Amber with insect inclusion

Item Description

By definition, Amber is not actually a mineral, as the, "geological definition of mineral normally excludes compounds that occur only in living organisms" according to the entry on Wikipedia. With that said, over the centuries several organic materials that have found their way into the gem and mineral world, e.g., Coral, Pearls, Bone, etc.. When it comes to specimens of Amber, there are a fair number of localities where the material is fond, but collectors love Dominican Amber because it is some of the best quality in terms of clarity and color. The popularity of Amber really started to spike after it was featured in the first Jurassic Park film, and whether you consider this to be a fossil or a mineral specimen, you can't deny that it's just plain cool. These pieces are beloved because sometimes they feature superb insect "fossils" frozen within. This wonderful thumbnail sized piece of this well-known material featuring a single flying insect inclusion (possibly a mosquito or gnat) that is clearly visible through the transparent rich golden Amber host material. Specimen weight is 9.20 carats.