Amber captivated ancient cultures long before its origins were understood. Some thought it was sunshine made solid. Others believed it was the fallen tears of the gods. It wasn’t until the Roman author Pliny wrote his Historia Naturalis in A.D. 77 that it was thought of as a plant material. As the fossilized resin of 40-million-year-old trees, amber is one of the only gems that isn’t a mineral. In Baltic cultures, it’s a traditional gift for a bride from her parents, and is passed down through generations of women. This necklace showcases smooth amber in a range of its natural, untreated hues, from milky honey white to opaque brown-black.

Handcrafted in Lithuania. Hidden screw clasp. Approximately 18"L.

Mined in Sicily, Burma, Romania, Poland, and Mexico, amber is actually the fossilized resin of ancient trees, and is among the oldest stones used for human adornment. It has been called the gold of the sea because the most extensive deposits are found along Baltic shores. The Greeks, to whom amber represented the tears Apollo shed as he was banished from Olympus, called amber "electron" because of its tendency to attract lightweight objects when rubbed.