Amber is the fossilised resin of pine trees and was formed around 50 million years ago. Amber is the earliest used gem material of all – it has been used since prehistoric times for jewellery and religious objects. Most amber is golden yellow to golden orange but green, red, violet and black amber has been found. Amber is transparent to translucent and has been found to contain everything from pine needles to lizards, which were trapped millions of years ago when the resin was still sticky. Amber is a soft gemstone and should be cleaned only in warm soapy water.