Amber

This gem is not a mineral but an organic substance, formed from the hardened resin of such trees as the pine Pinus succinifera and the Mexican Hymenea it is uncertain exactly how long amber takes to form, some geologists state 25 million years, others 40 - 60 million.

Young amber (around 15 million years old) is called copal.

Unusual Emerald-Cut Amber with Insect Inclusion

Valued since ancient times, the name originates from its electrical properties and many cultures attributed amber with magical powers, since it becomes charged with electricity when rubbed.

Amber was so admired by the Romans that some amber ornaments were more highly prized than slaves.

The colour of amber depends on its location in the tree:

• Pale emperor/butterscotch/bone
  from the central core of the trunk, where it was deprived of oxygen
• Black
  from the lower bark where there was a lot of dirt
• Cognac
  coloured by a little dirt
• Green
  from the chlorophyll of mosses and lichens which lived on the bark
• Honey
  from clean bark.

Amber gives a pine smell if touched with a hot pin. Trapped air bubbles make amber cloudy, if heated, cloudy amber becomes clear.

Pressed Ambroid Beads

'Blue' Burmite

Amber scraps are often heated and pressed together to form 'ambroid', this makes the beads clearer than unheated amber.