Amber News
New trends, unique events, fascinating personalities, inspiring competitions and exhibitions - you will find everything that is most interesting in the world of amber in Amber News. Discover amber anew with us!
Opinions
Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski: The MoJa Jewellery Museum is a unique place
The MoJa Jewellery Museum in Poznań is a special place for several reasons:
Aleksandra Harasiuk: Arab misbah collectors
In Arab countries, a still popular male accessory is the so-called subha / misbah / tesbih, or prayer ropes. Centuries ago, they were used to count down repeated prayers - hence their name. The number of balls in the rope was closely linked to the 99 names with which God was praised.
Katarzyna Michalska: Amber education really makes sense
The conversation about the future of amber often focuses on the market, design or promotion. Meanwhile, the foundation of everything is education. Without it, even the most beautiful raw material remains devoid of context and emotion.
Competitions
Everybody. A competition that provokes reflection
Once again, the Legnica International Jewellery Art Festival SREBRO has sparked a great deal of excitement. This year's theme – EVERY BODY – and the jury's selection of awards were widely discussed long after the official results were announced. One of the festival's most important goals has thus been achieved: stimulating reflection.
T² – „Momentary” Amber Duet
The jurors of the Amberif Selection 2026 competition were unaware that their decision would determine the fate of a new jewellery project. The distinction awarded to the set of brooches created by Tomasz Kargul and Tadeusz Dobkowski became the impetus without which the T² duo would probably not have decided to continue their collaboration.
Legnica: The World Capital of Artistic Jewellery Once Again
The Legnica SILVER Festival Opening Weekend will take place on 8-9 May 2026 – an event that has attracted artists, curators and collectors from all over the world for decades. It is in Legnica that one of the most important hearts of contemporary artistic jewellery beats – the festival is considered to be the second most important event of its kind in the world, after the SCHMUCK exhibition in Munich.
Information
Amber pins for Gdynia's centenary
Amber, gold and black oak combined in the small form of lapel pins became a memento of a unique moment in the history of Gdynia. Commissioned by the city, Tadeusz Dobkowski prepared anniversary pins that accompanied the Gdynia delegation during the session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, during which Gdynia's Modernist City Centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
They said nothing would come of it. Today I'm exhibiting in New York – a conversation with
For years, she was told her ideas were too bold and that the jewellery she created didn't fit into any established categories. Today, her work is showcased at major international events dedicated to contemporary jewellery, and she was the first Polish artist to participate in the prestigious MAD About Jewelry exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.
Everybody. A competition that provokes reflection
Once again, the Legnica International Jewellery Art Festival SREBRO has sparked a great deal of excitement. This year's theme – EVERY BODY – and the jury's selection of awards were widely discussed long after the official results were announced. One of the festival's most important goals has thus been achieved: stimulating reflection.
Collections
Amber „Labyrinth”
The labyrinth - one of the more symbolic and recognisable works by Professor Andrew Boss - embodies the idea of European amber routes.
Maria and Paweł Fietkiewicz
It may happen that today this ring will no longer arouse admiration. However, it is worth knowing that its creators went down in history as the founders of the so-called Polish school of amber and silver, creating sophisticated, unique artistic forms in the 1960s.
Jaroslav Westermark: Golden Amber
He became interested in Baltic amber over 40 years ago simply because... he wanted to make unusual jewellery. In those days, it was an extremely difficult challenge - to make interesting, ambitious jewellery from a material that was very common. He succeeded, as evidenced, for example, by numerous awards in design competitions.
Interviews
Let us not let this jewellery vanish – an interview with Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz
It began with jewellery that she wanted to wear or simply to have. Over time, however, collecting became something much more – a search for significant objects, stories and the memory of their makers. She has found a new home for her passion – the MoJa Jewellery Museum in Poznań, which has replaced the YES Gallery that she ran for many years. The museum is not...
I found my jewellery fascination – a conversation with Prof. Elżbieta Kłosińska
First came a fascination with People's Republic of Poland jewellery, and then a fortuitously found pendant by Danka Czapnik. It was precisely then that Prof. Elżbieta Kłosińska, an archaeologist and collector, discovered the artist whose work she has remained faithful to this day. Her collection currently numbers 128 works and is being presented at an exhibition in the Vistula Museum in Kazimierz Dolny. How did this collecting story begin? What fascinates her...
Why do we need unnecessary jewellery? – a conversation with Arek Wolski
The exhibition's name is provocative, but the answer turns out to be surprising. „Unnecessary Jewellery” shows that contemporary art jewellery doesn't have to be primarily ornamental – it can tell stories, evoke emotions, and provoke thought. One of its curators talks about the idea behind the project, its international success, and the place of art jewellery in Poland.
