Amber

Group: Animal Sources

Amber - Admired by its charm and grace, it has been given various names on which one can write poetry and say words of praise. The words such as Tears of sun, Tiger's soul, Hardened honey, Petrified light, Window to the past, Nordic gold and many more. According to scientists Amber is fossilized tree resin that has taken millions of years to form.

Gleam like sun,  
are the amber beads
 laid on the glass table.

This aromatic resin is also referred to as an organic gemstone that's the hardened resin of the now extinct pinus succinifera, and other trees. It made amber the cneter of interest to scientists and people likewise with the find that had remnants of plants and insects which had been first trapped and preserved and upon research, they turned out to be millions of years old. And hence, not only did we learn about the existence of life on earth but we also came to know about the existence of amber.

Most of the world's amber is in the range of 30-90 million years old, however, the oldest amber has an age of 345 million years. Semi-fossilized resin or sub-fossil amber is called copal.There are about 3,000 catalogued specimens of amber inclusions that include, insects, arachnids, tiny animals and plants. However, the most common and the most amazing have been of the insects and leaves inclusions in amber.

Talking of the origin of amber, it is found in almost every part of glob while most older amber deposits were found in Europe which are about 50 types of fossil resins of different age. Amber from the Baltic region, which is also known as Baltic Amber, is uniquely known for its quality and is most sought after. It is rich bright yellowish in colour. It is considered best for making jewelery and is called succinite from the Latin succinum. On the other hand Mexican amber is a result of resins of leaf-bearing trees and is widely used in jewelry. Whereas the oldest known Asian fossil resins (sometimes pieces have the size of a head) are found in Birma. They are mostly opaque, dark brown, sometimes red and yellow. In Africa locals, especially women, use them for making of adornments and amulets. In Sicily and in northern Italy deposits of dark red and yellow fossil resins of trees of the family Cupressaceae called Sicilian amber is found. Since the oldest times amber has been used in the manufacture of adornments. Amber comes in various colours such as orange, yellow, red, green, brown, white, blue and almost black. It may be transparent or clouded. Transparent tones range from pale to dark yellow, to yellow light brown.

Before taking you through the pages of history further, I must also share about amber in fragrances in between. Perfumer Adam Gottschalk writes how the amber note is obtained in perfumes, which is a rather combination of benzoin, labdanum, and vanilla which gives the feel of warm, a little sweet and woody amber and mingled with other notes it emerges with its various characters. With just a basic combination of amber and oudh in Rasasi's Amber Oudh, it gives the wearer a warmth of sweet amber laid on bitter oudh. The best I will describe the combination as a carefully designed gold pendant hung on a heavy gold chain, that's how it feels.

Amber was also very popular in ancient Rome during the reign of Nero when jewelry, ornaments, amulets, and even dice were made from amber. Nero also dispatched an expedition to Scandinavia to find "northern gold," which resulted in the establishment of important new trade routes for the Empire. Russian Amber Room is considered one of the best creations in history and not only this, it has been called as the 8th wonder of the world. The Amber Room was a collection of chamber wall panels commissioned in 1701. It was made from 1701 onwards in order to be installed at Charlottenburg Palace, home of Friedrich I, the first King of Prussia, at the urging of his second wife, Sophie Charlotte.

In 1717 it was given to Russian Tsar Peter the Great, from Prussia and was constructed of six tons of amber arranged in ornate wall panels. In 1755 it was first tranferred and installed in Winter Palace and then in the Catherine Palace by Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia. It was a complete chamber decoration of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors. The amber room was destroyed in 1945 which contributed it to become the lost amber room. Its recreation was decided on in 1975 which continued in 1979 as well and was at last opened to public in 2003.

Amber stones are always warm to the touch and comforting to the sense of smell. Amber has not only been used as jewelery or in fragrances, but it has also been considered as a medicinal remedy for many diseases from the ancient time till now.

Talking further on fragrances, Imari, one of Avon's classics, in this amber has been nicely blended with aldehydes, sandalwood,galbanum and vanilla to give it a bright warm feel. Amber in DKNY's Gold is light woody just like an amber pendant which is when worn around the neck, and when it touches the skin, together they both, the heat of the skin and the amber emit a warm fragrance which is so comforting and light.