Amber

Known as a scientific time capsule as well as a beautiful gemstone, amber is a type of fossilized tree resin that originates from ancient trees (usually coniferous varieties) that have undergone a process of molecular changes and fossilization over millions of years.

Amber is composed of complex organic compounds, including hydrocarbons, and succinic acid*, and due to its organic origins and lack of repeating crystalline structure is classed as a mineraloid**.  Long prized for its range of beautiful colours, translucency, and (unusually for a gemstone) its inclusions, amber often contains well-preserved insects and plant matter that became trapped in the resin before it hardened, providing valuable insights into ancient environments. 

Depending on the location, amber can be mined in the traditional sense (eg in quarries), dredged from the sea bed, collected by hand or nets if it's been washed up onto a beach, or by using simple digging tools if discovered in deposits near the Earth's surface. It's commonly found in association with coal seams due to amber and coal's shared origin in organic living environments; both are derived from plant material that has changed form due to geological environmental factors over a very long period of time, with amber formed from the fossilized resin of trees and coal resulting from the transformation of plant remains.

Being low on the Mohs scale ( 2 to 2.5 MOHS) means that amber can be scratched easily, so it's best to handle it gently. Amber is worn by some people as an alternative birthstone for November, and is an increasingly popular alternative to diamonds as a 10th anniversary stone, especially as diamond is more commonly associated with the 60th anniversary.

Amber can be found in many countries around the world, including: Myanmar (Burma), Mexico, Lebanon (which has the oldest amber in the world), France, USA, Domincan Republic (which yields occasional rare blue amber), Ethiopia and Japan. Two types of amber I tend to use are listed below.

Sumatran amber is a type of fossilized tree resin found on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia and is known for its rich cognac red-brown shades (and along with Dominican Republic amber can also sometimes show various levels of blue fluorescence). Sumatran amber is believed to have originated from trees in the Dipterocarpaceae family, which are native to the tropical forests of Sumatra; the trees in this family produce resin as a defense mechanism in response to injury or stress, and then over millions of years, this resin hardens, solidifies, and undergoes various chemical and physical changes to eventually become amber. Whilst at its best Sumatran amber can be among the best amber in the world, it's unfortunately prone to extreme brittleness, making jewellery made with Sumatran amber can be a real labour of love!  Unlike Baltic amber, Sumatran amber is never treated, and is always natural.

Baltic amber is a fossilized coniferous tree resin found predominantly in the Baltic region, in countries like Poland, Latvia, and Estonia (and it can occasionally be found washed up as far as the coast of Eastern England too). Formed millions of years ago, Baltic amber is renowned for its rich and varied colours, ranging from pale yellows and oranges to deep cherry reds. It also sometimes contains well-preserved inclusions such as insects, plant matter, and occasionally small vertebrates, making it a valuable resource for scientific research on ancient ecosystems. Baltic amber also has a fascinating story; it was found in the tomb of Tutankhamen and there have been various Baltic Amber Road's (pre-dating the Silk Road) throughout history, some dating back many thousands of years. Even the Crusaders were obsessed with the stone, conquering parts of the Baltic region to gain a brutal monopoly of amber mining, and its commerce along trade routes. 

A lot of Baltic amber on the market is commonly treated to improve or change its appearance, and there are a number of ways to do this; one of the most common treatments is to place the amber in a machine called an autoclave, which exposes the gem to high heat and temperature. Depending on the pressure and length of heating, a number of effects can be produced, including the appearance of numourous glittery 'spangles' in the stone, clarifying a stone, or darkening the stone to a deep cherry colour. While green amber does exist in nature, the majority of it on the market is normal amber which has been heat-treated in a certain way, to give a green hue appearance. 

Please note, that all the amber and gemstones I use in my work are natural and are not treated, being cut and polished myself from their raw form to guarantee authenticity. I never use treated amber - I only use amber in its natural untreated state.

*Amber contains succinic acid, which is the precursor to acetylsalicylic acid, one of the ingredients in aspirin; this may give reason to some people's belief that amber bead necklaces sooth teething problems in infants (though this has been researched and there's no scientific evidence as of yet to show that succinic acid can be leeched from amber, unless heated/ melted to an extreme high temperature far beyond what is safe for humans).

**To be classed as a mineral, a substance must be meet three criteria: it must be naturally occurring, inorganic in origin (ie not originating from plant or previously living matter) and have a definite chemical composition with a repeating crystalline structure. Amber is organic in origin and its structure doesn't have a defined repeating crystal structure, so this means it is classed as a mineraloid, not a mineral (other examples are obsidian and opal which both lack a true crystalline structure so are classed as mineraloids too).