Baltic Amber semiprecious gemstone index and mineral information

At Gemstoneindex you can find information on gemstones, minerals, jewelry, birthstones and more. It is intended as a guide to the beautiful and fascinating world of gemstones.

Throughout history gemstones have been admired and worn as amulets and talismans; believed to have powers to protect against evil, disease, and as safeguards of health. Gemstones have also been worn as a symbol of status of the wearer. In astrology, stones were assigned to each planet, month (birthstones), and even days of the week. Today, some of these associations are still being used, like the connection of gemstones and precious metals with anniversaries, as one example.

Gemstoneindex provides you with historical and scientific facts about gemstones, both precious and semi-precious, including their optical and physical properties, and how and where they are found worldwide. In addition, you will find information on other materials, such as pearl, shell, amber and other descendants of plants or animals. These are called organic gemstones.

Whether you are interested in a gemstone for educational purposes or just to attain knowledge on your favorite stones, you will find a good introduction to the subject here.

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Amber (or, technically, resinite) is fossilized tree resin (not sap), which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times.

There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes includes plant remains, moss, pine needles, spiders or even frogs and lizards as inclusions.  Most amber is 30 to 90 million years old; semi-fossilized resin is called copal.

Good quality amber is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewelry.

The best known amber deposits, known as succinite, are in the Baltic region, along the coasts of Poland and Russia, especially the Sambia Peninsula near Kalinigrad.  The Baltic coast still produces 90 percent of the world’s amber today.  There is also Burmese amber which is called burmite and is much redder than the Baltic variety; it is also harder and denser. Sicilian amber is known as simetite, (for the name of the river along which it is found).

Mohs’ Hardness: 2 – 2.5