Amber

Amber is an organic material made up of fossilized natural botanic resins; it is a mixture of hydrocarbons with a hardness of 2 to 2.5.  The ancient Greek term for Amber was elektron, a word referring to the sun.  Amber is known to develop an electric charge when rubbed, and our word 'electricity' derives from the ancient Greek term for Amber.  The word 'Amber' comes from ambar, the Arabic word for ambergris, a similarly colored material discharged from the sperm whale and used in making perfumes. 

Amber occurs in a range of different colors. As well as the usual yellow-orange-brown that is associated with the color "amber", amber itself can range from a whitish color through a pale lemon yellow, to brown and almost black. Other more uncommon colors include red amber (sometimes known as "cherry amber"), green amber, and even blue amber, which is rare and highly sought after.

Amber has been fashioned into jewelry and ornaments for thousands of years.  In Egypt, it was used at least 4,500 years ago, and Amber beads dating back to 2000 B.C. have been found in Crete.  In Europe during the Middle Ages, rosary beads made from Amber were so popular that the available supplies were exhausted.

In the mythology of ancient Greece, Amber was created when Phaeton, son of the sun god Helios, was struck and killed by lightning.  The grief of his sisters was so great that it turned them to poplar trees, and their tears were transformed to droplets of Amber.

In Asia, Amber has also been used as a Traditional Chinese Medicine to calm the spirit and treat anxiety, excessive dreams, insomnia, poor memory, convulsions and seizures.  Amber is also known to reduce swellings, promote healing.

According to the references, Amber is also believed to have the following metaphysical properties:

• Warms the inner being and activates the life force, as well as one's emotional desire for wellness.
• Is a beneficial stone to be worn by those who are elderly.
• Spur one's innate capacity to manifest prosperity.
• Align the ethereal energies to the physical, mental and emotional bodies.
• Cleanses the environment in which it rest.
• Purify ones body mind and spirit when worn.
• Act as tonic to improve energy ( qi ) circulation.
• Is a valuable ally for sealing the aura after extraction and clearing.

References

1. The Book of Stones – Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian
2. Love is the Earth – Melody
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber
4. http://tcm.health-info.org/Herbology.Materia.Medica/hupo-properties.htm
 

More pictures of Amber here.