Amber is not a stone or a mineral, but a prehistoric resin, an organic substance composed of 80% of carbon.

The name comes from the medium German “burnen”, which means “to burn” and indicates one of the features of amber, which today is used to identify it – amber easily burns, giving off a pleasant, characteristic aroma.

Other properties of amber are a small specific gravity, thanks to which it floats in salted water and a small hardness that allows scratching with a steel needle blade.

An important feature of Baltic amber is the content of succinic acid, which is associated with its health properties.