Here at Ginger we are proud to offer a massive range of beautiful Amber jewellery. Our collection extends from simple pendants and earrings to brooches, rings, bracelets and stunning, exclusive one off pieces. We carry a choice all traditional amber colours from pale yellow (Lemon Amber) to orange (Cognac Amber) to dark brown and green.
We are also quite chuffed with ourselves because we are the only stockists of such a vast collection of Amber for several miles around!
All our amber is sourced from International Amber Association approved dealers, which guarantees that;
- All amber goods are manufactured solely from succinite - the Baltic Amber.
- Refraining from the production of surrogates from pressed Amber and other synthesized resins.
- Manufacturing of Amber jewellery exclusively from Sterling Silver or 14ct Gold or above and their alloys.
- Observance of the rules of Fair Trade.
Due to the size of our Amber collection we aren't selling via Gingerbits.co.uk at present (this may change in the future if you Amber lovers kick up enough of a stink!) but if you have any special requirements that you are having trouble sourcing or if you are just curious please feel free to email us with all the details and we will do our very bestest to help where we can... 'cos we're nice like that, you know!
Now for the scientific stuff...
Amber started life as something as unexciting as tree sap. A thick, sticky substance produced by the tree to protect itself from disease and to repair damage.
Baltic amber comes in a wealth of varieties produced by the great differenced in the degree of its translucency and colour - from pale yellow through numerous shades of yellow to white, bluish, greenish, beige and brown. These are among the factors which make amber such a highly desirable and valued raw material in the fold art and jewellery trades.
Amber can be "contaminated" by organic matter and wood splinters during the fossilisation process. This is quite normal and a lot of people prefer amber with such inclusions. This type of amber is known an the earth variety, even though it has nothing to do with soil, or is sometimes referred to as clinker. Earth amber frequently contains numerous air bubbles which were produced during the decaying process and sometimes also contains plant and animal inclusions. Earth amber is usually either brown or greenish in colour.
The internal structure and colour of primary varieties of amber is subject to change dependent on air, humidity and light levels and other weathering processes which can turn it from yellow to red or orange. Changes in its internal structure lead to the appearance of numerous cracks within any given piece, resulting in what is referred to as a sugar - crystal structure. Weathered amber is also covered by a "cortex" or "crust" making its surface coarse and uneven. The greatest degree of weathering is displayed by amber which has lain in deposits above the surface of the water-table for a prolonged period of time. Similarly, pieces of amber which make up part of an old collection, or those which have been exposed to the effects of light, as is often the case with display items, change colour from yellow to red and orange, or from white to yellowish.
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