This competition, for 20 years now, has been consistently promoting jewellery and goldsmithing items made using amber. It serves as a platform for showcasing the goldsmithing skills of Polish artisans, as well as a place for discovering previously unknown talents and promoting those already found.
Traditionally, the results were announced during the AMBERIF SPRING 2023 International Amber and Jewellery Fair in Gdańsk. The competition jury, consisting of respected authorities in the goldsmithing world, selected the laureates who presented their works in two age categories: juniors (young goldsmiths up to 22 years of age, studying or starting a career as a goldsmith) and seniors (individuals practising as goldsmiths or amber artisans, possessing confirmed professional qualifications).
In the seniors category, the awards went to:
1st place: Krzysztof Konrad Bondaruk – work „Turkana Amber”
This set is made from hand-moulded carbon fibre and gilded with 18-carat gold. It is adorned with amber, lapis lazuli, lolite, opal, and garnet. The inspirations visible in the name come from the Turkana ethnic group, who inhabit north-western Kenya and are renowned for their colourful jewellery made from large beaded hoops. These are evident in the jewellery in the form of a necklace and its colours – consciously less intense – explained Krzysztof Bondaruk.
Second place: Dominika Gawlak-Długosz – work „Herald”
3rd place: Jacek Ostrowski – work „Pearl of the Baltic”
In the juniors category, the awards went to:
1st place: Iga Piasecka – work „People like flowers”
2nd place: Sofiia Semeniuta – work „Shattered Dreams”
3rd place: Hanna Jóźwicka – work „Secrets of the Ocean Depths”
The recipients of the distinctions were:
Jędrzej Frączek for the work „Antena zagłady”
Dominika Plaminiak for the work „The First Dance”
Weronika Zarębska for the work „Tailored for the 21st Century”
Paulina Wróbel for the work „Muszlak”
