Amber benefits and properties: full guide
Amber is a unique guardian of time, personified in myths and legends by the precious tears of the gods and the bright light of the Sun. This stone has always been highly valued in the world for its energetic and healing properties, as well as for the miraculous life force it carries. In this article, we will talk about the benefits and properties of this unusual stone.
Amber is a mixture of hydrocarbons consisting of several tree resins, plant materials, volatile oil, and amber acid. This resin was the tree's defense mechanism against injury and disease, and it was also needed to heal broken branches. Over time, the resin would harden and the trees would die. After a certain time, pieces of the hardened resin ended up in rivers, and later in seas, where amber is mined today.
AMBER: GEOLOGIC AND GEOGRAPHIC
It is worth saying at the outset that amber is not a mineral; it is the petrified resin of evergreen trees. Amber is a biological product of nature, a resin that has oozed from living trees in dense prehistoric forests and petrified over millions of years.
Amber is a mixture of hydrocarbons consisting of several tree resins, plant materials, volatile oil, and amber acid. This resin was the tree's defense mechanism against injury and disease, and it was also needed to heal broken branches. Over time, the resin would harden and the trees would die. After a certain time, pieces of the hardened resin ended up in rivers, and later in seas, where amber is mined today.
Most amber is 30 to 90 million years old.
Amber is mined primarily in the Baltic region, primarily in Russia, Poland, and Lithuania. Some amber is mined in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Burma, and the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Extraction is done by breaking and eroding the soil by powerful jets of water, which contain deposits of amber.
AMBER COMPOSITION AND STRENGTH
Amber is not very hard at all, only 2 to 2,5 on the Mohs scale. The stone often has extraneous inclusions and impurities, including iron, nitrogen, aluminum, and sulfur. Amber may come in different hues, such as pale yellow, yellow-orange, brown, or red. The stone can be both transparent and dense in color.
TYPES OF AMBER
Amber is most often classified by the place where it was mined:
This is the most common type of amber, which is mined on land near the Baltic Sea. Such amber is considered to be a stone of the highest quality, which makes it very valuable. This natural amber could be more than 40 million years old! You can find it in different colors, from dark yellow to white.
As you can guess, this type of amber is mined in the Dominican Republic. This type of amber is usually transparent and can be red, green, or even blue. This type of amber usually has more inclusions. The age of Dominican amber can range from 25 to 40 million years.
You can also name types of amber based on the color of the stone:
It is the most common type, accounting for 70% of all amber mined in the world. The color can be yellow, orange, or brown. As a rule, this variety is represented by stones from the Baltic Sea.
Green amber is a rare variety of amber, and therefore quite valuable. It is formed when fresh flora is part of the formation of fossil amber.
Also a rare and expensive type of amber red. The color can vary from golden red to dark red.
Blue amber is a very rare variety of amber. This stone is interesting because it has a brown or yellow color, but if you put it in the sun, it shows a bright blue hue.
Such amber has a rich dark red or brown color.
AMAZING AMBER JEWELRY
QUALITY FACTORS OF AMBER
Factors that determine the quality and therefore the price of amber include:
As we have shown above, there are variations of amber colors, with blue, red, and green stones being the rarest.
Although various inclusions in the form of insects may seem to be a drawback of amber it is such specimens that are of great value. Amber with inclusions of insects or plants is much more valuable than amber without them.
The weight of a stone also greatly affects the determination of its price and quality. The higher the weight, the more expensive the amber will be.
HISTORY AND LEGENDS OF AMBER
The origin of Baltic amber is linked to the ancient legend of the sea queen Yarita, who lived in a palace built of amber at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. She fell in love with a fisherman named Castithys and invited him to live in her Amber Palace. When her father, the thunder god Perkanas, the most powerful of the Lithuanian gods, discovered that she had sworn love to a mere mortal, he became enraged and sent lightning to kill Kastitis and destroy the Amber Palace. Legend has it that even today, when storms rage in the Baltic Sea, small fragments of the underwater palace can be found washed ashore, and you can still hear the grieving goddess crying for her lost love.
In Scandinavia, amber is considered the tears of Freya, the Viking goddess of love and beauty. Women, there used a spindle with whorls of amber to hide protection in the clothes for their husbands or warrior sons.
To Native Americans, amber is a sacred stone, symbolizing the Sun. It is still used by some indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America as an incense, during sacred ceremonies.
PROPERTIES OF AMBER
Metaphysical Properties
These properties of amber have been known to people since five thousand years ago. Since ancient times, the stone was associated with the power of the Sun and was considered a frozen piece of the Sun. Amber with lizards and insects stuck in it had a special power in the eyes of magicians - such stones were used in various ceremonies and rituals.
