A gorgeous combination of various African Amber beads for your own necklace design! Baltic Amber, a fossilized tree resin, has been prized and coveted for its colour and natural beauty since ancient times. Because this amber is relatively rare and therefore expensive, there have been many attempts to replace it with other natural and synthetic resins. Research by Angela Fisher (author of Africa Adorned) and others suggests that very little African "amber" is 'true' amber. Most is probably made in Europe and carved in Africa. Some may be Copal resin (young tree resin) that is formed into beads, some may be a blend of natural and manmade resins, and some may be made from phenolic plastic. Horn that is a byproduct has also been called African amber. Even hard wood has been use and then called 'African Amber'. Funky Frog loves all the various kinds of 'African Amber' beads for their own intrinsic beauty and worth. 5 Combos to choose from!