Amber- 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. Gold may be described as cold by some, but never so for amber. Soothing, almost magically it holds us, bringing us closer to our distant past with the treasures it holds, the stories encapsulated within. Crystals such as quartz are lovely, and perhaps provide a physical link to distant realms, but amber is alone in connecting us emotionally with our past.

Amber is a most interesting substance.  Commonly referred to as tree sap, it is anything but sap.  Amber forms from resin and contains succinic acid, or succinite.  Sap is the fluid substance which flows in the heartwood of the tree and provides nutrients to the tree itself.  Resin flows beneath the bark and protects the tree when it's wounded by boring insects or loses a branch due to storm damage.  Resin flows like syrup and has a distinct piney, sweet smell.  The piney, sweet smell is due to chemicals in the substance known as terpenes.  When you see a photograph of a mountainous area full of trees, and there is a light, misty cloud hanging over the trees - that is due to these aromatic chemicals being released by the conifer trees.  Time and particular strata that the amber lay in for millions of years help those terpenes break down and escape from the resin, forming amber.  Immature amber or copal is a substance in which all the volatile terpenes have not yet left the resin.

Of all the amber deposits in the world, probably the most famous and certainly the largest is that of the Baltic region. It represents some 80% of the worlds known amber resource. Going back into prehistory this amber has been used and fashioned by humankind in countless ways and in measureless quantities. Usually Baltic amber is yellow or bright yellowish. Scientists count approximately 250 different colours and shades of amber. Due to its physical and chemical properties amber cannot be ascribed to minerals.

If you have not held this treasure yourself, if you have not experienced the opportunity for this joy, we hope you will find something for yourself in our shop. Enjoy your visit.