Amulets, shamans and sun discs: amber as a magic stone

Long before amber was jewelry, it was magic. People on the Baltic coast carved it, wore it and burned it to stay safe, to honour the sun and to speak with the unseen.

The treasure from the lagoon

In the 1800s, workers dredging the lagoon at Juodkrantė, on Lithuania's Curonian Spit, pulled up hundreds of Stone Age amber pieces: small human figures, animals, discs and pendants, about five thousand years old. Many scholars see them as amulets and ritual objects. Most of the originals were lost in the Second World War, but copies can be seen in Lithuanian museums.

Sun discs

Among the oldest amber finds are round discs marked with crosses and dots. They are often read as symbols of the sun. Amber is warm, golden and seems to hold light, so it was a natural stone for honouring the sun.

Worn for protection

Across Europe, amber beads were tied on children, sewn into clothing and placed in graves. An amber amulet was believed to keep away illness, bad spirits and the evil eye.

Sacred smoke

Amber burns with a sweet, pine-like smell. It was used as incense in rituals and to cleanse a home. The German word for amber, Bernstein, simply means burning stone.

The tradition is alive every time someone wears amber for luck. Find your own talisman among our amber pendants and carvings.