You might think of amber as just another pretty gemstone, but the truth is, it’s much more than that. This beautiful stone has a rich history and has been used for jewellery and medicinal purposes for thousands of years.
While gemstones and crystals like amethyst, quartz, and citrine are still popular for their healing properties, the potential benefits of amber are sometimes overlooked. In this blog, we’ll explore what amber is, what makes it unique, and the physical and mental health benefits associated with the stone.
What is amber?
When trees develop cracks or sustain any kind of damage, they secrete a sticky substance called resin. This resin acts a lot like the platelets we have in our bodies—it works like a scab, the tree’s way of trying to fix the damage and heal.
Often, this resin falls off the tree and ends up buried in the nearby soil. The deeper it’s buried, the more it’s exposed to pressure and heat. After thousands of years under these conditions, resin forms the stone we know as amber.
Due to its origins as fossilised tree resin, amber is generally categorised as an organic gemstone. It’s usually at least 40 million years old, as it takes a long time to become truly fossilised.
This fossilisation creates the beautiful golden yellow or deep orange shades of amber stones we recognise today.
What are the healing properties of amber?
Amber is associated with endless health benefits for the body, mind, and spirit. It’s a special stone that’s been used in various ways for millennia, and for good reason.
Benefits of amber for physical health
The ancient Greeks and Romans were said to have used amber for its medicinal purposes. We carry on that tradition today, using amber to help ease pain in people of all ages.
Wearing an amber necklace has long been used to calm teething pain in babies and is said to help soothe everything from headaches to rheumatoid arthritis.
But how? The secret to amber’s natural painkilling properties is succinic acid.
This acid is naturally found in amber and has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial qualities.
Most amber is thought to have around 3%-8% succinic acid. That’s a lot of potential for pain relief and immune system support!
If you’re recovering from illness or injury, amber may help by attracting healthy energies, stimulating the body’s natural healing processes. Some report that the natural energy amber radiates also helps reduce feelings of fatigue.
Benefits of amber for mental and emotional health
Amber is said to have just as many, if not more, healing qualities for the mind as it has for the body.
Amber has been believed to deflect or absorb negative energy when worn or kept close to the body, calming the mind, reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and providing comfort in stressful times.
Negativity can be contagious, so it’s important to protect your well-being and shield your peace of mind whenever possible. Wearing or carrying a protective stone like amber may help you feel safer, calmer, more positive, and more in control of your emotional health.
Benefits of amber for spiritual health
Amber may play an important role in improving our sense of spiritual connection.
There are seven main energy points in our bodies, often referred to as ‘chakras’, situated all along the spine. These energy points help to keep us spiritually, mentally, and physically balanced.
Amber is strongly associated with keeping two of these chakras aligned: the sacral and the solar plexus chakras.
Sacral Chakra
The sacral chakra is believed to be located below the navel and is connected to our emotions, creative self expression, and experience of pleasure.
When this chakra is in balance, we feel creative, emotionally calm, and connected to our sensual selves.
When this chakra gets obstructed, symptoms can manifest in a number of ways.
Physically, we can experience:
- Lower back pain
- Bladder issues
- Kidney problems
Mentally, we can feel:
- Insecure
- Low libido
- Fatigued
- Creatively uninspired
Solar Plexus Chakra
The solar plexus chakra is located near the sacral chakra, above the navel. It’s associated with your sense of purpose, self-esteem, and personal identity. The solar plexus chakra also rules over your metabolism and digestion.
When this chakra becomes blocked, you can experience physical symptoms like:
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Ulcers
- Abdominal pain
Mental and emotional symptoms may include:
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty in setting boundaries
- Uncontrolled anger
- Lack of direction
According to folkloric traditions, amber can deflect negative energies, stimulate creativity, and boost vitality. Wearing or carrying amber stone may provide the sense of emotional harmony associated with keeping these chakras aligned.
Beauty and balance, in pure Baltic amber
When it comes to amber, there may be more at work than meets the eye. It’s not just a pretty stone to wear; this semi-precious gemstone has been associated with physical and emotional health in folkloric traditions for centuries.
We specialise in only the highest-quality Baltic amber, selecting only the purest pieces of this powerful stone for our jewellery. Our 100% authentic Baltic amber is never pressed, keeping its natural colour, texture, and integrity intact.
With years of artisanal expertise, you’ll receive nothing less than exquisite amber pieces from Sapfire.
Explore the healing properties of amber today with something special from our range of handcrafted pieces—straight from the designers’ workshops in the Baltic region.
Browse our collection and find a piece of beautiful balance in our brilliant Baltic amber.
