Our amber jewelry is a product of nature and like humans, no two are alike. That is what adds to the character and mystique of amber.  We guarantee our jewelry to be authentic Baltic Amber set in .925 sterling silver. All items are brand new. We do not sell used products. Each item is photographed at a high resolution so you can see the fine detail before purchasing. Precise sizes are included in each individual description. Measurements are for the entire piece. What you see is exactly what you get.

We are able to offer you these great prices on Amber Jewelry because we buy direct from Baltic Craftsman. This means that each item is shipped to us from Europe as it is sold. You can expect your purchases to arrive within 10 – 21 days from the date we receive payment. International shipments take a few days longer. Our amber jewelry is a product of nature and like humans, no two are alike. That is what adds to the character and mystique of amber.  We guarantee our jewelry to be authentic Baltic Amber set in .925 sterling silver. All items are brand new. We do not sell used products. Each item is photographed at a high resolution so you can see the fine detail before purchasing. Precise sizes are included in each individual description. Measurements are for the entire piece. What you see is exactly what you get. Map showing where Baltic Amber is gathered.

The name comes from the Arabic, ‘anbar, probably through Spanish, but this word referred originally to ambergris, which is an animal substance quite distinct from yellow amber. True amber has sometimes been called kahroba, a word of Persian derivation signifying "that which attracts straw", in allusion to the power which amber possesses of acquiring an electric charge by friction. This property, first recorded by Thales of Miletus, suggested the word "electricity", from the Greek, elektron, a name applied, however, not only to amber but also to an alloy of gold and silver.

 

By Latin writers amber is variously called electrum, sucinum (succinum), and glaesum or glesum. The Old Hebrew hashmal seems to have meant amber, although Modern Hebrew uses Arabic-inspired `inbar. The German word is Bernstein.

Amber, which has no primitive uses, has been found at Neolithic sites far from its source on the shores of the Baltic sea, mute witness, like obsidian, to long-distance trade routes established before the Bronze Age. There is strong evidence for the theory that the Baltic coasts during the advanced civilization of the Nordic Bronze Age was the source of most amber in Europe, for example the amber jewelry found in graves from Mycenaean Greece has been found to originate from the Baltic Sea. Amber was mentioned by Homer, Hesiod (Theogony 337f.) Aristotle, Plato and others. Pliny the Elder complains that a small statue of amber costs more than a healthy slave. Tacitus in his Germania talks about the Aesti people as the only ones to gather amber from the Baltic Sea.

During the 14th century, the Teutonic Knights controlled the production of amber in Europe, forbidding its unauthorised collection from beaches on the Baltic coastline under their jurisdiction, and punishing breakers of this ordinance with death.

The Dutch name barnsteen and German Bernstein comes from the Low Germanic börnen which means burning. This is likely related to the fact that amber can, indeed, burn.

02. Inclusions in Amber

The resin contains, in addition to the beautifully preserved plant-structures, numerous remains of insects, spiders, annelids, crustaceans and other small organisms which became enveloped while the exudation was fluid. In most cases the organic structure has disappeared, leaving only a cavity, with perhaps a trace of chitin. Even hair and feathers have occasionally been represented among the enclosures

An insect trapped in amber. The amber piece is 50 mm (2.0 inches) long.

 

Fragments of wood frequently occur, with the tissues well-preserved by impregnation with the resin; while leaves, flowers and fruits are occasionally found in marvellous perfection. Sometimes the amber retains the form of drops and stalactites, just as it exuded from the ducts and receptacles of the injured trees. The abnormal development of resin has been called succinosis. Impurities are quite often present, especially when the resin dropped on to the ground, so that the material may be useless except for varnish-making, whence the impure amber is called firniss. Enclosures of pyrites may give a bluish colour to amber.

The so-called black amber is only a kind of jet. Bony amber owes its cloudy opacity to minute bubbles in the interior of the resin. In the Dominican Republic exists a type of amber known as the Blue Amber.

03. The Amber Chamber

The original Amber Room in the Catherine Palace of Tsarskoe Selo near Saint Petersburg was a complete chamber decoration of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors. Due to its singular beauty, it was sometimes dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

The Amber Room was created from 1701 to 1709 in Prussia and remained at Charlottenburg Palace until 1716 when it was given by Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I to his then ally, Tsar Peter the Great of the Russian Empire. The parts of the Amber Room was evacuated during World War II to Königsberg, and knowledge of its whereabouts was lost in the chaos at the end of the war. Its exact fate remains a mystery to this day, and the search for it has been one of the greatest treasure hunts of all time.

Amber Room before WWII was a complete chamber decoration of amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors.

The Amber Room was made from 1701 onwards in order to be installed at Charlottenburg Palace, home of Friedrich I, the first king of Prussia, at the urging of his second wife, Sophie Charlotte. The concept of the room and its design was by Andreas Schlüter. It was crafted by Gottfried Wolfram, master craftsman to the Danish court of King Frederick IV of Denmark, with help from the amber masters Ernst Schacht and Gottfried Turau from Danzig (Gdañsk).

It did not, however, remain at Charlottenburg for long. Peter the Great admired it on a visit and in 1716, Friedrich Wilhelm I, the first kings son, presented it to him, and with that act cemented a Prussian-Russian alliance against Sweden.

In 1755 Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia had it transferred and installed, first in the Winter Palace, and then in the Catherine Palace. From Berlin, Frederick II the Great sent her more Baltic amber, in order to fill out the originals in the new design by the tsarinas Italian court architect, Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

The Amber Room represented a joint effort of German and Russian craftsmen. After several other 18th-century renovations, it covered more than 55 square meters and contained over six tonnes of amber. It took over ten years to construct.

• How long will it take to receive my purchase?

We are able to offer you these great prices on Amber Jewelry because we buy direct from Baltic Craftsman. This means that each item is shipped to us from Europe as it is sold. You can expect your purchases to arrive within 10 – 21 days from the date we receive payment. International shipments take a few days longer.

When ordering for holidays, please order early to allow for seasonal postal delays

• Do you offer a guarantee?

Yes. All of our merchandise is unconditionally guaranteed. You may return any item within five (5) days of receipt if you are not completely satisfied; however shipping and handling fees are non-refundable. For specialty items over $20 .A restocking fee of 25% will be deducted.

Due to hygine reasons we are not able to accept returns of earrings. Please take it under consideration when placing an order.

We are certified by The Amber Association of Poland and sell only genuine Baltic Amber and .925 Sterling. We proudly exhibit that seal

 

• What methods of payment do you accept?

We prefer Paypal payments and our Paypal payment address is amber@singerselect.com

We also accept: Money Orders or Cashier Checks.

No personal or company checks please.

Please make Money Orders or Cashier’s checks payable to:

Singerselect.com
PO Box 8951
Jupiter, Florida 33468
United States

You must include with your payment a notation of your transaction #, and your Email address. No personal or Company checks please. If you have not paid at closing your payment must be made within 3 days, in order not to delay delivery.(If mailing payment we understand that it will take longer to receive.)