AMBER

Amber as medicine :  

In the world medical practice, a preparation based on succinic acid ( Amber is known to mineralogist as Succinite, from the latin Succinium, Which means Amber).- a substance responsible for the human energy metabolism was produced for the survival of people . This is due to the presence of Succinic acid in Amber. The Succinic acid which is produced in the cells of man, animals and plants, ensures the production of energy. The sick and wounded, who were given Amber preparations along with regular medical treatment, recouped faster . As a result they require less medical care and are back to work at the earliest. The Amber preparations helped in some cases when the doctors saw no other chance to save patients life.

YANTAR?

Ancient Phoenicians used the word yainitar to name amber, and this has a clear association with many words for Baltic amber used today. Lithuanians call it gintaras. In Russian it is yantar, and in Hungarian it’s gyantar. The Polish language has two words for amber, but the more poetic one is jantar (pron. yantar). Given the geographic distribution of the largest natural deposits, we believe that the word Yantar is the first name given by human beings to the amber from the Baltic Sea. Due to its beauty and uniqueness, Baltic amber certainly deserves a special name. It’s no wonder then, we chose yantar.

 Amber will often have inclusions of insects, plant materials, and pyrite. The Greek name for amber is electron which arose because amber can be electrically charged by rubbing it with a cloth (thus attracting dust).  Amber comes in a wide range of sizes, a surprising array of colors, and with endless combinations of inclusions. It is almost always polished into freeform pieces, though occasionally as a cabochon. Since amber is relatively soft, it is best used in neck pieces and earrings.

Amber and prehistoric people

The oldest piece of amber altered by man was found in the area of Hannover, Germany. It was dated at approximately 30,000 years old! It probably served as an amulet (good luck charm). Thousands of archeological findings in Central Europe have proven that amber was used by prehistoric humans for personal embellishment and glorification of religious rituals. One archeological excavation found a center of amber craft which existed around 3000 B.C. in today's Lithuania. The biggest discovery was made just recently, in the 1980's, several miles east of Gdansk, Poland. There, various settlements engaged in amber craft between 2100 B.C. and 1700 B.C. Only one settlement (Niedzwiedziowka) was thoroughly examined. More than 30,000 pieces of crafted amber were identified. It is believed that about 900 independent amber craft shops existed in a one-half square mile.

In ancient Greece...

...amber became widely valued around 1600 B.C. Greeks were fascinated by it. In their mythology, amber was made from the tears of a nymph as they dropped into water. In The Odyssey, Homer describes an amber necklace belonging to a distinguished Phoenician merchant. From Greece, amber went to other Mediterranean nations. Articles made with Baltic amber were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamon, 1400 B.C., and in Mesopotamia, 900 B.C. The ancient Greek word for amber is electron, meaning - originating from the Sun. The Greeks were also the first to describe the electrostatic properties of amber. No wonder that many hundreds of years later this word was used to name electricity.

Amber and prehistoric people  

The oldest piece of amber altered by man was found in the area of Hannover, Germany. It was dated at approximately 30,000 years old! It probably served as an amulet (good luck charm). Thousands of archeological findings in Central Europe have proven that amber was used by prehistoric humans for personal embellishment and glorification of religious rituals. One archeological excavation found a center of amber craft which existed around 3000 B.C. in today's Lithuania. The biggest discovery was made just recently, in the 1980's, several miles east of Gdansk, Poland. There, various settlements engaged in amber craft between 2100 B.C. and 1700 B.C. Only one settlement (Niedzwiedziowka) was thoroughly examined. More than 30,000 pieces of crafted amber were identified. It is believed that about 900 independent amber craft shops existed in a one-half square mile.

Ancient Romans...

Amber has been used in jewelry for centuries. During the Stone Age and into the Roman Empire, amber linked the Mediterranean with northern Europe. Archaeologists have reconstructed trade routes based on discoveries of hordes of amber. Nero ordered amber expeditions.

The most impressive use of amber was an entire room of amber done in the 18th Century for King Frederick William I of Prussia. It contained wall panels of amber in many shapes and colors, and inlaid amber with intricate carvings. Amber was used to frame the doors and windows, and showcases displayed a myriad of amber carvings and jewelry. Frederick gave this room to Czar Peter the Great of Russia as a present (because he liked it so much), and the entire room was disassembled and relocated to St. Petersburg. The room was moved at least once again, then lost forever in 1941 when the Germans were threatening to invade. The Russians supposedly moved the amber room to underground vaults in the Ural Mountains - and it has not been seen since.

Ambergris is produced in the hindgut of the sperm whale, is usually associated with the beaks of the whale's principal food, the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. It consist of 80% ambrein, a cholesterol derivative which may be either indigestible component of the squid or a secretion of the whale's gut in response to the constant irritation caused by the sharp beaks of the squid. It is thought that the production ambergris is pathological in nature but here is limited evidence for this assumption. Before 1,000 AD the Chinese referred to ambergris as lung sien hiang, "dragon's spittle perfume,' because is was thought that it originated from the drooling of dragons sleeping rocks at the edge of the sea. In the Orient it is still known by this name and is used as an aphrodisiac and as a spice for food and wine.

Amber is a form of tree resin -- exuded as a protective mechanism against disease and insect infestation -- that has hardened and been preserved in the earth's crust for millions of years. Often regarded as a gem, amber is actually an organic substance whose structure has changed very little over time, unlike that of other fossilized material, in which organic matter is replaced with minerals.