January 26: International Day of Clean Energy

Amongst the classic gemstones, amber has its special place. As fossilised tree resin, it’s an organic gem, with unique qualities. The Greek believed it originated from the tears of the Heliads, daughters of sun god Helios. When they lost their brother, who fell out of the sky while making a joyride in his father’s flaming charriot, they wept endlessly. Zeus pitied them, and changed them into black poplars. Their tears kept appearing on the trunks, in the form of sun-coloured amber. The Greek word for amber is “elektron”, and that’s what “electricity” is derived from. The ancients had noticed that the stones attracted little particles when rubbed, and this supernatural quality made them all the more desirable. Only decently married women from the highest classes were supposed to wear them. In these modern times, we barely notice the static electricity, and if we do, we call in physics. But for the ancient Greeks, the stones held more than beauty. And if you wear them, you might remember a world where fantasy and magic were part of daily life.