Amber is a Polish specialty – AMBERMART, Gdańsk 27-29 August
I’m not going to try to prove that the 16th International Amber Fair is worth every second of your precious time. But I will tell you the questions I had when I decided to go there.
- What will be the level presented by 200 exhibitors from 10 countries?
- Will a young person be able to find themselves in a land of amber? 😉
- Will my magpie eye be able to spot something unique?
AMBERMART Fair is extremely popular among the visitors from around the world. It has a long-established tradition and is professionally organized. Thousands of people come to the Amber Fair every year. It flows through the beautiful Mariacka Street, where a lot of concurrent events take place. It turns out that most visitors come from the Far East. I curiously watched Chinese people buy ambers in kilograms! They would walk with their boxes carefully, making sure that they hadn’t omitted any stand. 😉 As we were taking some photos, we spotted two Chinese girls fighting over a necklace. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but amber brings luck in China, and it’s valued almost like diamonds. We weren’t bored for a second. Like a grind, I participated in the “Understanding Amber Training Course” with great interest. I learned that the price of amber depends on the size, shape and color, among others. Ambers are very often forged. That’s why a lot of fans of the gemstone were walking around with magnifying glasses to check the quality. (I’ll tell you more about that in the next post.) We were also very happy to participate in magical demonstrations of old goldsmithing techniques. But what I enjoyed the most was the craft workshop “Make yourself an earring.” The workshop was hosted by experienced jewelers and artist from the Goldsmithing Artists’ Association – Andrzej Kupniewski and Marcin Tymiński. They showed us the best way to cut shapes from a thin metal sheet. How to slowly, single-handedly file the cut piece and polish the part which you want to be shiny. We welcomed all tips with great interest. And that’s how the first earrings made by Magpies were created, in a nutshell. 😉 I don’t know about you, but I always had negative connotations with amber jewelry. I used to think that the majority of designs stopped in time a few decades ago. I would ask myself, why is this wonderful and valuable gemstone being wasted? Who would want that shoddy animal-like figurine, lamp or bizarre gigantic pictures? Phew, calm down, Magpie! Now you understand why I took on the challenge to find something unique on the Fair. And voilà! A few brands really managed to surprirse me with their beautiful designs.
Tidbit:
1. I’m not sure if you remember it, but I recall a bold and humorous design – a work by Nina Kupniewska and Dario Dalessandro, who made an amber pedant in the shape of a tampon. It was awared, last year, during the Amberif Design Award, 2014.
2. I also remember how the media couldn’t stop talking about the winner of Amberif Design award, 2012 ring “Made to pleasure. Erotic toy” by Emilia Kohut, which was also pushing the envelope of the standard designing. The amber served as the pleasure stimulus, which stirred up a lot of emotions among the audience. ;)<|/p>
The first Fair in the international capital of amber is over. We’d like to thank the organizers for their hospitality. We wish them more success and outstanding editions. 🙂 Personally, I didn’t get myself a dolphin on an amber background or an amber tincture (it’s too sweet for me). I’m aware though that some people got their hands on those “gems.” I wouldn’t be a Magpie if I didn’t say something though. 😉 Amber is a wonderful mineral – warm, alive and very Polish. I just really hope that it makes a comeback in a fresh form.
