Fall in love with the warm, the wise and the gloriously glowing energy of amber
While often considered a gemstone, the glowing amber is not actually a stone, but a fossilized resin from ancient evergreen trees. The oldest amber discovered on Earth is about 320 million years old. Imagine the incredibly powerful energy this amber contains! The young amber stones are less than 100,000 years old; the most valued pieces of amber are much older than that. (It takes a long time for the tree resin to become true amber). Isn’t it mind boggling to know that the amber jewellery you just bought contains such incredibly old and wise energy? Because amber has been used since ancient times in a variety of cultures – from Greece to China to Northern Europe — there are many properties attributed to this warm beauty.
What is so special about amber?
The most obvious quality of amber is its old, old, (very old) energy. With it comes the accumulated wisdom of the earth and its natural kingdom. You can often see little insects trapped in the amber while it started as a tree resin; this gives the amber stone quite powerful magical properties. The most popular amber stones come in really warm colors — a variety of yellow, orange and sunny brown tones — this is why amber was considered to be the stone of the sun. However, did you know that there are also amber stones that are found in blue, red and green colors? While many of the amber stones used in jewellery are colour treated, you can still find many stunning pieces of jewellery with natural amber in vibrant colors. Warm, healing, wise, protective, cheerful — these are just some of the properties attributed to the old and beautiful amber stone.
Where does amber come from?
The main supply of high quality amber comes from the Baltic countries in Northern Europe (there is a famous amber museum in Palanga, Lithuania, that I missed when I was there). Dominican Republic is also a good source of amber, especially the rare and highly prized blue colored ones. Amber is also found in Britain, Poland, Russia, Italy and Germany.
What are the specific properties of amber?
As with any popular gemstone that has a long history of use in various cultures, amber has accumulated its share of mystical properties. Amber was considered the “soul of the tiger” in Asian cultures and regarded as the stone of courage. Pieces of amber were carried for protection during long travels, as well as used to treat jaundice.
It is also believed that amber:
- Balances emotions
- Attracts good luck
- Eliminates fears
- Relieves headache
- Clears the mind
- Dissolves negative energy
- Helps develop patience and wisdom
Amber is considered the birthstone of the astrological sign of Cancer as it sure reflects the energy of this hottest month of the year (in the Northern hemisphere). If you feel attracted to the warm and wise energy of amber, explore the variety of amber jewellery and see if it makes a difference to your personal energy. As with all crystals and stones, it is best to buy the highest quality you can afford and choose natural, untreated amber, so as to fully benefit from its wisdom.
Image: BalticAmberSOS/etsy
