Amber

Ancient amber has been mesmerising us for centuries. The golden glow and enchanting inclusions – is it an air bubble or is it an insect?  - is just beautiful, and explains why amber has been used in jewellery and ornaments for an eternity.

We’ve all seen Jurassic Park, so heard Richard Attenborough's guide to how amber is formed – and indeed how it could resurrect the dinosaurs – but for those looking for a quick refresh, here we go...

As opposed to being a crystal, amber is an organic. It’s the fossilised sap from the bark of a tree – the once sticky resin that rolled down the branches, collecting air bubbles, leaves, flies & spiders on its journey. It primarily comes from conifer trees, and is mostly from the Baltics as that’s where those trees are especially prevalent. Rather fabulously, it’s usually found washed up on the beaches, with Poland, Canada, Norfolk and Scotland great places to find it – look on a map and see how they make sense geographically.

According to myth, when Phaëton, son of Helios (the Sun) was killed, his mourning sisters became Poplar trees, and their tears became elektron, amber. The word elektron of course created the words electric and electricity because of amber's ability to carry static electricity. Ancient literature sees talk of amber featuring as far back as 300BC.  It was found as far and wide as China, Egypt and India. The Romans were trading in it at the start of Nero’s reign (AD 37). We're talking hugely ancient!

Amber scores only a 2 on the Mohs hardness scale, showing just how soft it is. To put that into context, talc is a 1 and diamond a 10. Most stones – amethyst, quartz, etc – are a 7 or 8. Because it’s so soft it means extra care has to be taken when working with it, especially at high heats. It’s also highly porous, so soaks in any elements it’s exposed to. Always keep hairspray and perfume away from it as it will noticeably dull – the good news is that you can restore its shine by rubbing it with olive oil.