Amber
What is Amber?
Amber is a roughly 50-million-year-old, fragment of fossilized tree sap or resin collected from prehistoric pine forests.
The most thought of colors of Amber are gold, orange, copper, and brown, however, Amber comes in over 300 different colors including blue, white, green, black, and red.
This ancient stone can contain insects, leaves, twigs, flowers, mammalian hair, and other organic matter, making the stone even more valuable.
Amber has held a special place in the beliefs of ancient cultures. The Vikings used to believe that Amber was the tears of Freyja, their goddess of love and beauty. And among the ancient Greeks, Amber was viewed as the tears of the daughters of Apollo, the sun god.
In modern times, the gem is still valued by many, especially in northern countries. Amber was so valued that during the times of the Russian Czars, Frederick William I King of Prussia gifted Peter the Great an entire room crafted from the stone. The famous “Amber Room” contained over 13,000 pounds of Amber. During World War II this room vanished under the watchful eye of the Nazis and has never been found.
One can find the largest deposits of natural Amber along the coasts of Poland, Germany, and Russia. Amber can also be found in Sicily, Romania, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and along the eastern coast of the United States.
Amber ignites the soul.
The Amber crystal is a powerful healer that cleanses the mind, body, spirit, and the surrounding environment.
Amber has the strength to drain disease from one’s body while healing the nervous system and balancing out both sides of the brain.
Because it absorbs negative energy and pain, it alleviates stress, clears away depression, and bolsters self-confidence, self-expression, and one’s intellect. This crystal inspires acts of spontaneity, and quick decision-making, bringing with it a sense of wisdom, stability, and perseverance.
| Chemical Classification | Organic - Fossilized tree resin |
| Color | Ranges from yellow to orange-brown. There are also green, blue, and reddish varieties, though these are rarer. |
| Streak | White |
| Luster | Resinous. |
| Transparency | Generally translucent to opaque. |
| Occurrence | The Baltic region (Russia, Poland, and Lithuania), the Dominican Republic, and Myanmar. |
| Formation | Formed from the resin of ancient trees that fossilized over millions of years. |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent |
| Cleavage | None |
| Mohs Hardness | 1-3 |
| Specific Gravity | Approximately 1.05-1.10, but can vary based on inclusions and type. |
| Diagnostic Properties | Warm to touch, floats in salt water, often contains inclusions. |
| Chemical Composition | C10H16O + (succinic acid) |
| Pleochroism | Not exhibited in amber. |
| Crystal System | Amorphous (not crystalline) |
| Optical Properties | Isotropic |
| Refractive Index | 1.539 - 1.545 |
| Birefringence | None (isotropic) |
| 2V angle | Not applicable (amorphous) |
| Dispersion | Not typically relevant for amber due to its organic nature. |