Amber is the petrified tar of coniferous trees. This mineraloid¹⁾ was known to the inhabitants of the late Palaeolithic period. For a long time scientists argued about what amber is. Many people tried to explain its origin and created legends and myths. The ancient Greeks considered amber the frozen tears of the sisters and mother of Phaethon, the reckless son of the sun god who decided to ride across the sky in his father's chariot. In the tragedy of Sophocles, amber emerges from the tears of the dead hero Meleager, who fell victim to his mother's curse. In the Lithuanian legend of Jūratė and Kastytis, the tears of the sea goddess who longs for her lover become jewellery.

Some researchers were convinced, for example, that amber was solidified oil, others tended to think of it as petrified honey from wild bees. There have also been suggestions that it is sea foam, frozen under the influence of sunlight, a product of forest ants, thickened ‘solar ether’ or solidified mountain oil. The most complete information about the herbal origin of amber was first described in the widely known ‘Natural History of Gemstones’ by Pliny the Elder (23 - 79 AD). In the 18^th century, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus and the Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov scientifically proved that amber really owes its origin to the tar of ancient coniferous trees.

In fire, amber burns like coal, crackling and smoking; when heated without air, it melts. The stone feels warm to the touch. Amber is the result of the action of water and earth pressure over tens of millions of years on the tar of ancient coniferous trees. Amber does not form crystals; it is an amorphous framework polymer and is quite easy to polish. Amber electrizes when rubbed (negative charge).

Usually, the colour of amber ranges from light yellow to dark brown. However, there are also rarer types of this stone: white, blue and green. Due to the small volumes of their extraction, the price for such specimens is naturally very high. Amber is found in many places in the world, but it is mined in significant quantities in only a few. Baltic amber is 40-50 million years old and is equal in quality to a precious stone. The world's only industrial enterprise for amber extraction (open-pit mines are used to erode amber-bearing earth with a strong water jet) is located in the village of Yantarny, Kaliningrad region. Klesovskoye deposit is located in Ukraine, in the Rovno region. The Burma deposit is a group of amber deposits located in Myanmar.

The Dominican deposit is located in the eastern part of the island of Haiti. It is the second largest deposit in the world in terms of production after the Primorsky deposit. Amazing amber of blue and navy blue colour is also found here. It is extracted no more than 50 kg per year.

Many people believe that amber is a purely decorative material and is only used to create jewellery, souvenirs and paintings. However, the sunstone also has practical applications. Amber is a source of new scientific discoveries thanks to its inclusions – tiny objects and organisms. For palaeontologists and biologists, they are the most valuable research material.

In the past, the mineral was used to create magnifying glasses, lenses for eyeglasses and eyepieces for microscopes. Amber lacquer was used by the world-famous violin makers of Italy – Niccolo Amati (1596-1684) and Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737). It is probably thanks to this technology that musical instruments had excellent durability and sound quality. Amber was used to make cups, forks, spoons, mugs and plates. Our ancestors were convinced that amber utensils neutralised poisons. Amber also found application in medicine. The colloid mineral helps in treating sore throats, headaches, toothaches and many other ailments. Amber contains succinic acid, which is used to make medicines that strengthen the nervous system, restore kidney and intestinal activity, and is also used as an anti-stress, anti-inflammatory and antitoxic agent in medicine and cosmetology. Amber products are also used as talismans. It is believed that it brings happiness and good luck to people and protects them from evil spells. Since ancient times, people started to use amber in jewellery art and continue to use it actively nowadays. ‘Amber Room’ of the Catherine Palace is considered the eighth wonder of the world. Its history is one of the mysteries of the 20^th century.

Photo album featuring items created from the sunny and warm autumn amber that are presented in the museum Collection exposition, is posted in our Photo Gallery.