Fashion
Summer belongs to amber. How to choose jewellery that truly stands out?
Just over a decade ago, amber was associated by many primarily with seaside souvenirs or classic necklaces passed down from generation to generation. Today, this image is changing rapidly. Natural amber is increasingly appearing in designer collections, making its way into the pages of fashion magazines and onto social media, and its presence in fashion is ceasing to be a seasonal…
T² – „Momentary” Amber Duet
The jurors of the Amberif Selection 2026 competition were unaware that their decision would determine the fate of a new jewellery project. The distinction awarded to the set of brooches created by Tomasz Kargul and Tadeusz Dobkowski became the impetus without which the T² duo would probably not have decided to continue their collaboration.
Amber Vibes – amber on the catwalk
During the AMBER Vibes gala, amber returned to the runway as a significant element in the narrative of contemporary jewellery. In the industrial, dark-toned space of the Amber Expo hall, several shows were presented, combining fashion and contemporary goldsmithing art – in a format that harks back to the tradition of events accompanying the AMBERIF trade fair.
Trade fair
Amber Vibes – amber on the catwalk
During the AMBER Vibes gala, amber returned to the runway as a significant element in the narrative of contemporary jewellery. In the industrial, dark-toned space of the Amber Expo hall, several shows were presented, combining fashion and contemporary goldsmithing art – in a format that harks back to the tradition of events accompanying the AMBERIF trade fair.
AMBERIF Spring 2026 - Gdansk shines brightest again
At the end of March, Gdansk will once again become a place where design meets nature and tradition meets modernity. From 26-28 March 2026, the AMBEREXPO space will be filled with the light of amber and the energy of creators from all over the world. This is where AMBERIF Spring 2026 takes place - an event that has been setting trends in jewellery and...
Why I ask about Amberif and the strategy „Gdansk - World Amber Capital”
At a meeting of the Amberif Programme Board on 5 February this year, an accusation was made against me that I was „playing investigative journalist” and not allowing the fair team to work because I was asking questions for „months”. Yes, I ask questions because I am a journalist.
Events
Amber Vibes – amber on the catwalk
During the AMBER Vibes gala, amber returned to the runway as a significant element in the narrative of contemporary jewellery. In the industrial, dark-toned space of the Amber Expo hall, several shows were presented, combining fashion and contemporary goldsmithing art – in a format that harks back to the tradition of events accompanying the AMBERIF trade fair.
17th century amber cannon returns to Gdansk
A unique relic of European amber art has found its way into the collection of the Gdańsk Museum, or more precisely the collection of the Amber Museum. Made of amber and gold, decorated with precious stones, the cannon was created around 1660 in Gdańsk. It is an extremely rare example of artistic craftsmanship of the modern era - one of only two known objects of this type in the world. After centuries, it returns to the city where it...
What does a true „amber” perfume smell like?
What do natural amber-based perfumes, the philosopher's stone and the Holy Grail have in common? Generations of scientists have searched for them. And while the latter two are likely to persist, Alan Balewski from Pomerania has managed to do the almost impossible: he has created an „amber” perfume.
Exhibitions
Bursztyn i muzyka. Jubileusz Andrzeja Adamskiego
Jeszcze tylko do 27 września br. w Muzeum Bursztynu w Gdańsku można oglądać wystawę „Inspiracje muzyczne. Andrzej Adamski: 50-lecie pracy twórczej”. Z okazji jubileuszu artysta przygotował przede wszystkim nowe prace, w których bursztyn spotyka się z muzyką. Punktem wyjścia są konkretne utwory i związane z nimi historie.
Danka Czapnik. 128 Reasons to be Fascinated
Until the end of December, the exhibition of Danka Czapnik's jewellery „...and beauty remains” can be seen at the Museum of Goldsmithing Art in Kazimierz Dolny. The works presented come from the private collection of Professor Elżbieta Kłosińska, an archaeologist who has been fascinated by the artist's work for years. Now numbering 128 items, the collection is a unique record of interest in the work of one of the most original figures in Polish artistic jewellery.
Jewellery as design. Experiment, technology and amber in the work of Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts students
What do a train design, a piece of furniture and a pair of earrings have in common? Contrary to appearances, quite a lot. At the Experimental Design Studio of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, jewellery is treated like any other utility item: its form, material, production technology and relationship with the user must all be considered. The results of this work can be seen at the „We Design Jewellery” exhibition in the Gallery of the International Amber Association in Gdańsk.
