Baltic Jewellery News (August 2019) No. 37

E XC LUSI V E M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E J E W E L L E RY B USI N E SS I N T H E BA LT I C SE A R E G I O N

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XVII INTERNATIONAL BALTIC JEWELLERY SHOW

AMBER TRIP 11–14 MARCH, 2020 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

P i

Contact us for more information:

+370 618 53538 info@ambertrip.com www.ambertrip.com

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Photo Matias UUSIKYLĂ„

My name is Henrik Kihlman. I work as the managing director for the Finnish Goldsmith Association for six years. My background consists of many tasks in different fields within the jewellery business. By education, I am a master silversmith and I have a BA in jewellery design. I have made most of my career as an entrepreneur in my own studio and jewellery gallery making exhibitions, commission jewellery and objects.

I also have experience from the auction market as an expert on old jewellery and silver.

Having the opportunity to contribute to closer contacts between the countries surrounding our mutual Baltic sea, is a matter of the heart to me. My work as director of our national association has brought me in close and fruitful collaboration with my Scandinavian colleagues and I hope that we, in times to come, would be able to build as close bridges throughout the whole Baltic region.

We are living in a time of rapid change and the new technological reality will provide us with plenty of new opportunities to do business on a global scale. Adapting and learning will be the keyword and also the big challenge for us working in the jewellery field. Besides technology let us not forget that networking and personal contacts are still irreplaceable assets. Many companies and independent jewellers are working isolated in their own bubble and would surely benefit from sharing thoughts, experiences and not least, marketing within a larger network. Let us strive towards that goal.

Henrik KIHLMAN

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It is with great pride and pleasure that I undertake the position as editor of this fine magazine after Anna Sado. So please let me introduce myself and present some of my thoughts regarding the jewellery business in our region.

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Dear readers,

AMBER TRIP RAW TRADE IS HERE AND ONLINE!

Contact us via:

FB: Amber Trip Email: info@ambertrip.com Phone: +370 618 53 538 www.ambertrip.com

August 2019 (37)

CHANGES TO AMBER MINING REGULATIONS IN POLAND

INCOGNITO JEWELLERY MADE BY EWA NOWAK

WATCH THE WATCH SCENE IN FINLAND!

THE WINNER OF GRAND PRIX JINA SEO

LEGNICA SILVER FESTIVAL 2019 40TH ANNIVERSARY

THE GEOLOGIST SVYATOSLAV SERGEEVICH SAVKEVICH

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Baltic Jewellery News / August 2019 (37) Manufakturu st. 16-7, LT-11342, Vilnius, Lithuania; tel. +370 687 72 175; e-mail: magazine@balticjewellerynews.com Editor / Henrik Kihlman Designer / SAVITAI, Translators / VERTIMU GURU, CIRCULATION 2 000 Distribution in the whole Baltic Sea Region.

Copyright: Contents of “Baltic Jewellery News” are copyright. ISSN 2335-2132 Reproduction of material in part or in whole is not permitted in any form without the written authorization of the publisher. The editorial office is not responsible for the content of advertisements and for the accuracy of the facts presented by the authors.

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CONTENT /

MINING 10

Illegal amber mining in Polesie

ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS 58 62 66 70 72 76 80 82

Interviewing Wiebke Pandikow The Amber Trip art jewellery contest The winner of Grand Prix Jina Seo Sugar jewellery or the garden of the inner architect Legnica SILVER festival 2019 40 th anniversary Jaroslaw Kolec. The motto of the work: watch, feel, design, make, present Interview with Karin Roy Andersson Interview with Māris Šustiņš

PERSONALITY 84

The geologist Svyatoslav Sergeevich Savkevich

MARKET REVIEW 94 96 97 98 99

Kaliningrad Amber Combine prices Worldwide price for raw amber Silver prices Gold prices Major jewellery trade fairs

100 ART JEWELLERY CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT

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Between commerce and art. About galleries and market CIBJO, the world jewellery confederation AMBERFORUM 2019 The glint of baroque Changes to amber mining regulations in Poland The 20 th AMBERMART Green wave for polish original jewellery Incognito jewellery made by Ewa Nowak JUBINALE 2019 GRANIT – response to market demand Synthetic diamonds: technology as an art. Part II The city of jewellery opens on 27 September 2019 Jewellery in Germany Green, greener, greenest Watch the watch scene in Finland!

Art & love IV International Hot Enamel Biennial “Vilnensis” Jewellery School XVII International Baltic Jewellery Show Amber Trip

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS

www.aimdisplay.com.pl

AIM DISPLAY POLISH MANUFACTURER OF DISPLAYS, ETUI, BUSTS AND TRAYS FOR EXPOSITION, SALES AND STORAGE OF JEWELLERY PL

ul. Taborowa 24, 02-699 Warszawa, Poland, T/F: +48 226449815

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www.aimdisplay.com.pl

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aimdisplay@aimdisplay.com.pl

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ILLEGAL AMBER MINING IN POLESIE

Photographer Alexander KHARVAT showed pictures (photos were taken in April 2019) of illegal extraction of amber in Polesie in western Ukraine

“I am

interested in photographing the life of people, in particular, the influence of people on each other and on the environment.

In ancient times, amber was not so popular and expensive, they even stoked the stove for cooking or heating.

Now amber is expensive. For many ordinary people the mining of amber has become a way of making a living.

For dishonest politicians and high-ranking officials it’s the possibility of large and criminal gain, otherwise it would have long been possible to pass relevant laws and legalize everything.

Today, the extraction of amber occurs illegally and covertly, so it is difficult or almost impossible to photograph.

People would not give permission to take pictures, because they are afraid. In some cases, there is a system of protection and instant notification in the case of approaching outsiders.

After the extraction of amber, the pits are not re-cultivation and almost Martian landscapes remain that bring significant harm to the environment and nature for many years.

I photographed to show this part of people's life because I do care what happens to my country, my region, to where I live.” ■

Alexander KHARVAT – presidium member NSFHU, honoured photographer of the International Federation of Photo Art, journalist. The organizer of the annual international and national photo projects, author of over 80 photo exhibitions in Ukraine and around the world, publisher and author of over 50 books on local history, culture, art and photography. Founder and for 10 years the head of the author's School of Photography. Photography lecturer at the National University of Ostrog Academy and at the International Economic and Humanitarian University S. Demyanchuk. Founder of the private Museum of Photography in Rivne.

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MINING / PHOTO GALLERY

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Carolin DENTER

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Article courtesy of Klimt02.

Published at Klimt02.net platform on 21st January 2019.

Author: Carolin Denter & Klimt02.

Copyright: Klimt02. (https:klimt02.net).

Typically an art gallery is a small business that sells the art which it exhibits. The profits made from sales should cover the cost to run the business, and, in a successful gallery, will also turn a profit. But how can a gallery, especially for contemporary jewellery, survive successfully? How do they manage their artists and sales?

What struggles do they have?

What can be improved in the jewellery market? And what do they think about competition in the gallery scene?

Let's

have a closer look at the “abstract” idea of the gallery. There are different types of galleries, and each of them satisfies art lovers with different interests.

And of course, every gallery wants to be the best in their niche. In this very wide field it is hard to find a good starting point to dive into this diverse subject. Beginning this topic at a familiar place for myself, I tried to find out more about the German art market, which seems to be based and rooted in statistics.

The largest study to date on the German-speaking gallery market, created by art dealer and critic, Magnus Resch, author of “Management of Art Galleries.”

His perspective does not paint a nice picture of the gallery or the art market. In a survey featuring over 1000 fine art gallereis he found that, “On average, galleries make a small profit, in the German-speaking

BETWEEN COMMERCE AND ART. ABOUT GALLERIES AND MARKET countries around 40 % of the 2,000 galleries surveyed make losses, average sales are around 471,000 euros, and profits around 21,660 euros (i.e. 4.6 %).” His study showed that the vast majority (68 %) of galleries have little more than one permanent employee. Only 4 % employ five or more people.

What they have in common is that employees generally have knowledge of art history, but fewer management skills. It is not surprising that there is a lack of knowledge about objectives and target groups, competition and cooperation, product differentiation and service concepts.

But the successful galleries do exist. Defining what makes an art gallery successful, or even one of the world's “best” is vague and difficult.

Often those that inevitably rise to the top represent only well-known artists and have a global presence.

This requires a lot of communication with collectors, art enthusiasts and with other gallery owners. Research of who is interested in the offered pieces might also be conducted to gain better marketing insight. But beyond commercial success, a great gallery has the ability to continually challenge the way things have been done in the past, supporting new, fresh artists, and political work which embrace the expansion of existing and new mediums of represented artists. To do this, the gallery owner must know the artist and his or her work very well and make use of their contacts within the art scene that have grown over the years. This seems to demand a

lot of experience both personally and professionally.

Nevertheless, being a gallerist has become an increasingly desirable profession. Gallerists and curators, which can be the same in many cases, seem to be the new decisionmaking force in the art scene. They decide after all, how art is presented to the public, how it connects with culture and how it is made visible within the culture. A gallerist is not only the creator of an exhibition but professionally works in a wide range of activities, whose name itself can become a brand and a guarantee for quality.

I have always been fascinated by the profession of the gallerist because it is the perfect position for someone who wants to learn, explore, collaborate or criticize, as well as innovate and promote new concepts in the arts. On the other hand, it seems that a gallerist has to dedicate a lot of private time to their work to be considered a serious and competitive professional. Or perhaps it’s about passion? Nevertheless, being a gallerist takes a lot of passion and a driving force to establish the contemporary jewellery market, to develop, and improve it.

The ways of professionalizing the contemporary jewellery market is ambiguous. Gallerists specialized in contemporary jewellery might have a difficult initial position in the larger art market itself because of an ongoing debate on the value and categorization of contemporary jewellery. Is jewellery art? Does

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are priced in the range of 1500 and 2000 euros.”

This does not mean that the prices of galleries are too high. Due to the fact that the majority of works auctioned are older pieces, this allows the artist's career to attract attention and the value of the work to increase.

The question remains, how do galleries which pay global players for additional services, profit from this?

These online platforms are built to sell art, but according to an article published by the New York Times, it is doubtworthy whether these platforms will generate any noteworthy sales among the listed galleries. Articles written by artists or journalists state that these platforms are not generating many online sales. However it does contribute to more offline sales (such as someone sees a piece of art online, and buys it later on a fair/ exhibition).

This is a principal I can relate to and identify with since I have been working for Klimt02, which is an online platform for the communication of contemporary jewellery. We share parts of this market including its advantages and challenges, as well as some of the same questions to the topics mentioned above. It shows that, even though there are not many ways for online sales, yet, the marketing and promotion of artists and their artwork online in the digital gallery space is as important as fairs or exhibitions.

I accept that the art and jewellery market will never be 100 % an online market, since there will always be a need to physically see or wear a piece of art or jewellery in person, at least above a certain price range. (A study on sales at the art market proofed, that sales above 100.000 pounds online are almost non-existent). Learning more about some rules and accept guidance from professionals in the online business can perhaps help to evaluate your own goals and improve the market.

Discussing art can require talking about many different things. To decipher the enigma which is the art market is a good chance to help us understand the immensity of this subject. Do you think this is worth discussing? ■

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gives more people the opportunity to participate,” co-founder Sebastian Cwilich told the New York Times in January 2018.

Artnet, the most important competitor and just like Artsy from the USA, is pursuing a similar strategy.

