Today amber jewellery means more than just an ordinary souvenir

After 1989, alongside with freedom to take up a business and the state monopoly on foreign trade's abolition, about 1000 companies dealing with the production of amber ornaments were created in the Gdańsk region. Since the founding of the Amberif Amber and Jewellery Fair in 1994, contacts with foreign partners have become available to the most of polish companies, and the amber industry has started to grow very dynamically. Craftsmen so far working as a subcontractors have quickly became independent, opening their own workshops.

 

 

Information on the numbers and values of amber products exported from Poland has remained estimated for years, because statistical data in this area (micro and small enterprises) are not collected. Due to the uniqueness of the color of amber, customers choose the jewellery personally and take it themselves abroad. Jewel products are not willingly accepted by the dispatch riders because of high insurance value or total exclusion from the insurance. After joining the European Union and opening borders in 2004, they freely flow between the countries of the Community. Experts of the International Amber Association have estimated the value of Polish exports of silver and amber in recent years for around EUR 300 million per year. However, the strength and value of the industry is evidenced by the existence of several international exhibition events, where the largest of them - Amberif brings together nearly 500 exhibitors and 6000 professionals from all over the world visiting the fair.

 

 

Poland is one of the few countries in Europe with as many as 6 professional trade fairs in the jewellery industry. These are the spring international amber, jewellery and gemstones Amberif (www.amberif.pl) and smaller - dedicated primarily to amber (www.ambermart.pl) - both events take place in Gdańsk. In Krakow, the Jubinale jewellery and watch trade fair is developing dynamically (www.jubinale.com). The fair has a smaller, winter edition - Jubinale Christmas. The youngest amid the events are the fairs organized by the jewellery industry in Warsaw - GoldExpo (www.tjexpo.pl).

 

 

Poland is the third country in Europe (after Italy and Germany) with the largest production of silver products and is constantly increasing its market share. More and more companies combine amber in modern forms with gold and other jewellery stones. The most important partner for the polish jewellery and amber industry is the European Union, followed by the USA, China, Russia and countries from the Middle East. It should be remembered that amber jewellery is exported to other markets through EU countries.

 

 

Nowadays jewellery is an industry of high innovation, combining new industrial technologies with craftsmanship, old techniques and manual work of skilled craftsmen. Production takes place with the help of highly advanced devices, often with Polish labels. In recent years, digital design has been introduced (rapid prototyping), which is one of the most innovative methods of the contemporary design. Today amber jewellery is one of the most recognizable products associated with Poland, which means that amber-decorated items are one of the most popular gifts for foreign-background guests. In China, the adjective "Polish" means the high quality.

 

 

There are over 1000 companies in Poland producing silver and gold jewellery combined with amber, mainly located in the Pomeranian region. Their strength is creativity in design, following the latest fashion trends and implementing them in the segment of jewellery. The most important, current task for the industry is to develop the partnership on promotion the brand of "Polish jewellery" and avoiding imitations. That is why the International Amber Association for two years has been managing a laboratory for examining and certifying amber products to guarantee the authenticity of products and increase customers' trust in Polish amber.