People rush to join Treasure Hunt of modern-day gold on the Russian coast

#Kaliningrad #Amber #BalticSea #fossilizedresin It is a modern-day gold rush and young and old alike join in the Treasure Hunt along the Samland coast in the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast region. It is sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and is the scene of people picking up the precious amber – or fossilized resin.
This product is worth a fortune because Amber is fossilized tree resin and its high value is attributed to its color and natural beauty ever since Neolithic times. It is like a gemstone and used in jewelry, apart from its use in perfumes, and in traditional medicine.
Amber is not unique to Russia but is found all over the world – however, nearly 90 percent of the world’s amber is found in this region of the Samland coast in the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast region.
Hordes of people are reported to be diving into the sea near the Russian town of Pionersky in Kaliningrad to search for amber – they do not appear to be bothered about the freezing temperatures. It seems the resin was washed ashore during a storm in the Baltic Sea.
The amber is a major source of income for the region with the local Kaliningrad Amber Factory extracting 250 tonnes of it in 2014.