In the Eocene period, around 55 to 35 million years ago, the present-day Baltic Sea region was land, while Jutland lay beneath the ocean. In this subtropical climate, the so-called amber forest spread across the landscape. The amber forest was home to the great amber pines, which could grow up to 40 meters tall, and stood side by side with trees like maple and oak. As the climate cooled, the amber pine became extinct.

The enormous amounts of resin produced in the amber forest were later carried far and wide by rivers, ocean currents, ice, and meltwater. This is why amber can now be found in many different types of deposits, even though it originally came from this subtropical forest region.

Amber is often mistakenly described as a fossil, but this is a common misunderstanding. Amber is not fossilized resin, but rather hardened resin. According to the Danish Dictionary, fossilization is defined as: “being transformed into stone (or into an imprint in stone) by being covered and filled with particles of rock, such as silica.” Amber does not undergo this process but retains its organic origin.

Amber is incredibly fascinating, partly because it can contain tiny inclusions of insects and plant material that were trapped in the resin before it hardened millions of years ago. These inclusions give amber its unique character and make it a valuable material for both jewelry making and scientific research.