But like Auctionata, the company is struggling with the problems of the digital art trade: in 2016, Artnet grew by only 0.6 percent with 17.4 million annual sales.

The New York startup Artspace is also trying to establish themselves as a leader in the digital gallery market industry. Liveauctioneers.com, 1stdibs. com, and Paddle8, which were bought out of the insolvent Auctionata by investors, are regarded as the other major players on the market.

In addition to these specialized providers, there are also two important names that are usually less associated with art galleries: Amazon and eBay. Both offer a variation of a digital gallery – Amazon with its Fine Art department, eBay with the Collectibles & Art section – to the visibility of their multimillion public featuring primarily only low-priced art objects.

So, do the existing online sales platforms provide more transparency to the art market and luxury business?

Is there a need for this and what impact does this have on the art market outside of the internet?

Additional services which could be helpful, have been revealed in an article by the German newspaper “Die Zeit.” According to them the most interesting aspects of Artprice, Artnet and co. are the lists of auction results. This list can help the audience get a better understanding for what fine art costs. In the case of more recent contemporary artworks, prices and estimates from auction houses reflect a very limited extent of what buyers in galleries spend on artworks of particular artists. “For example, the Düsseldorf based gallery, Beck & Eggeling recently (2017–2018) offered objects by the artist Tamara K. E. for 10,000 euros at the Vienna Contemporary Art Fair. Databases, on the other hand that record prices for some large-format paintings

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it need to be art? Many gallerists say, of course it is art! The galleries representing contemporary jewellery, are labeled fine art galleries, the gallerists call themselves art dealers, they go to art fairs, the jewellery gets published in art magazines, and so on. We might need to look at the big brother of our contemporary jewellery market, the general art market and copy some mechanisms: An established standard followed by a common language, references, and communication. Thinking about professionalizing the contemporary jewellery market, we have to consider the dark side: with the rise of expectations, the pressure will increase enormously, especially for younger generations of artists. The dominant position of galleries can be dangerous for the artists: a gallerist will promote certain works of a rising artist due to his or her renowned position and potentially encourage others to do the same. Their colluded investment could create a market for the work virtually overnight, along with the attention reserved for the choice artist of the moment. Or what is a phenomenon to me personally is how special artists are promoted and exclusively commercialized, which restricts the contemporary jeweller market to the accessibility for younger and emerging artists.

However, the monopole of galleries has been questioned by some new global forces coming from the digital world. To name the largest competition and surprisingly as well in some cases the quickest advancement for some contemporary jewellery galleries: digital galleries and online sale platforms, such as Artsy, Artnet or Artsper, to name a few. If you never have heard of them, you should: Today, Artsy is far and away the biggest player in the online art market. 1,800 galleries pay Artsy from $425 to $1,000 a month to be members. Artsy says that it facilitates over $20 million in art sales each month, with an average distance of 3000 miles between the buyer and seller. “The art market is opaque and intimidating, but the internet

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT

CIBJO, THE WORLD JEWELLERY CONFEDERATION:

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THE UNITED NATIONS OF THE JEWELLERY BUSINESS

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, represents the interests of all individuals, organizations and companies, earning their livelihoods from jewellery, coloured gemstones, diamonds, pearls, precious coral and precious metals.

The organisation’s primary function is to protect consumer confidence in jewellery and its components.

As

the oldest international representative body active in the sector, having been founded in Paris in 1926, CIBJO’s membership is made up largely by national jewellery trade organizations from some 45 countries around the world, as well as by many of the sector’s leading corporations and service providers, who are considered commercial members. They encompass the entire jewellery, gemstone and precious metals sectors from mine to marketplace.

A key element of CIBJO’s mission is the formulation of universal standards and nomenclature. Almost every single item of fine jewellery that is produced today involves the combined efforts of hundreds and sometimes hundreds of thousands of people, located all over the world. Every single individual or company who was in some way responsible for the manufacture of that ring, from the miner to the refinery worker, to the diamond cutter and the jewellery designer, depends upon the

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work and the integrity of those came before them, as well as those who come after them in the supply chain.

A key element maintain trust and integrity in the chain of distribution is having a common frame of reference, both from the perspective of terminology used, and in terms of proper systems of operation. ▼ 02

THE JEWELLERY INDUSTRY’S SOLE UN REPRESENTATIVE CIBJO is the first and only jewellery industry organization to be formally recognized by the United National, receiving special consultative status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). That same year, CIBJO joined the UN Global Compact.

The newfound status was not simply an honour. By taking up this position, CIBJO committed its members, and by extension the bulk of the jewellery the industry to helping achieve what were then the eight Millennium Development Goals, created had been by the UN in 2000 to improve the state of humanity and our planet. These were replaced by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.

The journey to the United Nations was navigated by CIBJO’s long-time president, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, an economist by training, his family started out in the jewellery business in Sicily in the early 1800s.

“I strongly believe that, by committing ourselves fully to sustainability, it is possible to redefine the value proposition of jewellery in the public consciousness,” he wrote recently. “Not only are jewellery objects d'art and symbols of love and devotion, but they also are instruments that actively serve to creating better and more sustainable societies. When consumers buy jewellery, they should fell that they are not only doing something for themselves and their loved ones, but for the world and society as well.”

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT

CIBJO’S INDUSTRY STANDARDS BECOME NATIONAL AND EU PRINCIPLES In January 2018, a CIBJO team headed by the organisations’ president.

Dr. Cavalieri, travelled to Moscow, where they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Ministry of Finance and Belgium’s Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) to harmonise the official system used in Russia for the classification of polished diamonds with the standards and nomenclature applied internationally.

The object of the agreement is to ensure that the system by which polished diamonds are classified and described in the Russian Federation are in accordance with the most widely accepted standards in the international trade.

Russia was not the only country to adopt CIBJO Blue Book standards. In the Asia-Pacific region, the national regulatory authorities in the Philippines did the same thing several years earlier.

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and nations, but they provide hope for a better economic future.

How is this being done? In a myriad of ways. One example involves a series of efforts, supported by industry, to formalize the activities of artisanal miners in the diamond, coloured gemstone and gold sectors.

For years, many considered the materials sourced from artisanal miners to be among the most ethically problematic, because they came from areas where the potential for conflict, violence and human rights violations is highest, not to mention the likelihood of problems with health and safety, child labour and corruption.

The essential shift in thinking, where artisanal and small-scale mining changed from being considered a challenge to being more of an opportunity, was in many ways symbolised by CIBJO’s becoming formally associated with ECOSOC. What it essentially declared at the time was that when the industry considers ways of behaving responsibly, the goal should not only be to do no harm, but also to change things for the better.

In other words, jewellery should not be seen by society as a potential problem, but rather as a solution. ■ 01

CIBJO President, Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri.

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Signing the MOU in Moscow on January 25 (from left): Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President; Alexei Vladmirovich Moiseev, Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation and Stephane Fischler, former AWDC President and current President of the World Diamond Council. To their left are seated Ans Anthonis, of HRD Antwerp and Tatiana Gorelenkova, of Gokhran of Russia.

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General Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Prime Minister of Thailand, opening the 2017 CIBJO Congress in Bangkok.

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The Four Seasons Hotel, the site of the 2019 CIBJO Congress, scheduled to take place in the Kingdom of Bahrain from November 18 to 20.

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JEWELLERY AS SOURCE OF HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE By becoming formally associated with the United Nations, CIBJO committed the jewellery industry to helping achieve what were then the eight Millennium Development Goals, created by the UN in 2000 to improve the state of humanity and the planet. These were replaced by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.

As a business and as a community, the jewellery and gem sector are in an unusual position. It produces very finely designed and crafted products of high value, which are sold largely to more affluent people with disposable income. Most consider the products to be non-essential.

However, the precious components from which our jewellery is created are predominantly sourced in developing countries – in Africa, South America and the South Pacific. In those places, the revenues generated through sales of final jewellery products in the major markets are absolutely essential, for not only do they support entire communities

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And sometimes it is not an act of government, parliament or a regulatory body that makes the decision, but rather the courts.

In October 2004, a CIBJO official from Germany, Rudi Biehler, appealed to a district court in Munich to issue a restraining order against the German distributor of the Gemesis Corporation, a synthetics diamond producer, from using the term “cultured diamonds” when marketing its products to the public. The court granted the injunction, agreeing that the word “cultured” was misleading. In reaching its decision, the judges relied on the terminology and definitions contained in CIBJO’s Diamond Blue Book.

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THE BLUE BOOKS OF INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND TERMINOLOGY The CIBJO Blue Books are the most widely accepted sets of grading standards and nomenclature in the world today for diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, precious coral, precious metals, and gemmological laboratories. At the beginning of this year a sixth Blue Book was added, dealing specifically with responsible sourcing standards.

The Blue Books are compiled and are consistently updated by the relevant CIBJO Commissions, whose members include representatives of trade organisations and laboratories active in the business. The standards represent a consensus derived from the broad expertise on the subject at hand.

But what starts out as an association standard can evolve, if it has been formulated with care and precision, into an international standard.

In June 2015 the International Standards Organization published ISO International Standard 18323, entitled “Jewellery — Consumer confidence in the diamond industry,” which specifies a set of permitted descriptors for the diamond industry that are designed to be understood by consumers. The process to obtain the new ISO standard had begun years earlier in Europe, with CIBJO serving as the lead organisation.

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IV INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF AMBER INDUSTRY AMBERFORUM 2019 COMPLETED ITS WORK IV

International Economic Forum of Amber Industry was held on June 20–23 in Svetlogorsk.

This year, 50 manufacturing com­panies from Russia, Europe and Asia took part in the trade fair of the Forum.

On June 20, on the first day of the Forum, a plenary session was held titled “Industrial Companies in the Digital Epoch. Digitalization of Industry”, attended by: A. S. Besprozvannykh – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation; N. S. Ishchenko – Vice-Governor of the Government of Kaliningrad Region; V. Z. Litvin – Executive Director for Direct-Management Organizations of Rostec State Corporation; M. I. Zatsepin – Director General of JSC “Kaliningrad Amber Combine”; V. V. Boyko – Chairman of Expert Council of the Board of Directors of JSC “Kaliningrad Amber Combine”; G. G. Gevorkyan – Chairman of the Board of Guild of Jewellers of Russia and Head of Estet Jewellery House; Giedrius Guntorius President of Amber Cluster and organizer of Amber Trip Exhibition.

On June 20, a trilateral Memorandum of Intent was signed with the Russian Gems Jewellery House in Saint Petersburg represented by Director General S. A. Dokuchaev.

According to this agreement, the parties intend to carry out joint production and sale of jewellery items. The parties also agreed on the opening of Amber Museum in Carl Fabergé Square in Krasnogvardeysky District of Saint Petersburg.

On June 21, Anton Alikhanov, the Governor of Kaliningrad Region, visited the International Economic Forum of Amber Industry. The Governor, together with Mikhail Zatsepin, Director General of JSC “Kaliningrad Amber Combine”, inspected the trade fair, got acquainted with the expositions presented at the Forum and took part in the media scrum.

