Amber is millions of years old, research indicates it could be anywhere from 10 million to 300 million years old. This precious material is actually a tree resin which seeped from the bark of the tree millions of years ago, depositing in sediments. These Amber sediments over time become fossilised.
Interestingly organic matter such as animals, insects, spiders and plant debris can be seen inside Amber gemstones. The tree protects itself from insects by secreting resin.
Insect bearing Amber can be found in the Baltics and the Dominican Republic. These fascinating types of inclusions within Amber, allows palaeontologists to view insects which often belong to an extinct species. They can even figure out where these insects spent most of their time, it may have been feeding on leaves, scavenging in ponds or pollinating flowers.