There are two main sources out of the half dozen places in the world where Amber occurs regularly, the Baltic and the Dominican Republic. Of the two, the Dominican Republic is the only place in the world that produces blue Amber. It has a beautiful blue glow when set against a dark background. Most amber will be a honey color and ranges from pale yellow (translucent or opaque), to deep orange and red, to nearly black as well as green. It was one of the first substances used as jewelry and amulets or decoration. It is very soft, having a hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs scale.


There are many imitations, but only Amber and Copal give off the tell-tale scent when burned. Copal is basically young amber. It hasn't been in the ground long enough to be fully fossilized. In fact, Copal can be as young as 250-300 years, rather than the millions of years Amber has. It's scent when burned will be much stronger than Amber.

Amber is a stone of manifestation, helping to bring your dreams and desires into reality. It is said to heighten intellectual abilities, giving clarity of thought and wisdom. It purifies the environment, provides psychic shielding, and calms and energizes at the same time.  For physical healing, it draws out pain and soothes the nerves and spirit. It is also used for asthma and other allergic respiratory ailments.

Amber is considered excellent for use in inner child and past life work and is used to strengthen magic spells.

The photos I've included here show different pieces of Amber. The top photo shows an example of the range of colors, though it's not fully inclusive. The middle photo is of a very rare piece with the remains of a small tree frog trapped within. The bottom photo shows a gorgeous piece with an insect trapped inside. I also read that a piece of Dominican Amber was found with an intact lizard encased.

Next time I will be writing about Amethyst. Known as the Addict's Stone, it is a beautiful stone to keep with you at all times if you have problems with addiction in any form. It has many other uses as well, though. More on that when I write next. :D