On June 21–22, the following sessions were held within the business sites of International Economic Forum Amberforum 2019:

Meeting of the Council for Development of Amber Industry under the Government of Kaliningrad Region, chaired by G. M. Goldman; Presentation of a unique scientific complex “Baltic Amber Technology Stock Collection” of JSC “Kaliningrad Amber Combine”; Discussion platform “Education in the Cultural Sector of the Amber Industry”; Special session “Promotion of the Jewellery Brand. Entering the World Market”; “Electronic Commerce. Specific Features of Jewellery Trading”; Business session “How to Become Competitive? New Competition Strategies”; Master class of Skolkovo Administration Business School.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / RUSSIAN JEWELLERY REPORT

The following platforms were functioning throughout the duration of the Forum: digital graffiti; VR Amber Quest; Amber Combine holographic stand; photo zones: “The Origin of Amber – Relic Forest”; 3D photo zone “Amber Quarry”; street installation “Connecting Hearts”; relax zone; cinema; informational video-content viewing site; photography exhibition of Kaliningrad photo artist Igor Sosedko; site of WorldSkills Russia contest for young professionals; concert programme.

According to the preliminary results, the International Economic Forum of Amber Industry Amberforum 2019 was visited by more than 5000 people. The sale proceeds at some jewellery tradefair mounts increased by more than 300 % as compared with 2018.

The auc tion held within the framework of the Forum presented

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20 stones for sale with a start-up bid of 10 million rubles less VAT. 13 participants were registered, including three foreign companies. 14 stones were sold with proceeds amounting to 9.3 million rubles less VAT, which is 55 % more than in 2018 in real terms and 97 % higher in terms of value.

In 2019, the International Economic Forum of Amber Industry was covered by more than fifty journalists. Twentyfour federal-level (Moscow and Saint Petersburg) and foreign press media took part in the press tour held on June 19 on the territory of Kaliningrad Amber Combine.

Over one hundred exclusive materials were published within the three days of the Forum, including in the press media of Spain, China, Lithuania and United Arab Emirates.

The International Economic Forum of Amber Industry Amberforum 2019

annually hosts a drawing competition for children “I Love Amber”. Thisyear geography of par ticipants was as follows: Kaliningrad Region, Nizhny Novgorod, Saint Petersburg, Kaluga, Orenburg, Stavropol Territory, Syktyvkar, the Chuvash Republic. This year, 13 kids became winners, and 66 – prize holders.

The Forum hosted the first Pro­ fessional Mastery Competition held on the principles of WorldSkills Russia industry championships in Amber Processing competency.

The period of June 20–23 was memorable not only due to business events, but also due to an extensive entertainment programme: street food festival, art installations, theatrical performances, VR quests, interactive graffiti. Over 30 creative teams per­ formed before the guests and residents of the region. ■

BUSINESS INSIGHTS / RUSSIAN JEWELLERY REPORT

THE GLINT OF BAROQUE Vladimir KOROLKOV

Translation by Katherine NIVENS and Dr. Olga VIKTOROVSKAYA, PhD

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The

exhibition in the Imperial Stables Building under the name “Jewelry Promenade” was organized by the Museum of Yelagin Palace together with the St. Petersburg Union of Artists. This jewelry exhibition is captivating and extraordinarily diverse. Reserved asceticism of some of the artworks goes hand in hand with a lush festivity of others, provoking the emergence of dialogues. Searches for meanings and expressions reveal a remarkably rich image of Saint Petersburg’s jewelry art today.

In this exhibition the “baroque” does not mean direct tracing of generic features of the style, that is, known to us from numerous architectural, interior, sculptural and pictorial examples of St. Petersburg external features. There is nothing “historical” deliberately referenced.

Here, ‘baroqueness’ is perceived as extravagance—which is recurrent in the art and views of the XVI-XVIII centuries—as something extra, which goes far beyond the regular sense of utilization.

A delicate balance between the luxury and seeming simplicity of the artworks gleams with nuances fused in a continuous harmony. The palette of emotion is polarized from the elegiac, cool contemplation to the fiery, nervous expression.

A spectacular use of materials, metaphoric language, dynamic contrasting, playfulness, and even sometimes amusement, offer associations with the richness of baroque in all its unpredictability.

Pretentiousness here does not

contradict sincerity. The formal austerity conceals vivid discoveries.

The geometric purity is full of emotional tension.

Each artist at the exhibition becomes a part of this image. For that reason, Anna Tereshchenkova, one of founders of the Jewelry Promenade and a member of the the St. Petersburg Union of Artists, compares the exhibition with a collective portrait of the Saint Petersburg artists. “It is very difficult for jewelry artists to organize exhibitions.” – she says – “The most challenging part of it is designing the expositions. There are many different artists. Everything happens spontaneously, quite limiting opportunities for any long-term planning. We specifically focused a lot on the exposition at this exhibit. We created a spectacular composition, with a hint of the layout of the baroque gardens, light and elegant, where the jewelry works seem to hover in the air. This is a real triumph of the design which supports and helps crystallize the jewelry art. The union of design and art, in my opinion, is essential for an exhibition. The design of the exposition helps the art, the space, and the audience.”

Oksana Naumova, who designed the exposition, says: “I have two degrees: in jewelry art and in environmental design. The idea of the exposition came during a discussion.

The first thing that came to our minds was the layouts of the luxurious baroque gardens. Everyone was very fond of this idea and supported it.

I performed intensive research on

Opening of the exhibition.

Jewellers and guests: Julia GOGOL, Vladimir DUBROVSKY, Alexandre TRAUBE, Oleg TIKHOMIROV, Oksana NAUMOVA, Tatiana TARASOVA, Natalia TARASOVA, Denis BYKOV, Anna TERESHCHENKOVA, Anna SEREDOVA, Galina GABRIEL, Alexandr GORDIN, Vera NAUMOVA, Boris PAVLOV, Tatiana ORKINA and some guests.

the topic, even including baroque poetry and discoveries of that time period. What an amazing time it was!

At first, I might have reviewed it only superficially. The aesthetics of these times used to seem to me as lacking subtlety. However, I realized that Baroque man is actually deep and thinking… The jewelry works here are displayed like statues in parks.

The artists represented here are very diverse. It was difficult for us to organize all of them into a single exposition. This was tremendous work. We tried to include modern interpretations so that each author presented this in their own way instead of just directly replicating the style. I believe it’s important to

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Versailles where the works are elevated above the surface as if they are floating in the air. Once this becomes clear, it culminates into the harmonic crescendo of the entire composition. The thoughtful and delicate delivery reconciles the diversity of pieces and resonates here with the entire concept. Each individual work remains a unique entity within the atmosphere of a close kinship. This serves a central purpose – to form a choir combined from separate tunes and motifs. It also helps to protect from excessive variability of details, up to a point of becoming unidentifiable, which is usually so hard to achieve at the jewelry exhibitions, and this has been accomplished here flawlessly and spectacularly.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, curator of the Yelagin museum, is full of optimism and enthusiasm and hopes for future collaborations with the artists.

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have well-thought-out aesthetics for displaying such small pieces.

This makes each of the works more meaningful.”

The elegant design of the exhibition demonstrates the high level of expodesign when the mix of different authors, themes and forms is embodied by a respectful and careful partnership: equal attention is devoted to every piece, and the demonstration of their complex community does not turn into a mechanically assembled kaleidoscope. The participants, organizers, and designers of the exhibit take special pride in the way by which their collaboration was turned to life and the design decisions which supported it. The display cases positioned diagonally instantly create a vector for walking, leading the viewer through a variety of experiences. Yet, one does not immediately realize that the cases mimic the layout of the parks in

ARTISTS: Oksana NAUMOVA, Oleg TIKHOMIROV, Anna TERESHCHENKOVA, Tatiana TARASOVA, Natalia TARASOVA, Denis BYKOV, Alexandre TRAUBE, Boris PAVLOV, Julia GOGOL, Anna SEREDOVA, Elena MAKSIMKINA, Vladimir DUBROVSKY, Vera Naumova, Vladimir NAUMOV, Tatiana BORISOVA, Tina KHMELNITSKAYA, Natalia USTINOVA, Oleg ORKIN, Alexandr DERIABIN, Maxim DERIABIN, Sergey NOVIKOV, Valentina SOLOVIEVA, Melitina BALABIN, Nikolai BALABIN, Anna FOMOCHKINA.

Information partner the St. Petersburg Union of Designers www.designspb.ru Photos of exhibition Alexandr TROFIMOV

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Oleg TIKHOMIROV. Brooch PORTAL. 2019.

Wood, silver, pearls, gilding Vladimir NAUMOV. Brooch “Weathervane”.

Silver, copper, enamel 03

Natalia USTINOVA. Brooches WAVES. Silver

Alexandra TRAUBE. Ring from GAN EDEN collection. 2018.

Silver Melitina BALABIN. Brooch LETTERS FROM ISLAND. 2012.

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Tatiana and Natalia TARASOVA. Earrings WITHOUT REVERS SIDE. Silver, paper, author's technique

Oksana NAUMOVA. Brooches PRINCIPLE OF OUTLINE. 2018.

Silver, ebony Vera NAUMOVA. Necklace THE WAY TO HOME. Steel, copper, silver plating, gilding 09

Anna TERESHCHENKOVA. Brooch GAME 0F LIGHT AND SHADOW. 2019.

Enamel, silver, gold

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Sergey NOVIKOV. Ring THISTLE. 2017.

Silver, enamel, sea urchin shell, amethyst 11

Valentina SOLOVIEVA. Composition FLOOD. Granite, silver, mirror, mosaic

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CHANGES TO AMBER MINING REGULATIONS IN POLAND

Photo by R. PYTLOS

Anna SADO

The government has been “threatening” the amber industry with changes to the Geological and Mining Act that regulates amber mining in Poland. Although the Marshall's Office in Gdańsk has been pointing out the flaws in the regulations for years, the proposed changes are far beyond what they had been suggesting.

Will they diminish the competitiveness of the Polish amber industry in the world and its overall profitability?

WHAT IS IT LIKE CURRENTLY? According to the Geological and Mining act of 9 June 2011, searching for and discerning amber deposits doesnʼt require a licence as amber is not part of the mining property connected with the property of the treasury. Amber deposits are covered by the real estate law, which means that they belong to the land owner.

In order to search for amber and discern its deposits, it is necessary to prepare a project of geological works, specifying the scope and aim of the works. The project then needs to be accepted by the appropriate administrative authority dealing with geological issues. In practice the stage

of searching for and discerning works includes also raw material mining, as according to the law the subject conducting the works is obliged to develop the mineral that theyʼve mined or getting out spontaneously during the works. The entrepreneur pays an exploitation fee – 10,26PLN per kilo.

The Marshallʼs Office in Gdańsk was mainly pointing out the geological consequences of oversimplifying the procedures and offered among others, a return to the idea of a combined-in-one license for the right to search for and mine amber deposits as well as making illegal amber mining a crime (rather than a misdemeanour).

FIRST DRAFT OF C4HANGES The first changes to amber mining in Poland were proposed by the government in 2016. The most important of them are: including amber in the mining property, increasing the exploitation fee from 10,26 to 800 PLN, changing illegal amber mining from an misdemeanour to a crime, and increasing illegal mining fines.

Some of them were very severely criticised by the amber industry. The International Amber Association pointed out that the proposed rate is disproportionately high in relation to the quality of raw material, only about 30 % of which meets goldsmithery requirements. The letter signed by

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / POLISH JEWELLERY REPORT

WHAT IS GOING TO BE LIKE? It is not clear as the next project of the amendment of the Geological and Mining Law, introduced in April 2019 is undergoing public consultation.

Representatives of the amber industry were not invited to take part in the consultations.

