Although amber has been used in jewelry and adornments probably as long as mankind has been in existence, in recent history it has had a limited market. Millions of people learned from the movie Jurassic Park that amber, which is fossilized pine tree sap, is ancient and valuable. As a result of the movie’s popularity there has been a worldwide surge in the demand for amber jewelry.
Demand is particularly strong for amber with insects inside. Because amber is like a time capsule made and placed in the earth by nature it has helped paleontologist reconstruct life on earth in its primal phases. More than 1,000 extinct species of insects have been identified in amber.