Facts Behind Amber Gemstone

The resin from the Pine trees dripped and oozed down into rocks and got fossilized to create amber. In Austria, Paleolithic man (45000 - 12000 B.C.) used this gem. Nomadic hunters from the Mesolithic age (12000 - 4000 B.C.) used this gem to hunt animals and carve their hunting seasons and moon phases on the stone. The Neolithic man (4000 - 1900 B.C.) used amber as decorative articles and jewels. The rich people used to own jewelry made from this gem and gift it to their relatives and friends.

Later, towards the end of the eighth century B.C. the Greeks started using this gem for inlay work in gold and ivory. Romans found use for this gemstone only in the first century B.C to first century A.D, where they made rings and vessels out of this gem.

'Elektron' - the root word for electricity was the ancient name for amber. Around 600 B.C., it was discovered that by rubbing this gem vigorously it would become electrically charged. Believed to carry a negative electrical energy charge, this gem was used to draw power and energy into its bearer. In addition to its ability to attract energy and power, amber was believed to aid the intellect. Memory loss, anxiety, eccentric behavior and indecisiveness - all were said to be cured with amber.

Amber was believed to carry magical power, since it was warm to touch, light in weight, generated static electricity when rubbed and smelled aromatic when heated. Wearing this gem as an amulet was highly recommended to safeguard the wearer from evil and from negative energy. Therefore, in India children are often made to wear a pendant made from this gem.

Amber is millions of years old and, because of this antiquity, can be quite expensive. It is, after all, an actual piece of history. Gems with insects trapped within is particularly high in demand. This fact became famous because of the well known movie 'Jurassic park'.

In Myanmar, the largest piece of transparent amber in the world is found (33.5 pounds and 40-50 million years old), as well as Lebanon, Sicily, Mexico, Romania, Germany, and Canada. The two main sources of this gem in the market today, however, are the Dominican Republic and the Baltic states.

Once highly regulated, Baltic amber has now become more widely available due to more liberal economic policies in Eastern Europe. Today, the whole world enjoys these gems mined from the Baltic region, where the largest mine is in Russia, in the west of Kaliningrad.

Baltic amber is also found in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Russia. This particular gem has even washed up on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Denmark, Norway, and England. It is the oldest geological specimen to be used in jewelry. Archaeologists digging near the Baltic Sea have found evidence of jewelry made from this gem that is approximately 40,000 years old.

A completely natural variation of Baltic amber is green amber. The green color is a result of plant interaction with the resin. While green is a more valuable color of this gem than brown, the best quality of this gem remains clear, transparent, and flawless.