The legislator justified the proposed changed by yet again drawing attention to high prices of the raw material caused by increased demand for amber on the Chinese market. – the same argument was used a few years ago, though the situation has since changed significantly. Yes, the legislator refuses to accept that only large blocks can be sold at high prices, which constitute only a small part of the Polish deposits. He wasnʼt convinced by the argument that the price for the expected income will be unprofitability of mining amber and as a result of restricted access to the deposits – also closing down of some of the smaller amber factories.

SUPPRESSING ILLEGAL MINING The proposals to suppress illegal amber mining were immediately accepted by the environment – at each stage of the proposed changes to the Geological and Mining law. The legislator has proposed changing it from a misdemeanour to a crime and increasing the fines for illegal mining up to 80 times the exploitative rate multiplied by the amount of mined amber. The fine for illegal searching for amber or discerning amber deposits will also go up – from 50,000 to 400,000 for every square kilometre of land that has been searched.

HOW WILL THE CHANGES IMPACT THE POLISH AMBER INDUSTRY? “Contrary to the fatalistic prediction the changes will not block the amber trade – thanks to the amendments it will become more organised and, as most big players on the market highlight – the entrepreneurs who used to spoil the market will be eliminated. Those who remain will care about the right way of amber mining, that is the way respecting the environment and the law. The changes may initially cause some difficulties for those searching for

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amber, but I am convinced that with time it will all work out” – summarised Kowaslki.

It seems that the amendment to the Geological and Mining law may have the strongest impact upon the companies dealing with amber mining and small companies producing amber products who rely on the domestic raw material. Especially taking into account the fact that domestic mining is only 10 % of the demand of the entire amber industry.

A large part of that demand has been, and will be, fulfilled by Ukrainian and Russian amber. ■

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In the currently considered project there is a regulation about including amber in the mining property – in practice it means that were the changes to be implemented mining and searching for amber would be subject to the licence procedure. The licence would be issued by the ministry dealing with the environmental issues. Another important regulation refers to exploitation fee – from the current 10.26 PLN to 200 per kilo (not 300 as it was suggested). The department of environment argues that the fee hasnʼt changed in the last 15 years, whereas amber prices have gone up a few times. “I am afraid that it does not reflect the actual changeability and dynamics of changes in amber prices. Perhaps it could be justified in the years 2014–2016 when the prices reached the highest levels, but now it is disputable” – sums up Kowalski.

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the S&A, the Amber Chamber and Gdańsk International Amber Fairs, focussed on the high likelihood of increased problems in mining and the accessibility of domestic raw material in Poland. In their opinion “it will lead to further increase in costs connected with the necessity of increasing amber imports and will contribute to deterioration of the international competitiveness of the entire industry and limit its profitability”. Even the Pomearania voivodeship geologist, Michał Kowalski from the Marshallʼs Office in Gdańsk found the changes too restrictive. “Some of the proposed changes are unfavourable for the amber industry, especially such high increase of the exploitation fee which may make the enterprise unprofitable, especially for the small mining teams which there are many of in Pomerania. These restrictions may simply drive them out of the market” – he explained. The Ministry of Environment has considered only one motion put forward by the amber industry – lowering the exploitation rate from 800 to 300 PLN.

Amber deposits in Poland Amber deposits in Poland are estimated to about 1.3 thousand tons, located mainly in the Lubelskie, Pomerania and West Pomerania voivodeships.

In 2018 nearly 700 kilograms of amber was mined in that region, based on licences.

About tons of amber is obtained annually from collecting amber on the beach.

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Amber Portal amber.com.pl

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THE 20TH AMBERMART LAUNCHES AUTUMN/FALL COLLECTIONS The AMBERMART amber show brings together business, popular science, education and fun: this is why it is invariably compelling to all amber fans. This year, the event will be held in Gdańsk, Poland, for the 20th time, on 29-31 August.

FIRST OF ALL AMBER This year’s, 20 th edition, be attended by nearly 200 Polish and international exhibitors. As last year, the organiser expects ca.

3000 visitors from 50 countries.

The apparent economic downturn in China and the exhibitors’ great hopes associated with the interest from purchasers in the European markets allows us to expect meticulously prepared exhibits and entirely new jewellery collections.

After several years of an Asian bull market, the current situation has caused manufacturers to return to traditional consumer markets. A change in direction towards classical and contemporary styles, inspired by Europe’s design DNA, was already visible at Amberif (Ambermart’s sister trade event), which takes place on the last weekend of March; currently we expect a consolidation of this trend, which is certainly advantageous to the diversity of the Baltic amber jewellery on offer. The Designers’ Gallery is an important distinguishing feature of the show: it is where individual artists, artisans and design studios exhibit unique original jewellery collections.

BEST PRODUCT AWARD As each year, we will be looking for the best products offered by the AMBERMART exhibitors. The submitted entries will be assessed by an international judging panel. The items singled out in this way usually include pieces which are the most valuable in terms of design and well thought-out in terms of execution; in the coming years, their image becomes part of the advertising strategies for forthcoming editions of the Gdańsk amber fairs and sometimes even a calling card for the entire jewellery industry. We are hopeful that we will be able to select such items this year as well.

EXHIBITION: BALTIC AMBER. LEGACY & MODERNITY After the spectacular success of the exhibition entitled Baltic Amber.

Legacy and Modernity, produced by the Gdańsk City Hall and the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts, presented at the Venice Art Biennial at the prestigious Spazio SV gallery, a careful selection of over 100 unique amber items, chosen by the exhibition’s curator Prof. Sławomir Fijałkowski, will be on display in the very heart of Gdańsk’s Old Town, in the Marine Room of the Old Town Hall. he exhibition dates are no accident: we expect that the exhibit will not only become a summer attraction for the scores of tourists who visit Gdańsk but will also be considered by the professionals who come mainly for AMBERMART. The formula of

combining business commitments with a high quality cultural offering, in the heart of which there are historical and contemporary items of material culture with Baltic amber, has recently become a joint strategy of the MTG SA Gdańsk International Fair Co., the City of Gdańsk and its agencies, with a synergic objective to enhance the image of amber as an attractive jewellery material and the role of Gdańsk as the World Capital of Amber.

MARIACKA STREET FESTIVAL AMBERMART will culminate in a get-together in Mariacka Street, considered the prettiest street in Gdańsk and nicknamed the Amber Fifth Avenue, this time with the motto: Mariacka in Amber. Its organisers, the International Amber Association and the MTG SA Gdańsk International Fair Co., bring to you this post-exhibition evening in an atmosphere of art and design in a remarkable architectural setting, with numerous attractions including music, exhibitions and amber knowledge events, all in this remarkable street. ■

AMBERMART 2019 | www.ambermart.pl Dates: 29-31 August, 10:00-18:00 Venue: AMBEREXPO Exhibition & Convention Centre, Żaglowa 11, Gdańsk, Poland Online registration for trade visitors and the media: www.ambermart.pl Organised by: MTG SA Gdańsk International Fair Co. Contact us: amberif@mtgsa.com.pl | tel. +48 58 55 49 134

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GREEN WAVE FOR POLISH ORIGINAL JEWELLERY

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Anna SADO

The Contemporary Amber Museum was created as a result of the love for original jewellery, the respect for its creators and a huge need to promote goldsmithery art. It would be difficult to talk about a spectacular success, just 4 months after opening the museum, but the engagement of the entire amber industry in the development of the project is definitely worth noting. With such support it is bound to be a success!

“I

hope that it will be a place for all of us and that we will write the story of Polish original jewellery together” – said Marcin Tyminski, the president of the Golsmithing Artistsʼ Association and Foundation for Design Promotion, who came up with the idea for the museum. It looks like that vision is slowly coming true – more and more people become engaged in implementing the idea and they feel that it is “their” place so they want to contribute to promoting contemporary goldsmithery art – through promoting themselves and their achievements. “The Museum of Contemporary Jewellery is a huge place, spanning over 200 m2 of potential, available at all times. I want to use it to organise exhibitions that will stand out with their crazy exhibits,

which cannot always be shown other places. It is the combination of unique jewellery at the place open to the wider public – I cannot miss out on this and not take advantage of the possibilities that are at my fingertips” – said Marcin Bogusław, jewellery designer.

THE IDEAS FOR A GOOD START Bogusław is one of the jewellery creators who presented their work as a part of the project “Weekend with an Artist” which gives a unique chance to meet and have a conversation with an artist as well as enriching your private jewellery collection with new pieces. “Meetings with artist have only been organised since June, but the number of people who want to participate is constantly growing. We are very glad to see the artists interested in the project, as well as the public – for some theyʼve already become a permanent point of their weekends” – sums up Marcin Tymiński.

Increased engagement in working for the Museum also means faster implementation of ideas. And there are lots of those! In the nearest future

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“A PLACE LIKE THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY” “Great idea! Good job! A place like this is absolutely necessary! – there were lots of positive comments from the visitors taking part in the opening of the Museum of Contemporary Jewellery in March this year. The museum takes up an area of over 200 m2 at the Centrum Koneser in Warsaw – a unique place with an artistic character, where young Polish brands, design, art and entertainment all compete with each other.

The exhibition “Green Light” added splendour to the opening. It featured a few dozen works by about 30 artists (mostly from the Goldsmithing Artistsʼ Association), as well as other authors from Poland and abroad. Such artists

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as Alberto Dávila Quesada from Mexico, the winner of the first prize of Amberif Design Award 2019: Kairos.

Polish works of Polish artist were selected by Monika Szpatowicz – the curator of the exhibiton, who until mid-2019 was connected with the Art Gallery in Legnica, and organised of the SILVER festival in Legnica. Sheʼs chosen the works of Paweł Kaczyński, Jolanta and Andrzej Kupniewscy, Art7, Sławomir Fijałkowski, Sława Tchórzewska, Dorota Cenecka and others. “Green Light” will let both us and the artists get started. Now we should do everything in order to get the green wave – weʼve been stopped at the red light far too long” – this is how Marcin Tymiński was calling for joint action at the musuem opening.

I looks that weʼve managed to get the green wave – itʼs a good start.

Letʼs hope that we can get onto the motorway quickly too and speed up... Especially as the activity aiming to promote original jewellery and its creators is really necessary: in Poland there has never been enough interest in original jewellery, and the names of its creators have been more recognisable abroad than in the country. Itʼs not surprising then that in the last few years many stationary galleries specialising in goldsmithery art have disappeared, educated professionals have unfortunately been losing in the competition with novices who assemble jewellery from ready-made elements, and with the accessories from chain clothes shops – it is difficult to compete with low prices and large marketing budgets.

Also on European markets, which are traditional outlets for original jewellery from Poland, there has been a noticeable drop in sales in this sector. This worldwide trend will be rather difficult to change, but maybe it is possible to mitigate its consequences by building the image of original jewellery as a piece of art – a unique accessory adding prestige and confirming the good taste of the owner.

This is the goal of the Museumʼs activity in Marcin Tymińskiʼs opinion: “Polish artist are often authors of outstanding works which we would like to regularly show to the world.

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a programme of artistic workshops and lectures on a variety of topics connected with art and commercial aspects of running an artistic activity will be launched. The list of exhibitions planned for the next few months is also closed. Jewellery fans will be able to see for instance an exhibition of the best works from the Artistic Jewellery Competition “Presentations 2018” (theme; silver and amber), “Amber and Leonardo” – with international creators inspired by amber and the work of Leonardo da Vinci, or a specially prepared exhibition by Professor Andrzej Boss, an artist and lecturer at the Fine Arts Academy in Łodz. As combining various fields of art really matters to the museum creators, jewellery will be shown together with fashion (an exhibition inspired by fashion shows at Gdańsk Amber Look – an event accompanying the Fairs for Amber, Jewellery and Stones AMBERIF), photography (presentation of the largest private collection of contemporary artistic jewellery in Poland gathered by Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz, co-owner of the YES company. The exhibition will also feature her photos taken during her many visits to Asia and Africa).

