Amber
Amber is a strange and natural gemstone that's prized as much for its history as for its cheerful orange appearance. Although usually described as a gem stone it's not a mineral but of vegetable origin. It's used in many forms of jewelry including pendants, earrings and necklaces.The colour is usually described as "sunshine" or "honey" however it can also be found in a variety of other shades and even different colours such as blue or green. It's most usually set in silver or gold
What Is Amber?
Amber is the fossilised sap of trees from millions of years ago, the most usual age being around 30 million years. The oldest dates back some 345 million years, a staggering thought. This is one of the appeals of amber - you can buy and wear a piece of ancient history.The resin that formed amber originated from large conifer trees, especially pines. When these were damaged they "bled" resin which fell to the ground and was eventually fossilised. The largest source of amber is around what's now known as the Baltic region although it can be found elsewhere. One example is Dominican amber which tends to be more transparent than the better known Baltic type.
The most sought after amber is clear however the presence of impurities such as gas can make it less so. Amber gemstones are sometimes classified according to their level of clarity: clear, cloudy, misty, bony or foamy.
Insects
One of the best known attributes of amber gems is that they sometimes contain small insects such as early forms of ant or spider. This is a result of amber's forest origins - the insect would sometimes become trapped in the sap as it fell. Some people might consider the presence of an insect body in a gem as an unsightly impurity, others such as myself find it a fascinating bit of history. Amber gemstones containing insects can be as old as 145 million years. Such examples are understandably rare so you can expect to pay more for them.
Copal
Note that amber should not be confused with copal. Although similar in appearance and also formed from resin, copal is a lot less old than true amber. Copal is more likely to contain insects, however these will be recent species rather than ancient ones.Copal is essentially an intermediate phase - give it a few million more years to mature!