Baltic amber (known as succinite) is a specific subset of natural amber that is found only in northern Europe.
Amber Room, St. Catherine's Palace, Tsarskoye Selo (Russia)
Photo Credit: Oleg Nikishin / Getty Images
Generic amber is a word referring to any natural resin which oozed its way out of a tree and eventually fossilized at any time from recent times back to the Carboniferous Period of some 300 million years ago. Baltic amber accounts for some 80% of the known amber in the world.
Amber is generally yellow or yellow brown and translucent, and it is pretty when polished, as Catherine the Great can tell you. Her Amber Room, built in the 18th century, looted during WWII and fully restored in 2001, is a breathtaking example of what you can do with enough amber and the money to buy it.
In its fresh form, resin has been known to collect insects or leaves in its sticky clutches, preserving them in visually perfect splendor for millennia. Sadly, there is no chance that Baltic amber harbors usable DNA, but apart from that, the stuff is remarkably interesting, so pick a link and follow through to read more about the prized natural jewel called Baltic amber.
Amber Room, St. Catherine's Palace, Tsarskoye Selo (Russia)
Photo Credit: Oleg Nikishin / Getty Images
Amber is generally yellow or yellow brown and translucent, and it is pretty when polished, as Catherine the Great can tell you. Her Amber Room, built in the 18th century, looted during WWII and fully restored in 2001, is a breathtaking example of what you can do with enough amber and the money to buy it.
In its fresh form, resin has been known to collect insects or leaves in its sticky clutches, preserving them in visually perfect splendor for millennia. Sadly, there is no chance that Baltic amber harbors usable DNA, but apart from that, the stuff is remarkably interesting, so pick a link and follow through to read more about the prized natural jewel called Baltic amber.
- Baltic Amber and the Amber Trade
- More Amber Room Photos, Linda Garrison, About.com's guide to Cruises
- Mythological Origins of Amber, NS Gill, About.com's guide to Ancient History
- The Amber Room, FAQ from Robert Wilde, About.com's guide to European History
- Amber: Jewel of the Earth (NOVA)
- Eophyllium messelensis, trapped in Baltic Amber, image from Pharyngula
- Trapped in Amber, orchid pollen discovered in amber, from Afarensis
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