Tomek's interpretation of amber is innovative, unique, and modern. His designs are incredibly original and showcase amber in a way that appeals particularly to the younger generation. Tomek's portfolio is exceptionally rich, addressing many social issues, such as environmental protection. His work is characterised by geometric and minimalist forms, which have made him a recognisable designer for many years. He has received numerous awards for his work to date, and he continuously strives for innovative promotion of amber – wrote in her justification Monika Blaszkowska, the originator of plastiko, frequently used in jewellery by Tomasz Kargul.
In turn, Adam Pstrągowski, owner of S&A Jewellery Design, the company with which Tomasz Kargul created the „KiS” amber jewellery collection this year, justified this candidature as follows:
An educated jeweller, an ambitious professional, consistently introducing innovative, modern design characterised by minimalism and economy of form. A widely liked and respected individual, exuding modesty, constantly seeking solutions that far surpass the technologies and conventions of the amber industry.
For 15 years, Tomasz Kargul has been the lead designer and owner of first Studio TT.pl, and for the last 3 years, the Kargul.tk brand. The company, based in Elbląg, is known in the Polish and international markets for its modern, minimalist jewellery made from gold-plated silver and Baltic amber.
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Tomasz Kargul's designs are characterised by geometric shapes, lightness, and multi-dimensionality, making them very versatile and appealing to audiences of all ages. The author is keen to collaborate with artists, photographers, and fashion designers, which has resulted in, for example, jewellery presentations during fashion shows.
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Jewellery by Tomasz Kargul has won numerous awards in industry competitions, including. Mercurius Gedanensis 2008 or AMBERIF SELECTION 2023. His works are chosen for publication in Trend Book and the periodical „Amberstone”, issued by the International Amber Association. Kargul.tk jewellery is featured at numerous exhibitions showcasing the most interesting solutions in jewellery design, including. „Baltic amber, tradition and innovation,
I have been focusing on modern methods of connecting amber and, in a way, eliminating certain amber practices in amber jewellery production for some time. My goal is to showcase the beauty of amber in a minimalist form. This award is the culmination of these efforts – summarised the Amber Smith of the Year 2024.
Amber Craftsman of the Year is awarded by the International Amber Association for outstanding achievements in the fields of: artistic creativity, scientific research, popularisation of amber knowledge, technical progress, economic efficiency, social work within the amber community, and the collection of natural specimens and amber artefacts. The previous recipients of this award are:
- Centurions of Amber: Prof. Dr. Hab. Barbara Kosmowska-Ceranowicz and Wiesław Gierłowski,
- Amber Worker of the Year: Mariusz Drapikowski (1999), Jan Koteja (2000), Kazimieras Mizgiris (2001), Ewa Rachoń (2002), Adam Pstrągowski (2003), Wojciech Kalandyk (2004), Marek Gutowski (2005), Andrzej Wiszniewski (2006), Elisabeth Sontag (2007), Regina Kramarska (2008), Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski (2009), Anna Sado (2010), Lucjan Myrta (2011), Mariusz Gliwiński and Tomasz Mikołajczyk (2012), Gabriela Gierłowska (2013), Ryszard Uliński (2014), Ewa Wagner-Wysiecka (2015), Zoya Kostyashova (2016), Jacek Szwedo (2017), Prof. Ryszard Szadziewski (2018), Michał Kosior (2019), Marcin Wesołowski (2020), Olena Belichenko (2021), Sebastian Tajl (2022), Giedymin Jabłoński (2023).
The Chapter of Amber Person of the Year is composed of previous recipients of this award who are members of the International Amber Association.
Photo by Keenys Studio