During the Amberif 2010 Fashion and Amber Gala, the Mayor of Gdańsk personally presented medals to individuals for their contributions to promoting the World Amber Capital.
They received them:
Prof. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz
A member of the International Amber Association, honoured with the title Amber Craftsman of the Century, and vice-chairwoman of the World Amber Council. For several decades, she has been promoting Baltic amber and developing scientific research on the subject. For over a dozen years, she has been organizing international scientific seminars during the world's largest amber fair, Amberif 2010, in Gdańsk. She actively participated in the work on the draft Polish standard for Baltic amber.
Prof Ryszard Szadziewski
Head of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the University of Gdańsk, chairman of the World Amber Council from 2008-2010, and a member of the International Amber Association. For several decades, he has been developing research on inclusions in Baltic amber. He co-created the Museum of Amber Inclusions at the University of Gdańsk. He actively participated in the work on the project for a Polish standard for Baltic amber.
Krzysztof Lalik
Owner of the Golden Amber raw amber wholesale business from Gdańsk and a member of the National Chamber of Amber. In 2007-2008, together with the City of Gdańsk, he successfully implemented, as a lessee, Order No. 847/07 regarding the provision of municipal land for amber deposit exploration. During this period, he repeatedly organised amber extraction demonstrations for journalists from Poland and abroad, scientists, and children and youth. Krzysztof Lalik participated in amber lessons in Gdańsk schools and kindergartens on a charitable basis, is also a donor of raw amber for the Amber Museum in Gdańsk, and financially supports the „School on the Amber Route” competition and the Amber Route Cities Forum. He actively participated in the work on the draft Polish standard for Baltic amber, especially in preparing samples for infrared amber research and developing the weight classification used in amber-related commercial transactions.
Tomasz Mikołajczyk and Anna Sado
The owner of a chain of amber galleries and shops has been involved in the amber industry since the 1990s. In March 2007, together with Anna Sado, a journalist specialising in jewellery for over a decade, he launched the online portal amber.com.pl, an information platform about amber in both Polish and English. From the very beginning, the emphasis has been on reliable, expert knowledge – the high substantive level is guaranteed by cooperation with recognised representatives of the amber, museum, and scientific communities, as well as with amber organisations, museum institutions, and trade fair organisers. Thanks to this, the portal has become an important tool for promoting Baltic amber and Gdańsk – the World Amber Capital. The portal accompanies all events significant for amber and the industry, and provides media patronage for amber exhibitions and competitions.
Henryk Wiedrycki
A master goldsmith specialising in precision intaglio-engraved amber pieces. He is socially active in the National Chamber of Amber Economy. From 2001 to 2009, he served as Vice-President. Since 2002, he has been the Chairman of the KIGB Certification Commission. He co-created many initiatives undertaken by the Chamber, promoting Gdańsk – the Amber World Capital during trade fairs in Europe. He collaborated on the creation of statuettes for Günter Grass, on the occasion of the Reconciliation Concert, and made the Great Book of the Amber Museum in Gdańsk, into which honorary guests of the establishment sign. He has repeatedly donated amber items to charity auctions and for the benefit of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.
Posthumously:
He tragically died in December 2009 in St. Petersburg. He graduated from the Mukhina Academy of Sculpture in Leningrad and the Leningrad Institute of Technology. For 18 years, he led the team at the „Restavrator” company, carrying out the reconstruction of the wall decorations of the Amber Room and the conservation of preserved movable furnishings (as well as artefacts from other museums: the Hermitage and the Kremlin Armoury in Moscow). He published numerous papers from scientific conferences on amber held in Russia, Poland, Germany, the USA, Japan, Ukraine, and Lithuania. Recently, he specialised in large amber paintings. He donated an icon depicting the Virgin Mary to the Amber Museum in Gdańsk. He was actively involved in the World Amber Council. During the last meeting in May 2009, he delivered a very interesting paper on the specifics of thorough conservation of 17th and 18th-century amber artefacts that had suffered significant damage or surface weathering.
The medal was received by Prof. Ryszard Szadziewski with a promise to hand it over during the planned May meeting of the World Amber Council members.
A great friend of Gdańsk and a well-known Kaliningrad artist jewellery designer with amber. Her necklace titled “Fish” is housed in the Amber Museum in Gdańsk. She studied working with amber for many years in the workshops of Gdańsk designers. She has repeatedly participated in the Amberif trade fair and promoted Gdańsk during her exhibitions and shows of artistic jewellery in Russia and across Europe.
The medal was collected by Zoja Kostiaszowa from the Museum of Amber in Kaliningrad, where an exhibition of her works is currently underway.
Photo by Jerzy Pinkas/www.gdansk.pl