Baltic Amber

As its name suggests, Baltic amber, which is prized for use in amber pendants and other pieces of amber jewelry hails from the Baltic region, which is located in Eastern Europe, a prime area for the formation of stunning and unique raw amber. The provenance of Baltic amber and jewelry made from Baltic amber is from the coastal areas of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania , Kaliningrad, and other Baltic countries, including Russia. Baltic amber has been called "the sun of the sea" for its glittering golden glow and it is this luminescent quality of Baltic amber that makes it particularly striking as a setting in a pair of amber earrings, a ring, an amber bracelet, or a necklace with a striking Baltic amber pendant.

The history of Baltic amber can be traced at least as far back as the seventh century, and the Baltic countries have a long tradition of crafting jewelry from their precious amber reserves, including earrings, bracelets, rings, and other fine pieces. Baltic amber is different from amber from other regions for several reasons and can often be easily distinguished by lovers of amber jewelry and amber as a natural product of the earth. First, Baltic amber is discovered not through laborious mining and other processes, but through natural environmental processes, such as coastal erosion, which exposes pieces of various sizes, leaving them open to easy collection by a trained eye. Second, the weight of Baltic amber is a bit heavier than the weight of water and Baltic amber will float in salt water. One way to test for true Baltic amber, for instance, is to prepare a simple salt water solution and wait to see if your piece of Baltic amber rises to the top (which will not happen if it is attached to silver, gold, or other parts of your piece of amber jewelry, of course.) Third, Baltic amber is distinguished from other types of amber by assessing its succinic acid content. Succinic acid makes the Baltic amber harder than other types of amber, which in turn makes the piece of amber more durable for use in jewelry settings, thus explaining part of the reason why Baltic amber is so prized for amber jewelry. As with amber from other geographical regions, however, the process by which Baltic amber forms is the same and the inclusion of insects and other objects that become encrusted in the piece of amber is similarly common. Baltic amber is precious and constitutes a major driver of the Baltic countries' economy. After all, what tourist doesn't like a unique and beautiful piece of amber jewelry? By buying a piece of Baltic amber jewelry, you are not only supporting a local economy, but are also supporting the collection of a natural substance that does not require polluting mining processes as is the case with the harvesting of other precious gems. In other words, Baltic amber is not only exquisite and beautiful, it is found naturally.