Djet-ver Amber

Djet-ver amber is the common name for a type of amber found in the area around the Verenger mountains. It is named for the Djet-ver people, who are the dominant group in the area and for whom the material holds a lot of cultural significance. It is recognizable by its yellow-greenish tint, an amber coloration not found in most other parts of Erziyye.

In Djet-ver Culture

Called "blessed amber" in the Djet-ver language, the material holds a great deal of significance to the Djet-ver people. It is considered to contain pieces of the future hidden in the Earth by the Gods and as such is used for the telling of fortunes. This is done through a practice called seeing, which is only performed by selected members of the community called amber-seers. These individuals are half augurs and half artisans. They meditate over a piece of raw amber in order to discern some hidden pattern or figure within it, and then carve, sand and polish them into the shape they discovered within. This process, and particularly its first step, may take days or weeks to complete, after which time the amber-seer makes a public proclamation of fortune, which is interpreted through a series of cultural associations with different symbols and shapes.
The amber is only harvested during a specific time of the year, and all the segments are delivered to the home of the local amber-seer who goes through it and select the pieces suitable for fortune-telling. The more green the coloration, the more potent the fortunes are considered to be, and those pieces not selected are used to make decorative objects or for trade. The selected pieces are kept at the home of the amber-seer, and in connection to certain events. These may be regularly occurring events like holidays or the planting season, or be connected to certain political or communal decisions, such as new trade agreements or construction projects. Additionally, individuals may request a seeing in connection with big life events, such as marriage or pregnancies, which the amber-seer can accept or deny at their discretion.
Due to its status among the Djet-ver people, the selling of amber that has not been cleared for sale by an amber-seer is outlawed.