The Kaliningrad Amber Plant JSC (KAYK, 100% owned by Rostec) has extracted an inclusion that includes needles of an historical pine tree estimated to be 50 million years outdated, the corporate’s press service reported.
The distinctive amber specimen was found throughout handbook sorting of stones on the primary working day of the brand new yr, January 9. The plant has not extracted such inclusions for the previous 5 years, in accordance with the press launch.
The inclusion represents a uncommon case of a fraction of historical flora preserved in resin, retaining its form and coloration. The bundle of 5 pine needles has a barely greenish hue. Specialists estimate the inclusion’s age to be as much as 50 million years.
The inclusion weighs 29 grams and measures 57 by 45 mm.
“That is the primary such specimen discovered on the plant within the final 5 years. Most frequently, we extract amber with inclusions of bugs, arachnids, crustaceans, and different fauna. Plant inclusions are uncommon because of their fragility and positioning. From flora, we sometimes discover fern leaves, moss, fragments of the cypress household, and uncommon flower buds. These belong to the forest’s decrease tiers. Pine needles, a part of the higher forest tier, are difficult for resin to seize throughout its stream. For that reason, discovering an inclusion with an intact bundle of pine needles is exceptionally uncommon,” mentioned Anna Dugina, a gemologist on the plant, as quoted by the press service.
Inclusions make up about 5% of the overall quantity of clear amber extracted at KAYK. They’re manually chosen in the course of the sorting stage. The stones then endure a number of analysis phases. Relying on the dimensions and uniqueness of the inclusions, they’re divided into two grades. First-grade inclusions are polished and offered at distinctive stone auctions, whereas second-grade samples are used for jewellery and souvenirs.
The found inclusion might be polished and showcased on the public sale of distinctive amber as a part of the eighth Worldwide Financial Discussion board of the Amber Trade, AmberForum 2025.
The Kaliningrad area, notably close to the village of Yantarny, incorporates 95% of the world’s amber reserves. Within the area, industrial amber extraction is completely carried out by KAYK. In 2024, the plant extracted 627 tons of amber.
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