There will also be an exhibition with paintings (the exhibition of the works of an amazing artist Małgorzata Kalińska who very successfully combines jewellery and painting). And this is only the beginning!

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Itʼs our goal to find the right place for jewellery, which is art, among other fields of art. I hope that people start recognising the names of jewellery creators, looking at their works, as it is in the case of painting, sculpture or usable art”. ■

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Jewellery made by Radosław SZWED 02

Jewellery made by Michalina OWCZAREK 03

Jewellery made by Marcin TYMIŃSKI

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INCOGNITO JEWELLERY MADE BY EWA NOWAK

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Every

day, hundreds of cameras are watching us, facial recognition systems are becoming more and more perfect, and the place of current speculations about the future is occupied by sophisticated and advanced technology. Cameras are able to recognize our age, mood, or sex and precisely match us to the database. The concept of disappearing in the crowd ceases to exist. This has a huge value in the form of increased security and detection of dangerous units. On the other hand, in which direction will the surveillance of society develop?

Incognito aims to protect your image from facial recognition algorithms used in modern cameras installed in public space. It is a kind of mask made of brass, contoured to the shape of the face. Thanks to the proper arrangement and size of details on the “mask”, the characteristic elements of the human face are disturbed. Algorithms recognizing the face in which the cameras are equipped do not read it correctly. This project was preceded by a long-term study of the shape, size and location of mask elements, so that it actually fulfilled its task.

During testing solutions, I used the

DeepFace algorithm, which is used

by Facebook.

In addition to fulfilling its function, I wanted to create an aesthetic object which wearing is a pleasure.

The object is speculative, it can be assumed that in the future it could be a kind of commonly worn jewelry.

The design was based on one drawing in my sketchbook. It was the first concept I tested to see if the shape I invented would work.

Surprisingly, it happened, so I realized it almost without any changes. In this case, the form almost entirely resulted from the function of this object. ■

Ewa NOWAK – a graduate of the Faculty of Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Her projects have been repeatedly awarded in competitions for designers and shown at exhibitions in Poland and abroad. She designs utility objects, creates conceptual art, sculptures and jewelry. In her artistic works, she is interested in combining various areas – the scrupulous experience of the industrial designer with the freedom of expression in the world of art. Ewa, together with Jarosław Markowicz, established the NOMA design studio, where they both deal with industrial design.

She also designs jewelry for her newly created brand, Ferja.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / POLISH JEWELLERY REPORT

BUSINESS INSIGHTS / POLISH JEWELLERY REPORT

JUBINALE 2019 B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

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International Summer Jewellery and Watches Trade Fair

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ewellery of various types, fashion jewellery, designer jewelllery, amber, watches, gems, components, fashion accessories, services, machines, tools and more, as well as wide range of jewellery schools and associations. These are just a part of offers that were presented to professionals by nearly 200 Exhibitors from over dozen of countries during the 12th International Summer Jewellery and Watches Trade Fair JUBINALE 2019 from 13th to 15th of June on modern exhibition grounds of EXPO Krakow. JUBINALE was held for the second time together with GiftON.top, Gifts and Decorations Trade Fair, so that the exhibitionʼs visitors had even more opportunities to learn about the potential range of products for their business.

For the last twelve years JUBINALE have established a stable and strong position and have become a valued brand in the jewellery industry and an obligatory point in the industry calendar. However, a lower turnout of buyersʼ was noted – this was largely due to the heat waves prevailing in southern Poland at that time.

In spite of that, the well-chilled halls of the EXPO Krakow perfectly dealt with the heat, providing guest with respite and refreshment after the trip.

At JUBINALE, next to the great Polish products which in the coming months will set trends in Polish jewellery fashion world, there could be found a lot of offers from outside of Poland. This allowed participants to get to know extremely wide range of brand new collections and establish contacts on an international scale. Nowadays, thinking of a strong

competition on every level, this is a very important opportunity. Once again a diverse group of exhibitors from Italy presented their wide offer with silver jewellery, while amber and jewellery with this precious stone were extensively presented by Lithuanian companies along with Polish exhibitors. Even more offers were presented by exhibitors from, among other countries: Austria, Germany, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, England, France and, for the first time, from Chile.

It has always been known that every skiil requires improvement and updating.

Therefore, the organizer of JUBINALE once again focused on facilitating the industryʼs access to current knowledge.

JUBINALE participants were able to take part in free lectures and trainings and therefore combine the search for the best offers with expanding their knowledge. The lectures were conducted by the owner of the ProMedia agency, an experienced speaker Jerzy Osika, who in an interesting and charismatic way gave the participants enormous resources of valuable and up-to-date knowledge, adapted to the current market situation. In addition, Gravotech company organized training in mechanical engraving, thanks to which JUBINALE guests had a unique opportunity to acquire practical skills in the field of engraving, adapted to the latest technologies.

Another interesting feature presented during the fair were molding shows - the company SAAMP every hour presented at its stand silver bars casting show. During the fair, you could also see the work of

the most talented designers, including those presented at the exhibition of the Gallery of Art in Legnica and “In my opinion ...” exhibition. You could also price your jewellery, check its authenticity, find unique pieces in the Designersʼ Trend gallery or order jewellery according to your own design.

JUBINALE trade fair was again appreciated by the participants in terms of efficient organization, individual approach to each Exhibitor, technical service, yearround and targeted marketing campaign, online system for exhibitors and buyers, mobile application, enhancing the safety of the event and other factors making up the smooth course of the event. Meetings during the fairs were full of valuable discussions and business negotiations.

Despite technological progress, direct contact is still the most effective form of sales and lively talks conducted at the exhibitorsʼ stands were a confirmation of this. And although some sectors of the industry feel a temporary stagnation, contacts established at JUBINALE will probably continue to bring business benefits for a long time.

The next edition of JUBINALE will take place on 4–6.06.2020, and the autumn edition of JUBINALE Christmas will take place on 13–14.11.2019. This yearʼs edition of JUBINALE Christmas will be accompanied by GiftON.top, Gifts and Decorations sector, which will provide even more inspiration. So if you plan to prepare well for the pre-Christmas season, you can not miss it. See you in Krakow! ■

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Gained experience and professionalism, with which we approach each client, allowed us to establish a permanent cooperation with contractors in Poland, Europe and the world. We are the representatives of many reputable manufacturers, among others: Avalon, Castaldo, Connoisseurs, Faor, Heimerle&Meule, Legor, Menzerna, Ransom&Randolph, Rapidshape, Riacetech, Swarovski, Swarovski Gemstones, Teknosil, Unisida, W.R.Cobb.

GRANIT is not only a stationary shop with the possibility to sell by mail

order, but also a constantly growing assortment of online shops and vanselling (our representative delivers goods to manufacturers in Lithuania once a month: Druskininkai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda) Additionally, we organize trainings and seminars on electroplating technology in cooperation with Heimerle&Meule every year.

Our company systematically participates in the most important fairs of the jewellery industry, both in Poland and abroad. You can find our stand at the fair: Amberif, Gold Silver Time and Amber Trip in Lithuania. ■

www.granit-aj.pl

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wholesale has been operating on the Polish jewellery market since 1996. It was created in response to the growing demand from the industry for comprehensive supply of workshops, production plants and jewellery shops. It is currently the largest company of this type in northern Poland and one of the largest in the country. It deals mainly with wholesale and retail sale of tools, machines and jewellery equipment, as well as silver and gold semi-finished products, stones and jewellery packaging.

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GRANIT – RESPONSE TO MARKET DEMAND

BUSINESS INSIGHTS / UKRAINIAN JEWELLERY REPORT

SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS: TECHNOLOGY AS AN ART. PART II.

DIAMONDVIEWTM DEVICE AS A RELIABLE ASSISTANT IN DETERMINING THE NATURE OF DIAMONDS.

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Іgor IEMELIANOV, Katerina KORMAKOVA, State Gemological Center of Ukraine

The article continues the previous publication in which various diamond synthesis methods were highlighted.

This article is devoted to the matter of the difference in natural and synthetic diamonds structure.

The DiamondView device and its principles of work are reviewed as well.

With

the rapid saturation of the jewelry market with synthetic diamonds, the need for their diagnostics has extremely increased and the necessity to set reliable criteria that would allow distinguishing natural diamonds from their synthetic counterparts has cropped up.

Samples of synthetic diamonds have been studied in world known gemological laboratories. After the

A

in-depth research, experts came to the conclusion that, despite synthetic diamonds in comparison to natural have some differences (specific growth patterns, remnants of metal inclusions, etc.), it is still difficult task for experts to identify laboratory grown stones not to mention the ordinary consumers, moreover, it is almost impossible in some cases.

Thus, the De Beers company designed simple but effective device – DiamondViewTM, which allows to distinguish natural diamonds from synthetic ones with high probability.

DiamondViewTM is a portable device with 26 x 24 x 44 cm size and weighing 13 kg, which allows to work with jewelry inserts weighing from 0.05ct to 10ct. It is also possible to study the mounted inserts in some cases (Fig. 1).

The basic principle of the device is the irradiation of the sample with 225 nm UV waves (short waves).

The power of the UV light source is 20W. Under the irradiation of the sample, some properties appear, specifically fluorescence is observed, phosphorescence is automatically detected, growth patterns reflecting the crystallization conditions of every single diamond become noticeable.

Every test insert is studied from various angles. The most informative details of the internal structure of the crystal are detected, studied, photographed and stored in a structured database.

The image quality can be adjusted using the device rotating handles and the slider of the computer application – DiamondView Aplication (Fig. 2).

B

Figure 1 – DiamondViewTM device: A – general view, B – sample holder and interior of the working part of the device.

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A

B

Figure 2 – Appearance of the computer application – Diamond View Application.

Images that were taken when photographing sample under the UV irradiation automatically fixed the phosphorescence of the stone. The phenomenon of phosphorescence is rare in natural diamonds, but it is often found in synthetic stones (Fig. 3)

A

Internal imperfections of natural diamonds (clarity group VS-SI and lower) are well fixed in visible light, in UV, but the most observed defects are cracks (Fig. 4).

Metal remnants in synthetic diamonds are clearly visible both at visible and at UV light (Fig. 5).

B

Figure 5 – Remaining metal in the synthetic diamond with visible (A) and UV (B) light.

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Figure 4 – Observation of internal defects (fractures) in natural diamond at UV light.

Natural diamonds were formed in the bowels of the earth within many millions of years before they reached the surface of the Earth.

Diamond crystallization is rather complicated natural process due to unstable formation conditions, as well as the chemical composition of the medium of mineralization. Until now, man has failed to completely reproduce the natural process of diamonds crystallization, to create a stone of all parameters similar to natural.

Morphology of the diamond crystal reflects the process of its growth.

Shapes of natural crystals are quite diverse. The most characteristic shape is the octahedron.

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Figure 3 – Blue synthetic diamond in visible light (A) and after UV exposure (B).

