Amber is often referred to as the "Jurassic Gem" of the ages.
Amber began
as a drop of tree sap 60 million years ago.
It is thought that during that time the now frigid Baltic Sea
was as warm as the southern Mediterranean is today. Stately conifers,
even larger than North America’s giant redwoods, grew in luxuriant splendor. Apparently, when the golden sap flowed from the trees, it caught and trapped vegetation, insect life of that time, and even tiny droplets of water. The sap flowed around these specimens cutting off air and holding them in a perfect state of preservation.
Then, during the Ice Age, a great glacier passed through the area. The forest was leveled and transported, coming to rest in the bottom of the Baltic sea. There, through time, pressure, and other contributing elements, this tree sap was transformed into amber.
Over millennia, the amber hardened, the plants and insects were fused into seemingly “beautiful amber display cases”, forever entombed in their perfect cryogenic state.
The circumstances under which amber was formed occurred at other locations on our planet, but the largest amber deposit with the most beautiful amber is said to be in the Baltic sea.
Amber and Diamond are the only two gems that originate from organic material. Even if we try to make amber today, it is virtually impossible to duplicate the chain of events that brought about the making of this beautiful gem. Amber will quickly become scarce and sought after as world reserves become depleted. Look for the price of amber to sky-rocket in the future.
Amber, once thought to be the "Gem of Kings and Queens", is today available at high-end jewelers everywhere. See Gemguru's unique
handcrafted Amber Jewelry Collection.
Amber with insect inclusions such as the one shown above, are especially rare, and can fetch up to US$20,000 in the gem trade market.
Amber is warm to the touch and the transparent pieces have a warm rich glow. In the past, folklore held the belief that amber had healing qualities. It was worn to relieve arthritic pain and to ease the pain of teething babies. While there is no scientific basis for this belief, there are still those who use amber for this purpose. Others look upon amber as a window to our ancient past and are taken by its mystical qualities. Most people today, however, wear
amber jewelry simply because of its warm, rich beauty.
See our unique handcrafted
Amber Jewelry Collection.
