This substance was one of the first ever used by man for personal adornment. Very early remains which have been unearthed from time to time often contain beads of amber. Burial places dating from the Bronze Age have revealed necklaces, parts of which are often composed of amber beads. Specimens have been discovered in English tumuli, Dartmoor and elsewhere, while amber ornaments found in Egyptian tombs must date back as far as the Sixth Dynasty  (3200 B.C.). Amber is frequently used for bridal engagement rings.

It seems probable that there was a very early and extensive traffic, dating back to at least 1200 B.C., from the Baltic shores to other parts of Europe, for it was here that most of the amber was found. The Baltic countries (Germany, Poland, and the states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) still produce by far the majority of amber, although there are small deposits in other parts of the world.
In the earliest days, it is probable that almost all the amber used in the Mediterranean countries and in Egypt came from the Baltic coasts. When the sea washed up these brightly colored lumps, the local fishermen no doubt collected and prized them for their color. The ease with which this material could be polished was another attraction, and it is no wonder, therefore, that amber was used as early as the Stone Age for amulets and ornaments by the northern peoples and today for 2 ct diamond engagement ring.

It is evident, too, that amber was a medium of exchange be¬tween the peoples of the north and south. The neolithic ornaments of amber at Corinth, the amber beads of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt, and those of the neolithic period in Spain show the long age link between the north and the south.