Spotlight on | Amber

Feeling a little off?  Cheerful Amber is the stone to have by your side to release anxiety and those stressy feelings that are just a constant of life in the twenty-first century.  Your Amber stone will dissolve all traces of physical and mental exhaustion, as well as aiding in eliminating fears and worries.  If you’re suffering from depression, Amber’s welcoming energy will stabilise your emotions and constantly remind you why life is worth living (it’s puppies, that’s why, and maybe baby ducks).

Amiable Amber helps to guide your emotions to give a more optimistic outlook in life, helping you to focus more on all the wonderful things (puppies, baby ducks, etc) and less on the not-so-wonderful.

The History of Amber

Amber was one of the very first substances used for personal adornment. In fact, decorated pieces of amber have been found in remains from as far back as the Stone Age. The stones have been used as amulets and talismans before, during, and since the ancient Greeks.

Since prehistoric times, Amber has also been used for religious objects. It was believed to have talismanic properties, and many ancient peoples buried Amber objects and amulets with their dead to protect them in the afterlife.  Sacred to the sun god Apollo, Amber was once thought to be congealed sunlight.

Though often regarded as a gemstone, Amber is actually a fossilised resin from ancient evergreen trees, the oldest piece thought to be discovered over 300 million years ago.  Given its history, we can only begin to imagine what powerful energies this stone holds (though hopefully not the ability to clone Velociraptors, let’s just leave those f*ckers in the past where they belong).

Recognising Amber

True to its colour, Amber is warm and radiant.  It is normally a golden yellow to golden orange, and ranges from transparent to semi translucent. It can also be dyed many colours.  Amber rates a 2.5 on the MOHs hardness scale but is reasonably workable, its softness makes it relatively easy to carve.

Amber may contain insects (occasionally frogs and lizards too), moss or pine needles that have been trapped for millennia within the resin. Air bubbles may give Amber a cloudy appearance but heating in oil will take them away. The main supply of high-quality Amber comes from the Baltic region, particularly along the coast of Poland. Amber is also found in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, France, Spain, Canada, Romania, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Burma, and Italy.

What is Amber used for?

The most attractive quality of Amber is that it possesses ancient energy, and with this ye olde energy comes the acquired wisdom of thousands (or millions!) of years of history.

Amber is true to its colour, warm and radiant.  It can cut directly to the core, working through that chill you can’t shake and unlocking those heavy chains of shitty karma you may have inherited or picked up along the way.  It’s all too easy (especially lately!) to be caught up in the negativity of the 24-hour news cycle, or the naysayers on Social Media, but cheerful Amber will deflect negative energies that other people (or yourself!) may direct at you and work hard to ensure that you are only working with strong and positive energies.

Ancient wisdom has a… special way of putting everything in perspective.

Warm, amiable Amber can help relieve stress and anxiety, it will help dissolve all traces of physical and mental exhaustion and aid in eliminating your fears and worries (b’bye arachnophobia!).  Amber is also extremely beneficial to those suffering from depression, as it stablises emotions and has the ability to remind you why your life is precious (even aside from puppies and baby ducks).  Amber’s positive vibes will guide your emotions to a more optimistic outlook and enhance your connection to your own inner wisdom.

Physically, Amber contains the very essence of life itself and has been linked to comforting and remedying headaches, common colds, flu symptoms and any ailments associated with emotional and physical exhaustion.

People who suffer from chronic pain or long-term maladies are often drawn to the comfort of Amber to ease their burdens.