LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Amber (Bead and Gemstone)
built 679 days ago
Amber (Bead and Gemstone) also shows up in the Retriever categories:
Amber (Work) , Amber (Roleplaying) , and more.
Amber (Work) , Amber (Roleplaying) , and more.
Amber is the naturally-occurring, fossilized resin of ancient trees. Formation of amber occurs when, over time, the organic compounds of the resins polymerize. Most naturally-occurring amber is aged between 30 and 90 million years old and can be found all over the world. Like abalone shell and mother of pearl, amber is considered organic jewelry, meaning that it originates from a living creature or plant.
Source:
Amber is a soft material with a hardness of 2 to 3 on the Mohs scale. Amber is heterogeneous in composition, but consists of several resinous bodies more or less soluble in alcohol, ether and chloroform, associated with an insoluble bituminous substance. Amber is a macromolecule by free radical polymerization of several precursors in the labdane family. Amber has a refractive index of 1.546.
Source:
Amber is probably the first gemstone to be worn as jewelry; it was used in adornment making as far ago as Neolithic epoch of the Bronze and the Iron Ages. Especially wide application in producing jewelry and artistic items from amber found in 17th-18th centuries. Besides, it was famous not only for jewelry. Amber was applied as decorative stone for interior trim of the unique buildings, such as the Amber Room in the Palace of Ekaterina the Great in Tsarskoye Village. Today it continues to fascinate and intrigue each and everyone who gets in contact with it still remaining highly valued for its beautiful colors, individual variations, lightweight, luster and warmth.
Source:
Amber was made popular by the film "Jurrasic Park" when dinosaur DNA was pulled from a mosquito embedded in amber. Amber... has been used since the stone age. Amber is made from the fossilized resin of ancient conifer trees. Many times insects and plant life can be found fossilized inside. Amber is found mainly in the Baltic States and the Dominican Republic, but can also be found in Lebanon, Sicliy, Greenland, Siberia, Australia and the United States. Amber was used as incense in ancient Germany.
Source:
Amber is fossilized resin from ancient pine trees. The sap that produced this amber was deposited in the Baltic Sea region between 40 million and 60 million years ago. Amber occurs in all shapes, sizes and shades ranging from white to yellow, orange to brown. Each piece has inclusions that may include air bubbles, plants or even preserved species of insects.
Source:
Amber from the Baltic region is generally accepted as the world’s finest. Amber jewelry has been made since before the time of Christ; at the height of the Roman Empire amber was called "gold of the north." For centuries, amber jewelry was worn solely by the rich and was not affordable to the masses. Because amber was thought to possess healing properties, it came to be used medicinally in many cultures. Even today it is thought that wearing amber jewelry will instill confidence in the wearer, balance a person's mood, and lessen depression and anxiety.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Amber (Bead and Gemstone)