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Baltic amber is conifer resin that lost the largest part of its volatile components during fossilization. Baltic amber is fossil resin produced by pine trees which grew in Northern Europe about 50 million years ago. The resin was washed out of the forest floor by large rivers and transported south towards the sea. In the course of time the resin was transformed to amber due to processes of polymerization and oxidation.
Tree resins were very fluid and solidified very quickly through evaporation. Tree resins are the main amber material. They are transparent, bright yellow-the colors of fresh honey. This color (clear amber) remains after the resin is transformed into amber, however variations in the resins could affect it:

• Resins were made turbid by volatile elements, which had been evaporating (color shades can change from yellow to absolute white).
• Various admixtures that got into resins could make their own alterations (blue, green, black, and brown).
• Oxidation could darken, concentrate previous color (red, black, rich yellow).

Amber can be absolutely transparent or absolutely opaque.

Transparent (with a yellowish shade). This color of amber could be called "primary"- fresh tree resins are like this. About 10% of amber are transparent, but this is mostly found in small pieces. Big transparent amber pieces are especially rare and valuable. The shade of transparency could change from yellowish to dark red; it depends on the degree of amber oxidation. Inclusions are usually found in foliated transparent amber.

Red. Natural red shade is especially rare (0.5%). Red shades can vary from orange to dark black. This color of amber is mostly obtained artificially by heating transparent amber (oxidizing it).

Yellow. This is the most common color of amber (about 70% of all colors). As a rule this amber is cloudy, not transparent, it occurs in various shades of yellow. This amber is an inherent part of national female costume.

White. White amber is very rare (about 1-2% of all amber). Usually this amber is distinguished by its variety of textures and "natural ornamentation". Amber of this color is also called "Royal" or "Bony". It could be with some "colorful intrusions" (yellow, black, blue, green, transparent amber) with interesting patterns.

Blue. This is the rarest shade of amber and the most valuable (only 0.2% of all amber). Most frequently this shade is found in white amber.

Green. Greenish amber is also rare (about 2% of all colors). Green transparent amber is very interesting, as it has "sugar structure".

Black. This is a frequent color of amber (about 15%). It is attractive because of it is natural - the largest part of black amber consists of the remains of tree barks and vegetal matter.

Amber is not always one-colored: the unique combinations of two or more colors and shades, patterns (sometimes they form the most brilliant compositions of art) can be found. For these reasons amber becomes attractive, charming and unique.
Different amber pieces are found from crumbs of 1-2mm to bars one meter long and about 10kg weight. Few big amber pieces are known - if a piece is bigger it is more rare. The biggest amber piece is 47cm long and 9.817kg weight. It is in Berlin Natural Science Museum. The biggest piece of amber in Lithuania is in Amber Museum, weighs 3.689 kg.