Amber is
fossilized tree
resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since
Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a
gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects. Amber is used in
jewelry. It has also been used as a healing agent in
folk medicine.
There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents. Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes contains animal and plant material as
inclusions. Amber occurring in coal seams is also called
resinite, and the term
ambrite is applied to that found specifically within
New Zealand coal seams.