Phosphorescence is fixed.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / UKRAINIAN JEWELLERY REPORT cubic growth

octahedral growth

4

1

3

3 2

1 Natural diamond octahedron

2 1–2–3–4 section

Figure 6 – I: schematic view of natural diamond crystal; II: image of growth patterns in natural diamond under UV exposure in DiamondViewTM

B

A Sketch along Section B

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A

B

A Seed crystal

Vertical section: dark yellow is high Nitrogene (N) concentration

Sketch along Section A

Figure 7 – I: diamond crystal grown by HPHT method; II: specific fluorescence figures, the image is obtained with DiamondViewTM device.

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The cube, rhombododecahedron and tetrahedron are rather rare. It is unusual for natural crystals to form the correct crystallographic shapes due to unstable conditions during their growth.

The left part of the Figure 6 shows the octagon (octahedron) of natural diamond.

If you make the section through 1–2–3–4 and place the sample in DiamondViewTM, followed by UV irradiation, the image observed in the device will resemble the image shown on the right side of the Figure 6.

The figure clearly shows the cube and octahedron growth patterns.

The color of the fluorescence and the spacing between the growth structures reflect the history of diamond growth. The complexity and fluorescence pattern visibility are unique for every single natural diamond. The dominant fluorescence

colors for natural diamonds under the gemological UV lamp are blue, yellow, green, or a combination of these colors is also possible but DiamondViewTM dominant fluorescence color is blue.

Metal-solvent-catalyst presence is required to accelerate the crystal growth during the НРНТ diamonds synthesis (Fig. 7).

Such growth conditions contribute to the development of certain crystal faces, in particular octahedral {111}, cubic {001}, dodecadric {110}, and trapezoid {113}. Absorption of impurities various for different growth areas and appeared in the specific fluorescence patterns in synthetic stones. Quite often, this pattern looks like a cross, a sand clock.

The best view to watch these patterns is from the pavilion, but it depends on the orientation of the stone by cutter.

НРНТ synthetic diamonds, as can be seen on the left of the figure (Fig. 7, I), form crystals of a different shape than natural diamonds (octahedral) and show cub-octahedron shape, which may be slightly modified by dodecahedral and trapezoidal forms. However, as soon as diamond crystal is cut, it loses features indicating nature.

The most typical colors for НРНТ synthetic diamonds are yellow or yellowish-brown. Yellow color occurs due to the presence of nitrogen as single substituents of carbon atoms.

Crystals of synthetic diamond have zonal structure, so different zones show different activity to capture impurities. The form of nitrogen observed in synthetic stones is different from that found in most natural diamonds. The right part of the image (Fig. 7, II) shows the fluorescence pattern of synthetic diamonds in different sections that can be observed under UV irradiation in DiamondViewTM. The fluorescence pattern clearly shows zonal structure of НРНТ synthetics.

Colorless stones are also well diagnosed with DiamondViewTM. The concentration of nitrogen in colorless diamonds is quite low, but it is sufficient amount to determine the growth zones of the stones.

REFERENCES 1 ● DiamondViewTM User Manual 2 ● Ємельянов І.О.,Грущинська О.В.,Бєлєвцев О.Р. “Діагностика алмазів за допомогою приладу DiamondViewTM” // Коштовне та декоративне каміння № 1(63), березень 2011 3 ● Верена Пагель-Тайсен. Все про оцінювання діамантів: Практичний посібник Вид. 9, перер. та доп./ Пер.з англ.// Вид. Т.В. Калюжна. – ДонецькДнепропетровськ: АРТ-ПРЕСС, 2008. – 324 с.; іл.

4 ● Солодова Ю.П., Николаєв М. В., Курбатов К.К. и др. “Геммология алмаза: учебник”, Москва, 2008. – 416 с.

5 ● Ємельянов І.О.,Грущинська О.В.,Бєлєвцев О.Р. “Діагностика алмазів за допомогою приладу DiamondViewTM” // Коштовне та декоративне каміння № 1(63), березень 2011 ■

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SILVAMEX Andrzej Szczypior ul. Kielnieńska 60 80-299 Gdańsk, Poland Tel. (48) 58 5209700 Fax (48) 58 5209701 Mobile. (48) 501 236895

BUSINESS INSIGHTS / DANISH JEWELLERY REPORT

THE CITY OF JEWELLERY OPENS ON 27 SEPTEMBER 2019

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The

almost 600 year- old Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild once again presents exhibitions, workshop tours and special events under the title: The City of Jewellery. The guild currently comprises 187 members, who represent this tradition-bound, but also very broad and experimental field.

This year, a number of guild members will open their doors to the public and present activities relating to the theme: ‘Worthy of a Queen.’

The City of Jewellery is organised in conjunction with the presentation of the 100,000 kr. Skt. Loye Award. This year it will be awarded for the 20th time, accompanied by the exhibition: Worthy of a Queen – master, patron monarch, in the Royal Representation Rooms at Christiansborg Palace. Here, the three Skt. Loye nominees will present their work alongside a rarely shown collection of H.M the Queen’s private jewellery and objects.

With the theme ’Worthy of a Queen’, Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild focuses on both extraordinary masterpieces within craft, art and design, and the wonderful experiences that this event offers the public. And, I hope that the guild members’ initiatives will be very well visited during The City of Jewellery, says Master of the Guild, Diana Holstein.

Dates

The City of Jewellery is divided into 3 periods, according to various areas: The city centre: 27–28 September 2019 Amager, Vesterbro, Frederiksberg: 3–5 October

Nørrebro, Østerbro, Lyngby: 24–26 October However, many of the exhibitions, shops and workshops will be open beyond these dates.

The exhibition Worthy of a Queen – master, patron monarch in the Royal Representation Rooms at Christiansborg Palace opens on 27 September and runs until 15 December 2019.

Programme

See the full programme for The City of Jewellery on guldsmedelauget. dk, Facebook or Instagram from the beginning of September.

About the Skt. Loye Award

The Skt. Loye Award was instituted for the first time in 1989. The award of 100,000 kr. is presented to up-andcoming goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewellery artists, craftspeople and designers who display exceptional skills and talent within the field of jewellery and silverware.

The Skt. Loye 2019 nominees are jewellery artist Nanna Obel, jewellery artist Louise Frølund Bech, and goldsmith and designer Marie Rimmen, and they will all present work relating to the theme ’Worthy of a Queen.’

The Skt. Loye Award 2019 Jury consists of: Diana Holstein, jewellery designer and Master of the Guild Thomas Thulstrup, Director of The Royal Danish Collection Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition

Illustration: Morten Voight

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Over 40 members of the Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild open their doors to the public, providing a unique possibility to experience craftspeople, artists and designers make and exhibit their work.

Bjørn Nørgaard, sculptor and artist Lone Løvschal, silversmith and board member Christine Bukkehave, goldsmith and receiver of the Skt. Loye Award 2015.

About Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild

Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild was founded in 1429, by King Eric of Pomerania and Queen Philippa and is the oldest guild in Denmark, and possibly the world. The guild’s main objective, among others, is to present grants and awards to practitioners, who show exceptional talent, and provide financial support to cultural events related to the goldsmith and silversmith field.

The City of Jewellery and Worthy of a Queen are supported by:

Danish Arts Foundation, Queen Margrethe’s and Prince Henrik’s Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, Konsul George Jorcks og Hustru Emma Jorcks Foundation Grosserer L.F. Foghts Foundation, I.F. Lemvigh Müllers Fond, Metal Vennerne, Dansk Metal, Aktiv Guld, Frits Pedersen, Ravstedhus. ■ Contact and additional information Copenhagen Goldsmiths’ Guild www.guldsmedelauget.dk Secretary, Maria Tsoskunoglu Telephone: +45 61719440, mail@guldsmedelauget.dk

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / GERMAN JEWELLERY REPORT

JEWELLERY IN GERMANY PROSPECTS

LUXURY JEWELLERY SEEN AS AN INVESTMENT In 2018, luxury jewellery recorded solid current value growth in Germany, largely as a result of increasing polarisation within the German jewellery category between entry-level and highend products. A greater willingness among consumers to spend more on luxury jewellery was reflected not only in rising interest in precious materials such as gold, platinum and especially diamonds but also material assets.

WOMEN’S LUXURY FINE JEWELLERY BENEFITS THE MOST FROM CURRENT TRENDS Although millennials are becoming increasingly relevant as a target audience within luxury jewellery in Germany, high net worth women of all age groups account for the largest share of value sales in the category. There is now a growing tendency among women to wear luxury jewellery not only on special occasions but also on a regular basis as a way to reflect their personality.

INTERNET RETAILING CONTINUES TO GAIN GROUND IN LUXURY JEWELLERY Specialist retailers are in a particularly strong position as a distribution channel due to the individual service and advice they offer, as well as the opportunity to try on products and so get a better appreciation of the materials used and quality of the piece in question. However, despite these factors, internet retailing continued to gain share in luxury jewellery in 2018.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE CARTIER MAINTAINS ITS POSITION AS THE LEADING PLAYER In 2017, Cartier remained the leading player in luxury jewellery in Germany. The company continued to see its value sales increase as consumers opted for more expensive and higher quality jewellery.

WELLENDORFF CONTINUES TO BENEFIT FROM A MORE TRADITIONAL APPROACH In 2017, the German manufacturer Wellendorff remained one of the three leading players in luxury jewellery in terms of value sales. Contributing to Wellendorff’s success has been its unique image as a family-owned company with a long tradition for producing handmade jewellery.

INTERNATIONAL BRANDS REMAIN DOMINANT IN LUXURY JEWELLERY Despite the strong presence of Wellendorff, the category continued to be dominated by international brands. This is because for most consumers such brands have greater appeal and prestige, especially among international tourists. ■

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GREEN,

GREENER,

GREENEST:

EMERALD, DEMANTOID, PERIDOT AND TSAVORITE, GREEN TOURMALINE AND CHROME TOURMALINE Not only the peridot, but also other gemstones whose colour is green, have an unusually positive effect, because green is always perceived as fresh and vivacious, never as dull. Because of their very colour they seem to inspire, encourage creativity and joie de vivre and are, at the same time, a genuine piece of Nature.

What they have in common is the chromium and / or vanadium that give them their colour.

These trace elements succeed in transforming a crystal into a green gemstone.

Take the emerald, for example, with its unique emerald green. It’s the most valuable member of the beryl group, to which the blue aquamarine, the delicate pink morganite, the golden heliodor and the pale green beryl belong.

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CHROMIUM IS THE SECRET Far less well known is the emerald’s ‘little brother’, the tsavorite. Fresh green hues from a pastel green to a lush emerald green, and its extraordinary brilliance, made this relatively young gemstone from East Africa a real high flyer in the mid1970s. Thanks to the film ‘Out of Africa’, the area where it originated near the Tsavo National Park in the border country between Kenya and Tanzania became world-famous. The tsavorite belongs to the colourful gemstone group of the garnets. Here too, the green tones are caused by the trace elements chromium and vanadium. Like all garnets, the tsavorite is a piece of pure Nature, unusually brilliant, robust as well, and

thanks to its good hardness of 7, also fairly hard-wearing.

DEMANTOIDS – A COLLECTOR’S BEST FRIEND Having said that, there is another garnet variety that surpasses it in terms of brightness: the demantoid. In this former ‘favourite stone of Russian jewellers’ too, chromium is the reason for the green colour. The term ‘demantoid’ means ‘diamond-like’, and not without good reason. For this gemstone has even higher refraction than the diamond, and that gives it a really incredible brightness.

