Amber, the hardened resin of ancient conifers, has since ancient times been used as jewelry, folk medicine and in perfumes. It has been found glittering in Mycenaean and Egyptian tombs and even in the temple of Apollo at Delphi, giving amber his Greek name "Electron".

Traded in the Baltic since antiquity, amber became a sought-after trade item, with the Amber Road an important trade artery. For several thousand years the amber road led from Europe to Asia and from Africa to the Baltic Sea, disseminating Mediterranean civilization north and giving rise to Nordic Bronze Age cultures in Scandinavia.

 By the 13th century Christian Europe demanded amber for rosary beads. Returning from the Crusades, the Teutonic Knights established a monopoly over the collection of amber, brutally enforcing it by hanging anyone caught "poaching." By the 15th century, shrewd Danzig merchants sold amber for prayer beads to Muslims in the Middle East.

 Today amber has become affordable and also the subject of scientific scrutiny. It is one of the best archives of prehistory; preserving the more fragile, ephemeral varieties of life – insects in particular. Many researchers such as Dr. George Poinar and others are investigating the DNA contained in some specimens. This has captured the public imagination, leading to novels and movies exploiting the delicious possibilities... and to the art in this website.