The 15th AMBERIF Amber, Jewellery and Gemstones Fair started yesterday. In three halls and the technical pavilion, 478 exhibitors from 14 countries began trade talks with the first of several thousand expected guests right from the opening. The largest number of exhibitors are from Poland, followed by Lithuania with 26 exhibitors of amber jewellery.
The grand opening was graced by, among others, Polish Senator Janusz Rachoń, Pomeranian Voivode Roman Zaborowski, and the Mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz. The Amber Chamber honoured the Mayor of Gdańsk with a diploma for his decision to make city grounds available for amber raw material prospecting, and the Pomeranian Chamber of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises presented him with a medal for his efforts in promoting amber. It is noteworthy that Paweł Adamowicz was recently announced as European of the Year 2007 in a poll by the monthly magazine „Monitor Unii Europejskiej”.
The model of the stadium, with the working title Amber Arena, which is to be built in Gdańsk for the Euro 2012 championships, created by Mariusz Drapikowski, has generated exceptional interest and surprise. It is intended to become a symbol promoting both the championships, Gdańsk, and amber, which is inextricably linked with the city.
During the opening, their gift was presented by Adam and Leszek Dulińscy, who crafted a silver crown adorned with Baltic amber for the Amber Museum. It is modelled on a crown from Gdańsk's coat of arms. „I have the honour of presenting the Amber Museum in Gdańsk with a crown – gilded silver with amber. It is the heraldic symbol of Gdańsk, a symbol of its power. We hope it will also add splendour to the Amber Museum,” said Adam Duliński, handing the crown over to the President of Gdańsk, who expressed similar hopes for the further development of the museum and Gdańsk's amber traditions.
The first day of the trade fair was full of official meetings and agreements. During the conference, a letter of intent was signed concerning the establishment of the Amber Trail and its nomination to the Institute of European Cultural Routes, based in Luxembourg. The Amber Trail refers to an ancient trade route along which amber was transported from the Baltic coast to the Roman Empire. It will be the first trail in Poland and the seventeenth in Europe to reference the cultural heritage of our continent. For June, the Mayor of Wieluń announces one of the attractions, which will be a cycling rally along the Amber Trail from Palanga in Lithuania to Wieluń.
The Market Economy Research Institute has commenced a series of seminars concerning the "Gdańsk Amber Delta" cluster. The first of these was a presentation by the CORART association, which acts as the jewellery cluster in Vicenza, Italy. Ms Gabriella Centomo, the association's director, spoke about how the cluster operates, the challenges it faced and the solutions it implemented, as well as the potential benefits for the Gdańsk Amber Delta. Unfortunately, those interested from the industry could be counted on one hand.
This year's trade fair is being held in three halls and the Technical Pavilion. The new, comfortable hall (number 3) has significantly raised the exhibition's standard. Changes are also visible in the trade fair's security system. A considerably larger number of security guards and scrupulous pass checks visibly contribute to exhibitors' sense of security, although they are a bit of a nuisance. However, as MTG President Andrzej Spiker stated, the most important security changes are not visible and he cannot reveal them. Nevertheless, security is probably not the most important aspect of the trade fair, which is unfortunately where the local press mainly concentrates.
Walking through the halls, one can primarily notice a clear change in the way jewellery is presented. More and more exhibitors are focusing on a suitably prestigious display of their exhibitions. It is no longer a market-stall type of trade, as happened in previous years, but in many cases, attractively presented, appealing jewellery. A lot of new, interesting design is also noticeable. Many exhibitors admit to making huge investments in machinery and new technologies, which is also evident in the jewellery presented. However, not everyone is willing to show new products. On the display windows of the S&A Bursztynowa Biżuteria stand, apart from a few competition exhibits, there are large signs inviting people inside to see more new products. In the trade fair newspaper „Amberif News”, potential copiers of designs are warned by a company article „Seventhly: Thou shalt not steal!”. As Sławomir Fijałkowski from S&A says, it cannot be the case that a few companies invest in design, which can then be seen by many imitators. Since the designs of S&A Bursztynowa Biżuteria have been permanently imitated for many years, and especially recently, the company has decided to subject them to legal protection and rigorously pursue all cases of plagiarism and unfair competition.
Photo: Michał Kosior