Amber is the resin drop of coniferous plants dating back 45-99 million years ago. It was buried underground for tens of millions of years and petrified under the action of pressure and heat, so it is also called "rosin fossil".

Amber comes in various shapes, and its surface often retains the lines produced when the resin originally flowed. Bubbles and ancient insect, animal or plant debris are often visible inside.

Common amber types: gold amber, gold-blue amber, green tea amber, black tea amber, blood amber, shade amber, flower amber, brown-red amber, blue amber, green amber, insect amber, beeswax, amber root, Burmese root amber, etc.

On March 6, 2016, Chinese scientists discovered the oldest amber ore in the world so far, which is about 99 million years old.

In ancient China, amber was called tiger soul, Yupei, beast soul, Dunmu, Jiangzhu, Yiyu, etc. It was said that "the spirit of a dead tiger turned into stone when it entered the ground", or that amber was the tears shed by a tiger. These legends

It contains the speculation and pursuit of amber by the ancient Chinese, implying that people believe that amber has the function of attracting good luck, avoiding evil, and calming the mind.

Amber is the resin of coniferous plants from the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era to the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic Era. It is an organic mixture formed by geological processes.

The formation of amber generally has three stages. The first stage is when the resin is secreted from the cypress tree. The second stage is when the resin is deeply buried and petrified. The composition, structure and characteristics of the resin have all undergone obvious changes;

The third stage is the erosion, transportation, deposition and diagenesis of petrified resin to form amber.

The morphological characteristics are amorphous and often produced in the form of nodules, tumors, and droplets.

Some, such as the annual rings of trees, have a radial texture; they may contain animal remains, plant fragments, etc.

Amber has low hardness, light texture, astringency, warmth, and gem-like luster and crystal clarity. Another feature of amber is that it contains particularly rich inclusions, such as insects, plants, minerals, etc.

Amber characteristics: The ecological environment is mainly distributed in the sediments of Cretaceous and Tertiary period sandy conglomerates and coal seams.

After harvesting and storage, impurities such as sand, gravel, soil, etc. are removed from the ground or coal seams.

Amber is light in texture and easy to store. Flawless amber has a very high collection value.

The shapes of animals and plants are mostly irregular granular, massive, stalactite and granular.

Sometimes the interior contains fossilized plants or insects.

The colors are yellow, brown and red-yellow.

The streaks are white or light yellow.

With rosin luster.

Transparent to opaque.

The fracture is extremely shell-shaped, with a hardness of 2 to 2.5 and a specific gravity of 1.05 to 1.09.

Extremely brittle.

Frictional charging.

Distribution of origin: Baltic countries (such as Vilnius), Myanmar, Dominican Republic, and China. It is distributed in Liaoning, Henan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Chun'an Qiandao Lake and other provinces in Zhejiang.

In 2011, when I explored the thousand-year-old ancient city at the bottom of Qiandao Lake, I discovered a large amount of amber.

Amber has also been found in many mountains around Qiandao Lake.

The history of amber: Amber was born between 40 million and 60 million years ago, belonging to what is known as the Eocene in geology. It is produced from precious pine resin after being extruded by high pressure and high heat from the earth's rock formations.

Qualitative fossils.

Amber is a non-crystalline organic semi-precious stone, exquisite and light, with a warm and delicate touch.

Most amber is transparent, and its colors are diverse and varied. Yellow is the most common, but there are also red, green and extremely rare blue.

Amber was called "?" or "Yijade" in ancient China. Legend has it that it is the soul of a tiger, so it is also called "tiger soul".

Amber has been regarded as a precious treasure since ancient times because it comes from pine resin, and pine trees symbolize longevity in China.

Some amber does not need to be ignited, but can release a charming rosin scent with just a slight touch. It has a calming effect and is widely used as religious artifacts.

Chinese people have loved the scent of pine since ancient times, and regard amber and ambergris as precious spices. According to the Tang Dynasty (Xijing Miscellaneous Notes), Zhao Feiyan, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, would sleep on an amber pillow to absorb the aroma.

After 1,600 BC, residents along the Baltic Sea used tin and amber as currency to trade with tribes in the southern region in exchange for copper weapons or other tools.

In the second millennium BC, the Mycenaeans, Phoenicians and Etruscans in central Europe formed an amber commercial network (Note: Etruria is an ancient country located in western Italy).

During the same period, Baltic amber spread to the east coast of the Mediterranean via the Aegean Sea.

Archaeologists have excavated bottles and pots from the Mycenaean civilization in ancient Greece in Syria, and found Baltic amber necklaces in the containers.

In the fifth century AD, the Romans went on an expedition to the Baltic Sea in search of amber. During this period, the amber trade reached an unprecedented level.

In the Middle Ages, Baltic amber was popular for its use as religious artifacts.

In the East, amber is also cherished by various peoples, especially the Arabs, Persians, Turks and Chinese.