Amber
Amber is a natural material used for jewelry making. Amber is the fossilized remants of tree resin, most dating back 30-50 million years ago. Many pieces of amber also contain insects or small animals that were trapped in the sticky resin, died and were fossilized along with the sap.
Amber's colors range from yellow-gold to orange reds, dark reds to browns. The stone is soft and easily scratched or drilled. Amber is found in Poland, Germany and Russia, and also in Myanmar, Siciliy, Romania, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Amber is warm to the touch, and is a very sensual material. It is treasured not only for its color and organic texture, but also for the history preserved in the fossilized remains.
Some "amber" found on the market is actually plastic or has plastic stabilizers added. To test if amber is authentic, heat a needle until it is white hot. Using a pliers, push the hot needle into the amber (in an unobtrusive area) and smell. Real amber will smell like pine trees; imitation will smell like plastic.
Amber is well accented by either gold or silver components. For a "tiger" color combination, string it with black onyx beads. A regal look can be achieved by combining with gold and amethyst beads.
