We always tend to associate a golden orange colour with the amber stone but it is found in a wide array of colours. The gemstone amber originates from the fossilised resin of trees and other plants. Trees secrete resin and when it hardens it becomes amber. Over the centuries amber has been bestowed with many attributes and among these are the mystical properties of an amber pendant.

Before the true origin of amber was known many scholars and alchemists tried to theorise about this. In ancient Rome amber was thought to originate from the urine of the lynx and the different colours were produced by either, the female lynx or the male. As time went on more and more explanations about the origins came to the surface and the stone began to take
on mystical properties.

Not many people may be aware that when you rub amber vigorously with a cloth it becomes electrically charged. It then can attract small and light objects to it. This “power” only served to further the mystical tag already attached to amber. Amber is found in abundance in the Baltic Sea, mainly along the coastline.

For many years amber was also used for medicinal purposes. In general it was steeped in wine and then drunk to cure and prevent certain ailments and diseases. The Romans used it to treat hayfever, asthma and throat infections. If you were unfortunate to suffer from an ear infection amber was ground down and mixed with rose oil and honey and applied into the ear. Amber is a beautiful gemstone and its best use is a decorative one.