Through the ages amber has been a coveted jewel for its unique beauty and intriguing window on history. According to Smithsonian magazine, Romans adorned their armor with the orangish tree resin for luck, and in the 18th century the then Prussian king presented Russian czar Peter the Great with a room entirely paneled in amber pieces. More recently, interest in amber was revived with the pivotal role of the resin in the billion-dollar grossing movie Jurassic Park in 1993. Although the excitement inspired by the movie has waned, amber remains a popular stone among collectors and jewelers. Currently, Bangkok sales are on the upswing, as evidenced at the local March gem and jewelry show where several jewelry producers and stone dealers offered an attractive range of amber.
One connoisseur is Eugenios Petrides, GG, FGA, a Greek-Cypriot with a love for gemstones, insects and photography. Although Petrides is not a paleontologist, he combines his passions in this photo essay examining the remnants of plants and insects entombed in the resin more than 30 million years ago.
Amber is found around the globe, but the best-known deposits are in the Baltic area and the Dominican Republic. Finds from the Dominican Republic are the most included with insects, bees, ants and termites, due to the country’s warmer climate and diverse animal and plant life. The resin ranges from the rare green and blue colors to the more common shades of orange, yellow, brown and gold.
Shown here are photomicrographs by Petrides of nine stones, each bought at the Tuscon gem show in February and valued between $50-$2,000. He used a Canon EOS1 caners with Fuji Velvia ASA 50 film.