Amber, an organic gemstone, is the fossilized resin of prehistoric trees which grew up to 50 million years ago. The stone has been used for jewelry since the time of Christ. The world's finest amber comes from the region around the Baltic sea.

Iolite is the deep blue gem variety of the silicate mineral cordierite, named for French geologist Pierre Cordier. Iolite is found on Garnet Island in Canada and in South Asia and South Africa. Leif Eriksson and other Viking explorers are said to have used thin slices of iolite to navigate during voyages, taking advantage of its prismatic properties to polarize sunlight.