Amber is a truly stunning gemstone with which to design jewelry. It results from fossilized tree resin, which gives it a one-of-a-kind appearance – soft and glowing like pine resin catching the sunlight. Most people associate amber with a warm blend of yellow and brown. However, it can occur as a dark brown, orange, or pale yellow. It's very light-weight, which makes it well-suited for earrings.

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It is semi-translucent and tends towards a soft glow (rather than a glitter) when backlit by strong light. Because it really is fossilized tree resin, pieces of amber sometimes contain intriguing imperfections such as air bubbles, flecks of plant matter, and even little pieces of insect like a leg or wing. Much of the world's amber comes from northern places such as Russia and the Baltic states.

Since amber is a relatively soft and flexible material, it can be drilled without the possible shattering that can occur with brittle minerals such as quartz. Because it's light-weight, it can be attached with ease via jewelry-making adhesive to various backings.

Always use glue and other adhesives with caution in that not just any glue will do. Some types of adhesives may cause chemical damage to a substance as soft as amber, so you'll want to work with a type intended specifically for jewelry-making and test the adhesive first on a small piece of amber to be safe.

If you do choose to glue amber to a backing, pick a type of backing that isn't completely enclosed. Amber when attached to open framework (for example, a ring of metal rather than a disk) that allows the light to shine in from behind can look enchanting, especially in earrings that hang free from the lobes and catch the light.

I mostly see amber as classic round beads that can be strung with other materials to form attractive necklaces, dangle earrings, and pendants. Amber is not generally seen as an edgy, striking element with which to make avant garde jewelry though it certainly can be incorporated into some stunning designs.

On its own, its soft warmth gives it a pleasingly old-fashioned connotation much like cameo jewelry. Its bulk (in the form of beads or larger pieces) and sunlit aspect also give it a warm and outdoorsy look that would cause it to pair well with leather thongs and organic elements such as pendants or beads made of polished bone, wood, or shell.

Amber is complemented by warm metals such as copper, bronze, and gold and semi-translucent or opaque beads such as pearls and carnelians all in the warm-tone spectrum. On the other hand, you could work against type and pair it with silver for a striking contrast.

In my second photo (in a necklace not designed by me), you see pale yellow and darker orange pieces of amber unexpectedly alternating with turquoise! Turquoise is a similarly earthy and outdoorsy gemstone, though it is very different in appearance (not even in the same color spectrum and completely opaque). I never would have considered making a necklace with these two elements, but I have to admit that it looks good.