What is special about amber jewellery with an inlay?

Amber jewellery with an inlay has always been a traditional piece of jewellery from our country, which we use to adorn ourselves and shape our image. For many people, amber jewellery has become a style staple that seems to find a place in their everyday look every time. However, few people think about what makes amber jewellery with an inlay special, so it is very interesting and useful to talk more about it.

A few words about amber

First of all, it is worth noting that amber is not a mineral, but a tree resin that has hardened over time. Because amber is a translucent orange-yellow material that glows when polished and held up to the light, it has been used for a long time to make jewellery and other pieces of jewellery. The proper classification for organic gemstones such as coral, pearls and amber is gem material, not gemstone.

Amber can look different depending on its origin and geological history. Amber comes in the form of irregular lumps, sticks or droplets, in all shades of yellow with hints of orange, brown and rarely red. The opaque, milky-white varieties are called bone amber.

Although most people usually associate amber with orange or yellow, it is true that amber can be found in other colours such as blue or green. It is not uncommon for the colour of amber to be influenced by plant material or other inclusions in the gemstone. Some of the most common colours of amber are lemon, honey, cognac, toffee, green and cherry. Some sources list as many as three hundred shades of this natural resin. It is also worth noting that some colours of amber are rarer than others, which quite often determines the price of this natural gemstone.

Because amber takes thousands of years to form, it is often exposed to light and weather conditions. These things can determine the colour and surface of amber. When this natural gemstone is exposed to heat or high temperatures, cracks can appear and cause the amber to split.

Today, it is known that amber jewellery with an inlay was used by people as early as 11 000 BC - the same age of amber that has been found at archaeological sites in England. This shows that amber was polished and carved to make amber inlay jewellery in deep antiquity.

Amber inclusions

As well as well-preserved plant structures, amber may contain the remains of insects, spiders, annelids, frogs, crustaceans and other small organisms that were trapped in the amber when it was liquid. Amber is therefore a very valuable material, as it is a natural source of ancient plant and animal species that have survived to the present day. The oldest animals found trapped in amber date back to the Triassic period.

Today, more than 105 tonnes of Baltic amber are known to have been deposited in the Palaeogene forests of Northern Europe. This is the largest known single deposit of fossil plant resins. Baltic amber is also considered to be the highest quality amber with the best preservation of anatomical details of fossil insects of any age.

Meanwhile, the inclusions in Baltic amber are around 40 million years old, when resin from ancient trees trapped pieces of organisms such as leaves, bark pieces, small animals such as insects or invertebrates. Baltic amber contains not only organic but also inorganic inclusions such as air bubbles or water droplets. Occasionally, pieces of amber are found with sand or dust. Because amber uniquely traps and preserves insects and animals inside it, these findings have helped palaeontologists to reconstruct early life on Earth, and more than 1 000 species of extinct insects have been identified through the study of amber.

For all these reasons, amber articles with inlays are unique and have a special value. They evoke prehistory and silently tell the story of millions of years of Earth's history. When you choose amber jewellery, don't forget to take a closer look at the amber - you might find a special inclusion that, together with the amber, will become an integral part of your look.