During the long, cold Nordic winters down the Millennia, Amber came to represent sunshine itself. Its glorious life-enhancing colors, its glowing warmth both to the eye and touch, earned it the name "Gold of the North." But there's more to amber than meets the eye- it's magical and therapeutic powers as well as its comparative rarity have caused it to be prized almost as highly as gold.

Most of the amber available to the peoples of Europe and the Middle East is Baltic - the Gold of the North, and its history is literally as old as the hills, and the trees - and the seas, for it is the fossilised resin of ancient coniferous trees, now extinct, which once covered the greater part of northern Europe more than 30 million years ago. Gradually the sticky resin hardened and when the tree died and crashed to the forest floor, it carried the resin into the ground where it remained for next 20 to 30 million years. The resin fossiled into a hard, light sunshine colored gemstone known as amber.

During the millions of years in which amber was formed, extraordinary climatic changes took place. The forests disappeared into the sea, carried by tremendous rivers and the melting glaciers of the Ice Age. Deep in the sea off the coast of the former East Prussia, the amber was pressed and hardened, until it started washing up on the shores of the Baltic countries.

Many an insect would get trapped in the sticky resin oozing from the trees which is how amber often encloses specimens of fauna (and flora) in remarkable state of preservation. As a result amber has become an important source of knowledge. In its natural state amber or succinite , as it is scientifically known, is found in irregular nodules, some quite small, others in lumps weighing several kilos. If later exposure to the elements has not formed a dark crust around the piece, its wonderful golden color is immediately apparent. But just as each piece of amber is unique, no two being the same size, shape or luster, the color scale ranges remarkably. The variations stretch from milky white, through pale yellow via sugar syrup to rich, sweet sherry. There are also shades of red, from pale scarlet to burgundy, to warm brown and almost black. Very occasionally, opaque or clear green and blue grey amber has been discovered, transmuting irreversibly to clear golden when heated.

Color preferences have swung with fashion trends, the women of ancient Rome having a predilection for reddish-gold amber, whereas during the 19th century the milky-white variety was around everybody's necks. The major South East Asian source of amber is burmite from Burma, whose most famous and sought-after color is a bright cherry-red. According to ancient texts, this was evocatively called Tigers soul. It was always held in high esteem in china, carved with stunning virtuosity into inticrate pendants, snuff bottles and miniature scilptures. Sicilian amber known as simetite is also extremely collectable nowadays, as it is so rare. It comes in an unusual range of colors and glows with a beautiful fluorescent amber, every bead a different hue.

Romanian amber or rumanite, usually a clear pale yellow was always the most prized variety in Persia and Turkey for its remarkable internal crazing, due to geological pressure, achieving a mother-of-pearl effect. This amber became the height of European fashion at the turn of the century due to the patronage of british royal family. Romanian amber necklaces, earrings and smoking requisites found their way all over the world as royal presents. Today most of these items are in museums, but occasionally appear at auctions.

In South America, amber was an important item of commerce, mined in the mountains of Mexico and Peru, Columbia and Brazil. Fragments of it were found on the altars of ancient Aztec and Mayan temples, it was burnt as incense and mounted in gold as Jewelry. Mexican Amber tends to be a rich golden color, whereas amber from the Dominican Republic, currently flooding the market today, is often a rich, mottled brown due to historic detritus collected within the clear yellow color. It was first noted by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century, and is still shallow mined in difficult treacherous terrain - mountainsides covered with topical hardwood forest.

Many ambers fluoresce naturally under reflected daylight in tones of mild or deep blue, purple or green. But the beautiful bloom, so sought after, diminishes with time, which is why the recently mined specimens are so prized. Amber varies in translucency also - some pieces are crystal clear, others opaque or cloudy, others waxy and quite matte. Recently most of the stylish jewelry has been cut to leave raw surfaces. Sometimes contrasting in the same piece with highly polished, faceted ones.

Throughout history and in whatever culture amber has appeared it has always been considered to possess 'magical' and medicinal properties. The attraction of this strange substance to primitive man is obvious - its brilliant color, lightness of weight, warmth and the fact that when rubbed it attracts other objects, all recommend it highly as an amulet with 'magical' powers to ward off spirits and the evil eye. There are literally thousands of examples through history of amber being used to protect and cure both man and beast.

Today amber jewelry enjoying an extraordinary renaissance. Newly manufactured pieces attain heights of creativity. Older pieces have an apparently endless market. It seems that the appeal of amber goes forever with all mysterious properties.