Russian demantoids from the Urals are the most valuable, because only they have a radiant green to chrome green hue and those so-called

‘horsetails’. ‘Horsetails’ are bushy chrysotile fibres which often have a small black crystal in their centre.

GREEN IS NOT JUST GREEN The gloriously colourful gemstone group of the tourmalines also has two wonderful varieties in green: the green tourmaline – a real classic which women love and men love to wear – and the chrome tourmaline.

The former presents a magnificent colour spectrum from a fine light green to a dark bottle-green. The green tourmaline, for a change, has the element iron to thank for its colouring, whereas in the chrome tourmaline it is tiny traces of chromium that cause the fine, emerald-like hue.

■ www.constantinwild.com/ www.constantinwild.com/blog/

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / FINNISH JEWELLERY REPORT

WATCH THE WATCH SCENE IN FINLAND!

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Henrik KIHLMAN

Watchmaking has a long and fine tradition in Finland. In recent times we have seen some Finnish watchmakers make very successful careers on the international scene. For much of this success we need to credit the Finnish school of watchmaking with its high class curriculum and teachers that has been able to prepare students to perform extremely well in competitions. The most famous alumni of this school is probably Kari Voutilainen who, most likely, need no further presentation for watch enthusiasts.

EDUCATION The Finnish School of Watchmaking was founded in 1944 and the education lasts three years. The school is privately owned and has as such been able to create its own curriculum and as such maintain the high traditional standards of the guild. Today there are three study lines, watchmaking, micro mechanics and special sales training for work personnel in jewellery & watch stores. The graduates seem to be very attractive on the job market and some of them are starting their own companies and brands. I would like to introduce three young interesting brands that are establishing themselves on a highly competitive market.

AARNI Three guys and childhood friends, Pyry Alamäki, Samuli Koivistoinen and Niklas Tuokko, with a passion for the outdoors discovered one evening while enjoying a nice Finnish sauna, that they had a mutual dream of creating something that could bring the feel of the forest to people’s everyday life.

“We wanted to create something usable to wear against your skin in the shape of a watch that was made of the finest woods you can find in the Finnish forests. This was the start of a new successful watch brand, Aarni.”

Why wood? Well, two of the founders of the company have a background in economics and marketing but the third one has a

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and aviation instructor, put their heads together to fulfill their dream of a real aviation watch that doesn´t just look like an aviation meter used in airplanes but also works as such.

De Motu had their big break in 2012 when their first instrument watch DMG-11 received well deserved attention both at the Baselworld fair and also in American watch media.

A working G-force meter with a watch to be kept on your wrist. A novelty you can´t find elsewhere.

Encouraged by the success the company designed their R42 chronograph that is now available in many different variations, colours and

Apart from watches Aarni also produce a range of other accessories such as Sunglasses with wooden frames, watch straps and wallets made of Finnish natural moose hide.

finishes. The “De Motu” logo on the dial resembles the symbol on the turn coordinator meter in an airplane and immediately connects it to aviation.

A good example of customizing is the R42 specially designed squadron watch for the Baltic Bees fighter jet aerobatics squadron from Latvia. This cooperation is one of many that has created international awareness of this exclusive aviation clock brand.

Being based on a historical iconic airfield is a very important factor in building the aviation brand. The situation of the company connects the makers, in a natural way, with people in the aviation business which adds credibility to the brand.

The “De Motu”, which is Latin and means motion, watch is designed

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feels very pleasant against the skin and it is very light and comfortable to wear. Each watch is also equipped with necessary tools for adjusting the strap. Even though the materials come from the Finnish forests, the watches are assembled in China These watches which retails for about 150 -220 € are a serious alternative for those who buys fashion watches in that price range. A three year warranty and service is a good indication of the quality. Aarni already sold over 5000 watches in well over forty outlets in Finland in 2018 and is in a growing mode now seeking expansion on the international market.

degree in forestry. The main idea in using wood was to explore and develop the great potential wood has as a material. In Finland we have a lot of this high quality national resource that could have many other applications than cellulose, paper and construction. It is a remarkably strong and well lasting material. It is very beautiful and rich in variety. It is recyclable, degradable and also repairable. Basically everything you could ask for.

The elegant and timeless design of the dial harmonize well with the woods in the case and the watch is equipped with a Swiss ETA quartz movement.

The wood used in the case and strap is all from Finnish species and of superior quality. As a material wood

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www.aarniwood.com

DE MOTU When you step into the big hangar of Helsinki-Malmi historical airport you can sense a very special atmosphere of historic aviation. In the back of the enormous building you can find a door leading into the heart of aviation horology, the workshop where the Finnish De Motu aviation watches are born. This is a story of how two aviation enthusiasts, Valdemar Hirvelä with a past in technology development and Markku Lehti, pilot

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and assembled at the workshop at Helsinki-Malmi airport. The R42, which at the moment is the main product, is powered by a Swiss ETA quartz movement and retails for 13001400 €. The G-meter watch DMG-11 will retail for approximately 12.000 €.

We are now exited to see what the designers will do next. On the way is a new model equipped with a mechanical movement that will place itself in the 3000 – 4000 € bracket.

www.demotu.fi

ILMAR Childhood friendship and love of the nature can result in different outcome. The new Finnish watch brand Ilmar Watches, founded by

Mathias Lassfolk, Kenny Ronkainen, Oliver Rotko and Jouni Säilä draws its inspiration from the beauty and harshness of the Finnish nature.

We wanted to create a watch that captures the beauty of nature. That utilizes materials provided by nature and keeps the highest quality so that it becomes a precious heirloom for future generations.

Since two of the founders are educated watchmakers the standards for the movement was set high from the beginning. A Swiss ETA 2892 A2 was chosen for its quality and serviceability. The dial is made of curly birch. Due to the structure of curly birch every dial will be unique and slowly age with dignity bringing a

refined patina to the watch. The case is made of hand forged damascus steel by a Finnish knife smith. This is also a unique material that cannot be duplicated and guarantees that every case is a one of a kind. The strap is made out of reindeer skin which is durable for wear and soft towards your skin and matches well with the watch.

The Ilmar watch is not designed to be a watch for the masses the retail price of 5.500 € will determine its position as a specialty for those who appreciate uniqueness, quality and can appreciate the nature values the watch represents. It is not the watch you were when you go out hiking but it is the watch that will light the memories of your adventures while sitting in the sofa in front of the fire reminiscing your adventures in the wilderness.

www.ilmarwatces.com

We are at the moment experiencing a positive trend where we can see that the high standard of the education of watchmaking is resulting in the birth of new, professionally managed companies that are able to produce and market high standard new brands designed for exclusive target groups that are seeking for that little extra the big brands in their diversity are unable to cater. ■

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ART & LOVE Interview by Dace VAIVARA

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / L AT V I A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT

the more they will appreciate and help sustain the field. Nowadays we publish our works via social media and actively participate in exhibitions around the world. We are very excited to have the opportunity to show at the Art Gallery Putti in Riga this October because there is no such space in Finland right now. This exhibition will be the biggest we have organised outside of Finland, and it will kick-start our tour exhibitions for 2020, which is also the 15th anniversary of Chao & Eero.

artists work in their studio in Lahti, and their works portray the beauty of Finnish nature. The delicate and meticulous process of the work reveals their passion for what they do just as much as the strikingly unique end results do.

The exhibited works can be likened to Finland’s duality, i.e. the cheerful and romantic summer vs. the tough and enduring winter. Chao’s works are delicate and feminine. Always amazed by the nature around her, she enjoys and sees beauty in each season.

Chao expresses the simple happiness in life through her jewellery and wants to make not only wearable pieces, but also pieces that can live on their own as a piece of sculpture.

In contrast, Eero’s works are bold and imbued with a tough and purely Finnish dimension. Growing up in the Finnish countryside with forests and lakes as his playground, Eero’s take on nature is often raw and primitive, and he is fascinated by the mystique of the old stories he heard during his childhood in the 70s. Although the work of both artists reflects the closeness between humans and nature, their approaches and interpretations are very different.

Chao & Eero’s works may tempt viewers to ponder the inspirations and messages in them, but above all, they can be appreciated as studies of form and the simple beauty of nature. The couple’s uncompromising aptitude for the profession can be easily seen

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in the quality of their works. The creativity of the works is achieved through traditional skills and is based on working by hand – a process that deepens and develops only over many years of jewellery making.

Chao and Eero have been working side by side since 2005 and have exhibited their works in many countries throughout the years. Eero’s characteristic works and his unapologetic approach to reinterpreting the traditional field earned him the prestigious title of Finland’s Goldsmith of the Year 2019. This honour was awarded by the Finnish Goldsmiths Association, founded in 1905.

What is an aim that you wish to achieve through your art?

We have an instinct for creating, and it just happened that both of us have chosen the jewellery field, which eventually brought us together. We have set our minds to find our own path in this field, and hopefully do our little part to be an example for the younger generation. Working with precious materials and traditional techniques, we want to dream up new ideas and introduce the public to the world of contemporary jewellery.

In a time when so many fast-made and mass-produced products are everywhere, we want to continue creating jewellery that will last and that can be cherished for life. We believe that the more people get to know about contemporary jewellery,

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What is it that is important for you in jewellery art, and what are you looking for? Why is it important for you to create works all by yourself?

A good piece of jewellery shows the effort and dedication of the maker. No matter what materials or techniques are used in making the piece, it should be well-made and carry a personal style. Both of us are craftsmen at heart, so we naturally like to work on the jewellery ourselves. It is a very simple joy and honest satisfaction to hold a piece of jewellery that is brought to life by us. The design and making process sometimes can be a struggle when we try to achieve the image in our minds. But as everything starts to click and the piece comes closer to being finished, we will work with a smile even late into the night.

Chao is a city girl who is inspired by the beauty of nature; Eero is a country boy who is interested in graphic and urban designs. You came from different cultures – Taiwan and Finland. How did you meet each other?

Chao: The pursuit of jewellery making brought us together. We met in a classroom in Lahti. After I finished my study of jewellery and metal in the US, I wanted to learn more about professional goldsmithing.

My professor, who knew about the goldsmithing school in Lahti through his Finnish friend and master metalsmith, Heikki Seppä, suggested that I go to Finland.

While your jewellery is very Finnish, you don’t focus only on Finnish customers. Who wears your jewellery?

We have more international customers than Finnish ones. The main

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / L AT V I A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT

work is finished, we calculate the price. Of course, we need to take into consideration what will be a realistic price if we wish to find an owner for the work.

However, we don’t think that the market or the consideration of pricing necessarily takes away the creativity.

In fact, it makes the task much more challenging because you need to work within a limit. ▲ 03

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reason could be that Finnish people are shy when it comes to wearing bigger pieces or statement jewellery.

Our more expressive and expensive pieces often go to US customers.

Chao & Eero has entered the Japanese market and a Chao & Eero shop has opened in Kyoto. What do the Japanese appreciate in your designs?

The Chao & Eero boutique was opened in Kyoto by our exclusive distributor in Japan. They like not just our designs but, very importantly, also our quality. The representative has visited our studio in Lahti many times to get to know us and to see our making process. They appreciate the meticulous details and that even very simple designs are made with such great care. They also like the honesty in our designs and that we are who we are. For the Japanese, our work ethic and attitude are also much appreciated.

Do you think in categories of selling when you produce new jewellery?

Do you think the market takes creativity away from art?

This depends on the kind of jewellery that we’re making. When planing a design collection for the brand Chao & Eero, we need to have an idea of the price range and what the making process will be so that the final products fall into that price range.

