the most delicate and  difficult part of the work.

What you need is a drill, emery paper of various grain, small cutters and cutting disks, polishing paste and … a lot of patience.

Normally I prefer to maintain the integrity of a piece of amber. Yet sometimes it is necessary to cut it in order to eliminate some imperfection and to create a plane surface, possibly parallel to the inclusion.  

Small irregolarities even though perfectly transparent may allow for a good observation when slightly enlarged, but may create considerable distorsion at bigger enlargement.

Once cut the amber needs polishing with emery paper ( the same used for car repair ) and water. Best start with 100 gr and subsequently use up to 1000gr, sticking the paper on a small piece ( 2cm ) of  rubber.

It is very important to hold the amber tightly between your fingers. I found a useful suggestion on the site of Doug Lundberg: put some biadhesive tape on the tip of both your thumb and forefinger so you will be able to easily grip the amber. 

As it is nearly impossible to find emery disks of 500 to 1000gr I prepare them myself. Stick a piece of emergy paper on one side of some biadhesive tape, keeping the protection on the other side. 

With a pair of scissors then cut a few disks, take off the protective paper and stick  them on your drill base. In order to not overheat the amber it is best to cut and grind it under running water with the drill at low speed to avoid splashes (use a waterproof apron!).

When finished with 1000 gr pass on to the very polishing with the help of a cloth or fix a woollen disk  on the drill. The paste I use is the same as for cars, as it contains abrasive and a little silicone which protects the amber from aggression by the air.

Lately I bought a product offered by Gemmarum Lapidator (AT 6) that costs little and seems to work fine (via internet).

Recollecting  school days wasn’t of much help, so I had to study some texts on zoology and botanics.

My thanks  to Dr. Arnold Volker who suggested a small volume by A. Ross “Amber – the natural time capsule”; it is easy too read and a pratical guide to a first classification of the inclusions.

I will often consult a more detailed book “Guida agli Insetti d’Europa” by Michael Chinery, edited by Franco Muzzio and for the aracnidia and crostacea the book by Remy Perrier “La Faune de la France”, 2^nd part, edited by Delagrave; you may also find useful information on the web.

By now I am able to classify most of the inclusions by order.

I keep my samples in black  plastic folders you may find in electronic shops. They are cheap and inside there are lots of small rectangular cells. 

Lined with thin rubber on both sides the amber is well protected  from shock.

These folders are divided in diptera, hemiptera, isoptera a.s.o., but what to do in case of one piece of amber containing different inclusions? I resolved the problem ignoring it. If necessary I can consult my database and readily get a list of all samples and their respective position in the folders.

The database lists each and every amber by a progressive number, a folder number, a number for the position in the folder , a description  of the content and documentation of the inclusions.