Known as a "window to the past," Baltic amber is fossilized pine tree resin, frequently containing prehistoric plant material, insects and strands of DNA. It has been appreciated for its beauty and unique properties since Neolithic times.
Since the dawn of man, the peculiar and curious properties of golden amber pebbles found on shores and in coastal forests have caught people's imagination. When burned in a fire, amber releases a pleasant sticky scent and aromatic smoke. When rubbed, it attracts other items towards itself with a magic we now know as static electricity. Baltic amber is 40 to 60 million years old and trapped many prehistoric plants and insects during its formation. Researchers have cataloged amber pieces containing more than 1,000 extinct species of insects. Between 1895 and 1900, one million kilograms of Baltic amber went to jewelry production. The word 'amber' comes from three separate sources: "ambre" from Middle French, 'ambra' from Medieval Latin and 'anbar' from Arabic. Amber takes heat application to alter water bubbles to discoid fractures (disk-like or radiating) also known as sun spangles.
LOCATION: Kaliningrad
The Baltic Sea region holds the richest and largest amber deposits. The level of succinic acid found in amber determines its quality. Baltic amber holds the highest levels of succinic acid
The largest mine in the Baltic region is in Russia, located west of Kaliningrad and where we get Amber.