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Amber
I have always thought that amber is heavy. Most of the amber jewelry that I see being used are large pieces. I wondered how can one wear such a heavy piece of jewelry around their neck or on their ear lobes. Not until I put a piece of amber in my hand did I realize that I was mistaken. Amber is not heavy at all. It is actually so light that it is almost weightless. I was pleasantly surprised.
Amber comes in more than just the bright translucent yellow that we are so accustom to. It also comes in colors ranging from reds, greens, and blues.
Amber is a fossilized pine, cedar, other conifers and broad-leaved tree sap. It is ancient and valuable. Although it is not mineralized, it is sometimes considered and used as a gemstone. Most of the world's amber is in the range of 30-90 million years old.
Semi-fossilized resin or sub-fossil amber is called copal.
In ancient times, amber was considered to be made by the sun. We can trace the use of amber to the Stone Age. The Greeks believed amber was the tears of Phaeton's mother and sister when he was struck dead by Jupiter's thunderbolts.
Due to its capability of being highly polished, the Paleolithic people, Greeks, and Romans used it extensively in their jewelry.
The traditional properties of amber are considered to have soothing, calming, and cleansing effects. Amber was also used as an manifestation tool in ancient times.
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