Amber origin
Amber and organic gemstone. Organic gems are the result of living or once living organisms and biological processes. Amber was formed back in the time of the dinosaurs, around 50-60 million years ago. years, when the sap of ancient trees petrified under very high temperatures and pressures. The first period of the Cenozoic era (the stage of the Earth's development from 65.5 million to the present) was characterized by very high temperatures. Due to the humid and warm climate, flora began to flourish rapidly on Earth. With the sudden change in temperature, the trees secreted a lot of resin. Slowly the sap began to flow onto the ground and mix with it. Accumulated sap was washed out of the forest soil by rivers and carried to the sea. Eventually, through the processes of polymerization and oxidation, the scaly turned into amber. Various insects and small animals landed on the viscous and sticky resin and got stuck there. This is why various examples of flora and fauna can be found in amber. By the way, such inclusions are the most appreciated.
Currently, there are more than 20 amber mining sites around the world. The largest of them is in the Kaliningrad region. About 90% of amber reserves are concentrated here. Amber is found in a variety of shapes and colors that depend on microscopic impurities and gas bubbles. The more of them, the more transparent the amber becomes. More than 350 shades are counted, from white to black. Since the end of the 18th century, it has been accepted to divide amber into 6 types: krancite , gedanite , lecite , succinite , stantinite and beckerite . This is a very conditional division, because one piece of amber can combine several types of mineral.
Amber is sometimes called "Gold of the North". Its warm glow is found in products such as beads, carvings, pendants and cabochons , as well as decorative elements such as cups, bowls, tobacco boxes and umbrella handles.
A chemically related substance to amber is copal , which is also a fossil of tree sap, but much younger - less than a million years old.
