Gold of the North

What is Amber?

 Amber is a fossil resin much used for the manufacture of jewellery and ornamental objects.  Although not mineralized it is sometimes considered and used as a gemstone.  Most of the world's amber is in the range of 30-90 million years old, and it comes from the fossilized resin of ancient conifer trees.  Amber is not a fossil in the traditional sense i.e. It was not an animal or plant buried in the earth which was later mineralized;  Amber has not had its organic material replaced with minerals, but it has become  a natural plastic.  Amber is always preserved in wet sediments such as clay and sand and although amber is found worldwide it is mostly only found in trace amounts of the substance.  Only about 20 deposits in the world contain enough amber to be mined.  The Baltic region has been the main source for amber since prehistoric times.

History of Amber

 Baltic amber is perhaps the oldest stone to be used in jewellery.  Amber beads have been found on Neolithic sites;  The amber must have been highly prized, as it was carried thousands of miles from northern Europe to its destination.  Amber was also formed into amber necklaces and amber pendants and are found on numerous sites that date from the Neolithic, and the Palaeolithic. 

 The ancient Greeks highly prized amber and amber jewellery has been found in graves from Mycenaean Greece.  This amber jewellery was found to originate from the Baltic sea and had probably been traded.  In ancient Greece amber was known as elektron, which means sun-gold.

 The Romans highly valued amber and it became a popular and expensive gemstone in the Roman Empire.  It was used to decorate " fibulae" pins for dresses and was considered a great luxury.

 During the 14th century, the Teutonic Knights controlled the production of amber in Europe, banning its unauthorised collection, The punishment for unauthorised collection was death.

The English name amber is derived from the Arab name for this stone  "al-anbar".

Ambers Properties

 Amber stones are always warm to the touch and because of the amber stones negative static qualities they create a beneficial environment, which lessens the impact of magnetic fields - most of the appliances around us produce magnetic fields;  Therefore it has earned the reputation as a protective substance.  It was already known in antiquity that amber develops an attractive force on wooden shavings and straw when rubbed.  The Persians name "kahraba",  (the attractor of straw), is inspired by this particular property.  For 7,000 years amber has been used to stimulate the metabolism and treat skin ailments caused by a metabolic imbalance.  Because of its warmth it is also used in the treatment of asthma.  Allergic respiratory problems such as an allergy to cat fur are greatly eased by wearing an amber necklace.  Amber is also good for treating rheumatism and strengthening the heart muscles.  It even helps with epilepsy.  Ground amber is used for the treatment of infections and boils.  It enhances the powers of self-healing and promotes decisiveness.

Amber Jewellery

Today, the amber used in amber jewellery goes through some processes to make the amber fit for use in amber jewellery.  The gemstones used in amber jewellery usually have been put in an autoclave which heats the amber to above 200C.  This softens the amber and also makes it bubble..  In order for it to give the intense colours that we are used to in quality amber jewellery the stones are then coloured by roasting the stones in normal atmospheres so that a thin colour layer is apparent on top.  Treatments for amber used in amber jewellery and decorative objects is not a new thing.  The Romans used to clarify and tint the amber they used by cooking it in oils then saturating it with saffron.