Our ancestors believed in the magical power of stones and minerals. Extraordinary abilities to heal, ward off the evil eye and connect with invisible bonds were attributed to them. Amber, the magic resin of the forest or « hardened dew, fallen from heaven », as the Arabs called it, was especially appreciated. People have learned not only to use it for medicinal purposes, but also create flawless jewelry masterpieces over thousands years of the existence of civilization. One can look at their best samples at Amber Museum, which was created on the basis of Decorative Art Museum in cooperation with Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
• HISTORY OF AMBER Amber is not just a mineral, as many people mistakenly believe. It is the fossil resin of prehistoric trees that are 40 to 90 million years old. In nature, there are up to 600 different colors and shades of amber. 90 % of its world reserves are concentrated in Kaliningrad, in the layer of“ blue clay”( the remains of prehistoric forests). The world’ s only industrial complex for commercial production of fossil resin is situated here. Amber is extracted in open-pit mines with an area of 1 sq. km and depth of up to 200 m. The largest collection of amber from all over the world, that is, about 500,000 showpieces of various colors, shades, shapes and kinds, is kept here in the chamber space. One of the most unique objects of the exposition is the dinosaur’ s paw print in a piece of amber that is 75 million years old. Moreover, there is the Caribbean
collection of incredible green amber found on the island of Hispañola. It has such an unusual color due to volcanic ash. Besides, there are jewelries made of amber and gold that received numerous awards at International competitions, and are a part of the most famous collections of world museums.
Specialists of the museum, who speak English and Chinese fluently, will tell and show how the young amber differs from the old one, how and why it acquires its color and shape. Moreover, they will tell how an authentic stone can be distinguished from a high-quality counterfeit.
• WHY IS IT A DROP OF THE SUN? The cost of a yellow stone depends on several criteria, such as: color, transparency, size, number of cracks and « inclusions »— the remains of prehistoric needles, insects and small vertebrates. Nowadays, a large piece of amber costs even more than gold. Those who want to see the birth of amber should go to Amber factory, which is conveniently located on the way from the center of Moscow to Sheremetyevo international airport. Here, guests can observe processing of amber and, most importantly, process any stone they like themselves. In the course of processing the stone, the air is filled with the wonderful aroma of natural succinic acid, which has a beneficial effect on health and well-being. This is a great opportunity to improve your health and broaden your outlook.
МУЗЕЙ ЯНТАРЯ / THE AMBER MUSEUM: Москва, Делегатская д. 3 стр. 1. / Moscow, Delegatskaya street, 3 b. 1. Телефон / Phone: 8-967-212-62-82 Часы работы: с 10-00 до 20-00 / Working hours: from 10-00 to 20-00
ФАБРИКА ЯНТАРЯ / FACTORY AMBER: Москва, ул. З. и А. Космодемьянских д. 34 стр. 3 Moscow, St. Z. and A. Kosmodem’ yanskikh. d. 34 b. 3 Телефон / Phone: 8-903-725-93-79 E-mail: info @ house-amber. ru www. house-amber. ru | amber. moscow | amber-moscow. cn Часы работы: с 10-00 до 20-00 / Working hours: from 10-00 till 20-00
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