Amber: Facts and Characteristics

Amber is the fossilized resin produced by ancient plants that existed some 40 - 60 million
years ago and so is a natural product and not a mineral.
Amber has been prized for its mystery and beauty by cultures dating from the Paleolithic to the present.
The story of the natural history of amber spans time, the continents, and many peoples and societies.
It also ranges from religion and art, to commerce and the cutting edge of contemporary science,
presenting an unusually rich and deep subject.

Most often, amber is known in its warm, translucent deep yellow form.
But it is found in a full range of colors, from dark brown up to light golden yellow.
Rarely, amber appears in an opaque form with colors ranging from white through ivory.
Various cultures have referred to it by many names - all quite descriptive.
Whether you call it "Sea Gold", "Elektron", "Hardened Honey", "Tiger's Soul", "Tears of the Gods",
or any of its dozens of other names, Baltic Amber is truely a window to the past.
From its earliest history adorning the jewelry of ancients on every continent,
amber fascinates with its appearance of liquid gold, forever frozen in time.
Captured sunshine it surely is, for to hold a carefully crafted amber ampule in one's hand is to hold the soothing,
warm essence of sunshine from millions of years past, before time began.
Amber is unique among earthen treasures for its inherent warmth,
its ability to enter into our psyche and find a place in our hearts. 
Soothing, almost magically it captivates or imaginations. 
Amber has long been regarded with mystical,
even magical reverence for the exquisite preservation of ancient life within its golden tomb.
Did this fascination with the past encourage our ancient relatives to attempt to preserve themselves for eternity?
If a simple scarab can be preserved for eternity in gold, does not the Pharoh deserve infinitely greater?
Perhaps amber shares the responsibility, the drive for the Great Pyramids themselves.

Amber: History

Prized Since the Days of Ancient Greece and Rome
In ancient Greece amber became widely valued around 1600 B.C. Greeks found it fascinating.
In their mythology, amber was made from the tears of a nymph as they dropped into water.
In The Odyssey, Homer describes an amber necklace belonging to a distinguished Phoenician merchant.
From Greece, amber went to other Mediterranean nations.
Articles made with Baltic amber were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamon, 1400 B.C., and in Mesopotamia, 900 B.C.
The ancient Greek word for amber is elektron, meaning - originating from the Sun.
The Greeks were also the first to describe the electrostatic properties of amber.
No wonder that many hundreds of years later this word was used to name electricity.
Ancient Romans loved amber as well. Jewelry, decorative articles, dice, and amulets were made with amber, but only for the rich.
To bring more amber, trade expeditions were made to the Baltic Sea.
The size of the amber trade can be illustrated by the fact that more than 70,000 ancient Roman coins have been found in what is now Poland.

Amber: Healing Powers

Throughout history, people have believed that amber has healing characteristics.
A piece of amber looks like a stone, but when held gives a deep feeling of warmth.
When heated, amber will emit a gentle resin scent.
These sensations make people feel better and believe in the healing power of amber.
It is also used to massage sore muscles, and in powdered form, it is mixed with honey, oil and alcohol into ointments good for almost every illness.
Many European pharmacy stores offer amber mixtures.
People wear amber bracelets to help ease rheumatic pain, and amber necklace beads help in cases of thyroid illnesses, among countless other uses.

Courtesy of AmberSilver