Amber was a symbol of happiness and health. Nowadays, it is said about amber that it brings good luck, gives vitality and vigor. The stone helps to get rid of depression.
Amber is a source of creative power, faith, and optimism. It enhances intuition and helps to implement plans into specific actions, brings good luck, joy, and peace gives vigor to the spirit, and maintains health.
Therapeutic properties
The therapeutic benefits of amber have now been proven. The stone is used to make amber acid, which is a powerful immunostimulant that fights inflammation and stress.
Amber is also used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, it helps with headaches and respiratory problems.
Amber contains iodine, therefore wearing amber beads is useful in the treatment and prevention of thyroid diseases, which occur in the lack of iodine in the body. Amber contains also other elements beneficial for the organism (iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, etc.), as well as salts of amber acid, which have an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal action and activate metabolism and digestive system.
AMBER VALUE
The most sought-after and most valuable stones are those of rare colors, such as blue and green. Stones with inclusions of insects or plants are especially valued.
Amber is valued, first of all, for its ancient history and the opportunity to touch ancient nature.
Also, amber has an unusual and attractive appearance.
Of course, many people buy amber because of its magical and healing properties, which affect everyone.
AMBER AS A GIFT
Amber jewelry can be a great choice for a gift to a loved one. Many people know about the origins and properties of this stone, so they will be happy with such a gift. And if they do not know, they will certainly pay attention to the beauty and positive energy of amber.
WHO IS SUITABLE FOR AMBER?
Chakras
Amber has a positive effect on all chakras, but the most beneficial effect is on Manipura, Akitra (solar plexus chakra), Vishudha, and Sahasrara.
Zodiac Sign
Amber is most suitable for the fire signs of the zodiac (Leo, Aries, and Sagittarius). This stone is in perfect harmony with these three energetic and active signs. The stone enhances leadership qualities, develops intuition, and brings success and wealth.
Anniversary gift
It is customary to give amber on the 28th and 34th wedding anniversaries
AMBER ENGAGEMENT RING MEANING
For engagement rings, amber is not often used, since the stone has a low hardness, and is therefore prone to scratches and other unpleasant situations.
But it is still possible to use amber for an engagement ring. The main thing is to choose a ring in which the stone will be firmly fixed and will be less exposed to various external influences.
Amber's engagement ring is a wonderful and very beautiful ring, which represents strong love and eternity of feelings.
AMBER IN JEWELRY
Amber is widely used to make jewelry. The most common are beads, brooches, and bracelets made of amber. Although various pendants, necklaces, and rings are also popular.
This stone looks beautiful with different metals - gold, silver, etc.
Amber is soft, amorphous, and easy to grind and polish, except for the opaque types. Amber is beautiful, but only after treatment; that is why amber is used in jewelry.
To make amber more transparent, it is boiled in linseed oil and then hardened. The next step, for added brightness, is heat treatment and polishing.
Jewelers prefer not to facet amber; they give it a spherical or hemispherical form, and sometimes a fantasy form resembling the natural shape.
WHERE IS AMBER USED?
The stone is not only used in jewelry, it is also used in various decorative items and has been popular for hundreds of years. It has also been used as a healing agent in ancient folk medicine. Amber is also used for inlays in jewelry, beads, small ornamental pieces, and low-quality specimens for amber acid. In ancient times, clothes, magic equipment, liturgic utensils, bas-reliefs, and medicinal potions were dressed in amber.
TAKING CARE FOR AMBER
Due to its low hardness, amber requires special care. First of all, you should protect the stone from knocks and scratches. Also, you should not store amber jewelry next to metal costume jewelry.
For longer enjoyment of amber jewelry, protect it from frequent direct sunlight, otherwise, even the brightest of stones will eventually begin to fade.
Sometimes amber should be dipped in water or wrapped in a damp cloth. Such procedures will prevent the formation of cracks on the stone.
Clean the stone with a soapy solution and a soft cloth, then rinse with water and leave to dry.
Amber is a valuable stone, which for many years has been a popular element of jewelry. Not for nothing, it is called the "gold of the sea", it is a stone created by light and life, preserved by time and washed by the shores - a talisman of beauty, protection, and renewal.
Kindly note that healing gemstone meanings are not prescriptions or healthcare information.
Worldwide Shipping
We ship worldwide with Express Delivery services
Lifetime Warranty
High Quality and Genuine Materials result in lifetime warranty
Ethically Handcrafted
Jewelry Ethically Handmade with respect to Nature and People