About 40 million years ago, the translucent amber in this earthy necklace was pine resin flowing within trees along the shores of present-day Poland. There, in the region of Pomerania, amber beads are handed down through generations and are considered amulets against harm. A Polish artisan gathers these authentic fossilized gems, frames them in sterling silver, and pairs them with a sinuous snake chain.

18"L. Pendant: 1 1/4"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.