As a symbol of longevity, amber may have been the first gemlike material used for personal adornment. Beads and pendants of this intriguing substance, the production of fossilized tree sap, have been found in prehistoric burials from as early as 15,000 years before Christ. Amber comes in different colors and is often opaque due to impurities that maxed naturally with the ancient sap. By the Bronze Age, amber was in such demand that it was traded with tin and copper along the major trade routes in the Middle East. The earliest written references to amber are in Homers Odyssey, from about 700 BC. The Greek word for amber was lektron, from which we get our word electricity, where amber was said to be the solidified tears of the Helipads mourning the death of their brother.
The tree species that produced amber are now extinct. They included cedars and other conifers and broadleaved trees. The most famous source of the worlds amber is the Baltic coast of Russia. In the western hemisphere, there are rich deposits in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the state of New Jersey.
Amber is of interest both for its decorative value and for the ancient, once living inclusions...
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