What is Amber?
Amber is the ancient resin of trees, transformed over millions of years into an exceptional gem with extraordinary properties. These properties are exploited and used by both craftsman and scientist. Amber is a beautiful stone which may be cut and polished to form a valuable gemstone, but it is also a fossil which can contain preserved insects, small animals and plants that are tens of millions of years old. The inclusions often seen in amber usually add to amber's unique look and in many cases greatly increase its value.
Of all the amber deposits in the world, probably the most famous and certainly the largest is that of the Baltic region, representing some 80% of the world's known amber resource. Known since prehistory, this amber has been used and fashioned by humankind in countless ways and in measureless quantities.
Origins of Baltic Amber
The Baltic amber deposits range between 35 to 40 million years old and is without the largest source of amber yet discovered.
The territory of present central and northern Europe known as Fennoscandia was covered by a thick forest stretching from the Norwegian Coast to the Caspian Seas before the landmass separated into what we know as present day Europe.
The source of most of this amber to be the extinct species of tree Pinites Succinifer.
In appearance it would have probably resembled a pine or spruce tree and the forests in which it grew were sub tropical in nature. The resin from this trees was transported by rivers from area of Scandinavia and the present Baltic region, and deposited in Teriary formation called blue earth, in Sambian estuary on the northern coast of the Eocene sea.
Amber from this source can be found on the East Coast of Britain all the way to the far shores of Estonia.
Chemical Composition
The name amber relates specifically to fossilized resin which has succinic acid present in its chemical makup. There are many different types of fossilized resin found all over the world. Each deposit has unique chemical constituents but can physically appear almost identical. In some cases it is only through detailed chemical analysis that the geographic origin of the resin can be determined. Baltic amber can have succinic acid present between the ranges 3 to 8 percent. Amber which is clear usually has the lowest levels of succinic acid and this increases as the amber becomes more opaque.
The level of succinite contained in amber determines quality. Baltic amber contains the highest level of succinic acid, thus Baltic amber is the most highly valued form of amber.