How many years have you been organizing jewellery exhibitions?
I came to jewellery through a fashion fair – the idea of an amber exhibition came from the awareness that we are actually walking on amber on our Baltic shore.
The day when Malgorzata Portych and Giedymin Jablonski came to our office with the suggestion for an amber fair, changed my life and the lives of many people around us.
The next morning, I woke up with “Amberif” as the title for the event, then we put together a group of passionate advisers – and things start to happen. And you can hardly notice when 25 years have passed for all of us.
What is it that you love in your job the most?
Probably working with passionate and creative people that the jewellery and amber industry is made up of. They have unlimited imagination, talent and the skill to turn ideas into reality.
Right now, and during Ambermart as well, you can visit a very interesting exhibition on “Baltic Amber. Tradition and Innovation,” curated by Prof. Sławomir Fijalkowski and Robert Pytlos at the European Solidarity Centre, where you can see over 300 pieces by the most interesting designers. This is a kind of summary of many years of creativity, international artistic friendships and perhaps an opening for new opportunities to introduce amber to the world.
How big is AMBERMART?
It is the world’s second largest amber show, AMBERMART is a jewellery and amber industry event that is not to be missed.
This time, we will host more than 220 exhibitors from 8 countries (Poland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, UK and Estonia).
Who are your visitors?
Last year, the event was attended by visitors from 38 countries, with the greatest number from China,
Germany, the UK, Hungary, Nordic and Arab countries and the USA.
What can we expect to find in AMBERMART?
Amber will play the leading role in various incarnations: as part of jewellery in combination with gold and silver, and as functional and decorative items. There will also be traditional jewellery products made of gold, silver and gemstones. Original and avant-garde jewellery, dedicated to the most sophisticated customers, can be found at the Designers’ Gallery, organised in collaboration with the STFZ Goldsmithing Artists’ Association. Exhibition is accompanied by exhibitions, workshops and amber education courses. You can also have a go at a jeweller's work under the watchful eye of masters of the craft and, importantly, test amber for its authenticity at the Amber Laboratory.
Any surprises this year?
AMBERMART will culminate its celebration in one of the prettiest streets of Gdańsk: Mariacka Street. The Mariacka Street Festival is organised for the 8th time by the International Amber Association and the MTG SA Gdańsk International Fair Co. The event’s programme is jointly developed by jewellers, gallery owners, artists, restaurateurs and the street’s residents. The legendary amber lane will come alive with exhibition previews, concerts, workshops, meetings with authors and a fashion and jewellery show. This year’s motto is “Mariacka Sets Sail,” with seafarers and travellers as central figures of the evening. In such a wonderfully swinging atmosphere, we will celebrate well into the night.
