This competition, including its first edition under the name Mercurius Gedanensis, has existed since 1995. The objective, however, has remained unchanged: to honour jewellery designs that refer to contemporary fashion trends, are made using impeccable jewellery techniques and constitute an interesting export offer for the Polish jewellery and amber industry. It is dedicated to exhibitors at AMBERIF, an event where the latest jewellery trends (not only amber) and innovative solutions are presented. The work awarded the Grand Prix - a statuette from the Minister of Development and Technology - becomes the global showcase for the next edition of the AMBERIF SPRING fair.
This year, 50 works were submitted to the competition, which were evaluated by a jury consisting of: Beata Bochińska - collector of design, founder of the Bochińska Foundation, president of the Institute of Industrial Design from 2006 to 2012; Dr Magdalena Szadkowska - goldsmith, sculptor, lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź; Stanisław Jacobson - diamond and amber expert, jewellery expert; Andrzej Jung - vice-president of the board of the Foundation for Education, Development and Integration of Jewellery; and Dariusz Zarański - designer, winner of the AMBERIF SELECTION 2023 Grand Prix. The committee, chaired by Beata Bochińska, awarded the following prizes and distinctions:
GRAND PRIX - Statuette of the Minister of Development and Technology for Maciej Rozenberg for the ring „ES THEUS”
The jury considered that the work presented combines two functions: a decorative sculptural form and contemporary jewellery. The innovation of the project lies in achieving a hybrid between the utilitarian function of jewellery and a sculptural object with a purely artistic expression. The sculptural form is a contrasting combination of geometric external and internal cuts with the organic and structural character of amber. Depth and light are brought out through the dynamic tension of the sculptural form. Taken as a whole with the base, it constitutes a spatial form made of amber that is complete in terms of art, design, innovation in technology and approach to design and shaping.
Gdańsk International Fair Award to S&A Jewellery Design for the kinetic pendant „12 zero” (designer: Slawomir Fijałkowski, prototype: Piotr Frankowski)
The jury emphasised the perfect execution of the necklace, which gives the wearer a great pleasure of sensory experience. The presented necklace combines the modernity of form with the added function of movement, of kinetics induced by haptics. Thus, it draws attention and directs the function of design towards purely sensual sensations, the temperature of matter and the value of amber in its dimension of surface finish: matt and shiny. The simple, massive form combines geometry with the traditional accents of stone setting. The jury appreciated the skilful combination of modernity and tradition and the view of the utilitarian function through the prism of haptics and the reflections on matter and the passage of time evoked by the nature of the object.
Distinction for GIN ATELIER Dorota Cenecka for a set of rings (designer: Miron Kutarba)
The proposed rings with gold-plated ring forms allow for the use of different amber blocks and allow for batch production with an individualised aesthetic.
Distinction for CHILLI Jewellery Ireneusz Glaza for the „Orion's ring” (designer: Ireneusz Glaza)
The ring combines jewellery technology and the search for a common denominator between nature and technology.