Amber is fossilized sap of an extinct tree that lived in the subtropical forests during the Eocene period, sixty-million years ago. It exists as a golden or yellow substance that is warm to the touch. Some amber is red and deeply iridescent while other amber is green. Most amber is buried over one hundred feet deep and is mined like precious stones, but occasionally storms will dislodge amber from the sea floor and chunks will be found on sandy beaches.

Rare amber has "inclusions" like this ancient fly, frozen in time. Amber beads have been found in ten-thousand year old graves and it is believed that amber was the first natural substance used to adorn the human body.