Plaffeiite is a rare type of alpine amber and a true rarity among fossilized tree resins.
The name derives from the village of Plaffeien in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland.
These amber pieces are embedded in well-layered sandstones with a high organic content.
They are part of the Gurnigel Flysch, also known simply as Flysch.
Fine plant fragments preserved as carbon films are typical of this unusual fossil site.
The true highlight, however, is the embedded amber itself.

The Gurnigel Flysch and the entire northern Alpine Flysch zone have been heavily tectonically deformed through multiple phases of mountain building.
As a result, alpine amber is unsuitable for jewelry, as virtually all specimens show more or less pronounced fractures.

Plaffeiite formed around 55 million years ago, during the Late Paleocene, and originated from prehistoric conifer trees.
Similar to other amber types. Unlike Baltic amber, Plaffeiite contains no succinic acid, which sets it apart chemically.
Under UV light, it exhibits particularly strong fluorescence.

Today, this alpine amber is rarely offered. The classic localities are considered exhausted or inaccessible, so most specimens come from older collections.