Smithsonian Multicolored Amber Floral Necklace Whimsical, airy and stunning this necklace can be worn with casual or dressy outfits and has a natural sophisication. Lobster claw clasp on coat silvertone wire with amber bead accents to the stunning center flower. Natural variations will occur. About 18" long with the amber flowers about 1 3/4" across. Locations where amber is mined: Africa, South America, New Zealand and Eurasia. Depending on location, the age of amber ranges from 1-90 millions years old. In essence, amber is a time capsule preserving compressed organic matter, such as insects, and even little animals. Known as the "Window to the Past", honey amber tells many fantastic stories from long, long ago. Cognac (or Honey) is the color most commonly associated with the amber gemstone. Inclusions show up very nicely in this shade of amber. Often times, stones are selected merely on how the inclusions reflect light as the jewelry is worn. Amber is a conductor of heat, and provides healing energy if worn close to the skin. The history of amber begins about 90 million years ago in lush green forests in the region of modern day Northern Europe. Trees in these regions produced an aromatic resin, used for protection against woodpeckers, fungus and bark-eating insects. This resin would slowly cascade covering the bark of the tree entrapping organic debris and sometimes live insects along the way. Nearly 40 different species of trees produced this protective resin, accounting for the numerous colors of amber today. Over millions of years, this golden resin produced by pre-historic trees accumulated in many layers in the soil below. With the onset of The Great Ice Age, these forests perished, the soil froze and the fossilization process began creating deposits of beautiful amber. After The Great Ice, melted glaciers flowed on top of the amber deposits, forming the Baltic and North Seas. Due to this geological occurrence, amber found its new home in the sea. The gem spent many thousands of years below 100 feet of sand at the sea bottom. After violent sea storms, various lumps of amber would separate and float among the waves, eventually reaching the shore to be discovered.