Traditional and modern amber jewellery
The first and most important is, of course, amber itself, which, especially in Gdansk and Pomerania, has many fascinating facets. First and foremost, amber can be used to make many functional art objects. Most often it is jewellery - offered by more than half of the AMBERIF exhibitors. The remainder of their offer consists of applied art objects - their range is enormous: from small gadgets, such as small carved figurines or key rings decorated with amber, through decorative frames to intricately carved caskets. Larger items, such as paintings or furniture, are also made of amber - these should be sought out at the Gdansk Amber Museum rather than at fairs.
Jewellery with amber by Polish manufacturers and designers is said to be unique. For everyone, however, this uniqueness will mean something different. For some, its main ornament, amber, is already unique because it was formed from the liquid resin of coniferous trees more than 40 million years ago on the continent called Fennoscandia. Some of the nuggets contain evidence of ancient life - inclusions, or fragments of plants or animals. For others, of greater importance than amber itself - in a wide range of natural and modified colours - will be the setting. And this is where talented designers enter the scene with their unparalleled ideas on how best to capture amber, highlighting its brilliance while creating an attractive setting. Attractive being what? For some, it will be the proverbial „amber beads”, i.e. ornaments characteristic of a design for years associated with amber, while others will pay particular attention to the uniqueness of the setting, modern design or the maker's craftsmanship using traditional and cutting-edge techniques. In both of these categories, Polish designers and manufacturers lead the way - they are recognised around the world as highly creative, and the most innovative ideas for using amber in jewellery are precisely theirs.
ART7: amber and silver
Attractive framework programme
Another reason to visit AMBERIF - in addition to the latest collections of major jewellery with amber by leading exhibitors from Poland and abroad - is the attractive framework programme, which will include no shortage of inspiring exhibitions. An absolute must have is the post-competition exhibition of the AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD - one of the most important international competitions promoting contemporary artistic jewellery design with amber. Its aim is to stimulate creativity and explore new possibilities in design, while highlighting the aesthetic and symbolic qualities of Baltic amber. This year's 28th edition of the competition was held under the motto „Relationships”, and the submitted works are an invitation to reflect on the diverse and multidimensional connections and relationships that exist in current reality. For the first time, the works selected by the international jury for the exhibition will no longer be projects as before, but their realisations. As usual, the AMBERIF Selection competition will provide aesthetic impressions and admiration for the excellent craftsmanship of the artists, with prizes going to the highest quality of design and workmanship - the amber crème de la crème.
The artistic themes will continue in the ART ZONE. This year, Polish artists will present their works in this unique creative space. We will see jewellery by Andrzej Boss - a valued artist and lecturer at the Institute of Jewellery at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Iwona Tamborska - creator of narrative jewellery with fairytale overtones, and Sława Tchórzewska - creator of jewellery forms full of space, colour and surprising solutions. The jewellery themes will be complemented by an exhibition of paintings by Michał Ostrogórski. The most spectacular artistic event will be the AMBERIF Vibes fashion and jewellery show - a modern fashion show with a musical finale.
AMBERIF Spring International Fair of Amber and Jewellery
12-14 March 2025
Gdańsk International Fair - AmberExpo, Gdańsk
More information: AMBERIF Spring