When creating unique jewellery as a form of artistic expression, the most important thing is to realise what we have in mind. Making test pieces, experimenting with new methods, and spending extra time to adjust every little detail until we are happy with what see in front of us. After the

Chao, in 2006 you were the first female designer to join the Lapponia jewellery brand. What is the difference in the jewellery collections you create for your own brand versus for Lapponia?

Chao: I use the same design language when creating collections, and that is the reason people can recognise my designs. For Lapponia, I have to take into consideration the company image, their customers’ expectations, and the production process. I also keep the designs more feminine and romantic in style, which is what set me apart from other Lapponia designers.

As for Chao & Eero, I am more free on the subjects I want to work on, as long as we feel it is true to our identity.

You use Korean techniques in your works that are inspired by flowers, trees and plants that are ‘more Scandinavian or Finnish than Asian’.

What is beautiful jewellery to you, and how do you express yourself through your jewellery?

Chao: I am a rather quiet person who is not good at communication with words, especially when it comes to talking to people. Jewellery-making is the best way I know of how to express myself. Living in Finland, I have learned to appreciate the natural surroundings and to cherish the little moments in daily life. The subjects of my jewellery are what I see and experience around me and that make me say: ‘Wow! That’s so beautiful’. I believe that as long as I open my eyes to see, the inspirations are just around me.

Through these years in Finland, I also learned to wait and to be hopeful and positive. In the dark and cold winter, I watch the stars at night and love the sparkling snow. I wait for

the sunshine and wild flowers in the summer. In the summer, I enjoy being out in the forest and I observe the trees and flowers on the way to our studio, because I know the season will be over soon and I have to cherish all these little things. I record these memories with my jewellery, which is about simple joy and happiness.

Eero, in contrast, your works are bold, sculptural, abstract, and exhibit fascination at the mystique of old Finnish stories. What are these stories, and how have they been transformed in your art?

Eero: My birthplace is Sulkava in Eastern Finland, and there is lots of history there: legends, folk stories about ghosts, and archaeologically excavated sites that date back to the iron age and even the stone age. One of my favourite stories has always been about the will-o'-the-wisp, or aarnivalkea, as we call it in Finnish. It is a mysterious flame that burns in the bogs, and if you manage to follow it, it will lead you to hidden treasure. But you have to be fast because when the flame disappears, the gold coins sink back into to depths of the ground.

This legend from my birthplace has actually inspired my artist collection titled Valakia.

With your truly unique jewellery, you have earned Finland’s prestigious title of Goldsmith of the Year 2019.

What does that mean to you?

Eero: It is a title that I have always dreamed to achieve one day, because it is awarded by the best of your peers and colleagues who know you as an artist and jewellery maker. It is a recognition of your work and the significance of your contribution to the field. It took me twenty years of hard work to be where I am now.

I was especially happy to receive this title at the same time as one of my idols, Professor Björn Weckström, who received his honorary lifetime achievement award. ■ To be continued

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Eero HINTSANEN 02

Chao-Hsien KUO 03

Chao and Eero. Winter time 04

Chao-Hsien KUO. Earrings “Black Forest Sunshine” 05

Made by Chao & Eero 06

Eero HINTSANEN. Ring “Drop Dead Gorgeous” 06 ⊲

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / LITHUANIAN JEWELLERY REPORT

IV International Hot Enamel Biennial/Contest

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“GOLDEN THREAD-CREATIVE WAY” ▲ 01

May 16 – June 16, 2019, the Museum of Industrial Art Academy of Baron A. L. Stiglitz, St. Petersburg, Russia

Marytė Dominaitė

Over

a hundred authors have produced works of various sizes, from miniatures to over-the-meter works. Not only from Russiaʼs distant regions but also authors from France, Spain, Italy, Romania and Lithuania came to the opening of the exhibition.

The collection from Lithuania consisted of works by seven artists: Tadas Deksnys, Dalius Razauskas, Mantvydas Lasinskas, Edvinas Busarovas, Kęstutis Stanapėdis, Artūras Alekna, Marytė Dominaitė.

Over the past decade, Russian artists have shown a significant interest in long-life hot enamel art.

The 1st International Biennial of Enamel Art VILNIUSʼ05, which took place in Lithuania 2005, is likely to be a push for Russian artists to turn to the forgotten hot enamel creation, because 2007 a group of enamel artistenthusiasts consisting of professors and lecturers from the St. Petersburg Industrial Baron A.L. Stiglitz Academy of Sciences, A. Talashchuk, N. Yashmanov, S. Ponomarenko, O. Lisenkova, carried out a project-exhibition “Co-author with

Fire”. This was followed by the exhibitions “Modern Hot Enamel”, “Enamel Fantasy”.

In the year 2009 the International Exhibition of Hot Enamel Art “Meetings of St. Petersburg” organized by the same artists encouraged and confirmed the need to organize biennials and in the same year, the 3 rd International Biennial of Enamel Art Vilniusʼ09, held in Lithuania, was attended by Russian artists for the first time.

Thanks to several painters-enamelers, this old, wonderful and long-lived art has been revived, and has been reborn in the form of modern themes and technologies. Artists of various specialties, such as easel painting, monumental art and decorative-applied art, were interested in creating using enamel. To this day, it has led to a joint project-exhibition of hot enamel art in Moscow, bringing together two of the leading faculty and students of Russia's Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts and the Art Academy of Baron A. L. Stiglitz.

The commission awarded Tadas Deksnys with the medal of the IV-International Hot Enamel Biennial for mastery, for the original forged shapes ware, perfectly covered with enamel.

Ramunė Jundaitė and Marytė Dominaitė were awarded at the 3rd and the 2nd Biennale.

In each biennale exhibition, Lithuanian artistsʼ works are distinguished by the use of traditional techniques in contemporary compositions, focusing on the metal base and receiving great attention and praise from colleagues.

Interesting works from different countries are expected next year at the VIII International Biennial of Enamel Art VILNIUSʼ20. ■ 01

Opening of the exhibition 02

Tadas DEKSNYS.“Ware II”, 2017.

Material: copper, enamel 03

Artūras ALEKNA. Necklace, 2018.

Material: silver, enamel 04

Edvinas BUSAROVAS. “Birdman”, 2017.

Material: silver, gold, bronze, enamel, diamond, olivine 05

Kęstutis STANAPĖDIS. “Celebration”, 2017.

Material: copper, enamel, wax 06

Mantvydas LASINSKAS. Pendant “Mint Lake”, 2018. Material: copper, silver, partition enamel 07

Dalius RAZAUSKAS. “Grace”, 2017.

Material: copper, wood, enamel

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“Vilnensis” Jewellery School:

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THE CONTINUATION OF VILNIUS’ JEWELLERY-MAKING TRADITION

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The

“Vilnensis” School of Jewellery is located in the very heart of Vilnius Old Town and positions itself as a continuation of the traditions of the Vilnius’ Jewellery School.

On one hand, such an introduction is based on the favourable historical and geographical circumstances: the future Vilnensis jewellers work in the same house, in which the famous craftsman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, watch maker Jacob Gierke had his workshop in the 17th century. The watch maker of German origin who worked in Vilnius was renowned for his thoroughness and creativity; these qualities are inevitable and necessary for every jeweller. So, students who are short of inspiration can source it directly from their environment.

However, the School also fosters the Vilnius’ jewellery tradition in terms of concept: the School grew from the gallery, which jeweller Darijus Gerlikas founded in 2004. In “Darijus’ Gallery” the artist trained in Italy began to organise jewellery courses. After over ten years of persistent and consistent

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work, numerous students, alumni and teachers, and its good reputation has allowed for the gallery and courses to be turned into a school. Over the course of almost two decades, more than sixty artists graduated from the Jewellery School. A great number of personal and group exhibitions have been organized, students, alumni and lecturers successfully participate in numerous international contests.

The courses at the Jewellery School “Vilnensis” are aimed at both, those

who already have an artistic education in a different field, and those who had never had any contact with the art before, and only dreamed of becoming jewellers. Both need the solid base of the jewellery craftsmanship and knowhow. Darijus Gerlikas consistently and patiently introduces future authors with the basic principles of jewellery making, taking them from the introduction to precious metals and their alloys, the setting techniques of precious and semiprecious stones, enamelling techniques,

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term them in any other way. Minimalistic objects remind you of a torso and legs, and one can easily sense in them a secret dynamism.

Here are the conceptual and ironic works by Rasa Jundulaitė; ornate, effective, glittering with gold and gems jewellery by Andrėja Chursiakaitė; minimalist and rigorous works of Karina Lazauskaitė and other artists. They showcase the best qualities of the “Vilnensis” Jewellery School: the ability to see the uniqueness of each student, to reveal his or hers’ best qualities,

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a well-balanced, harmonious whole.

His enamel objects are both spatial and planar, and fascinate by their colour combinations and precision of technology. Whether it's a net from which drips drops of enamel, or receptacles, which can be seen as meditative objects, every time enamel shines in ever new colours.

The School is open to authors who have completed other art studies.

Here's Eglė Vengalytė de Meulenaer, who graduated from the VDA, has successfully combined Printmaking and jewellery by printing images on fabric and fitting them into metal; textiles – she “inflates” see-through silk and plays with its lightness and transparency in contrast with the hardness of the metal.

Laura Motiejūnaitė, also a graduate of the VDA’s Texile Department, combines textile experience with newly acquired jewellery making skills, creating conceptual ornaments in which textile and jewelry go side by side. Ernesta Statkutė, a graduate of Interior Design at the Vilnius Design College, who later studied at the Florence Design Academy (Italy) her works are both biomorphic and anthropomorphic. They have a soft but expressive plasticity, curved shapes that create associations with the vegetation or seabed world. However, in this sophisticated world, there is space for a man; the miniature figures of people inhabit her jewellery, changing their scale and turning them into miniature sculptures. People and plants, seagrass and pearls live their secret life, designed to be carried around and worn on the body. Karolina Šiburkytė, studied Sculpture in VDA, followed by her studies of Three-dimensional Design in Manchester (UK), speaks in forms and textures; both forms and textures of her works are bulkier, rougher and reveal the sculptural background of the artist.

Rūta Jurkūnaitė-Bruožienė (1978–2017) graduated Fashion Design, played with enamel, folds like paper a thin sheet of metal, forming broken cylindrical and circular receptacles, in which the inside is more beautiful than the exterior.

Their ornate and effective décor is also very spontaneous – practically painting on a metal vessel. Dalius Razauskas, designer, says about his work: “I create jewellery with the tools provided by design.” His objects – miniature plastic, are both laconic and erotic, it's hard to

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to provide the ability to technically implement ideas, give the knowledge and skills to help to continue their career as a jeweller. The founder of the School Darijus Gerlikas says: “My mission is to foster a new Vilnius’ Jewellery School, to promote creativity, and thus change society, its attitude towards artists, and creativity. This School gradually develops its stylistics, artistic style and develops new authors that successfully reach for the new horizons in jewellery making”. ■ Dr. Jurgita LUDAVIČIENĖ 01, 02 Jewellery School Vilnensis. Photo: Tania SERKET 03 Ring made by Darijus GERLIKAS. Material: gold, enamel, diamond, emerald, ruby.

The ring was restored by the original ring of Duke Barbora Radvilaitė (Exhibited at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania treasury). Photo: Gediminas TREČIOKAS 04 Ring made by Darijus GERLIKAS. Material: gold, diamonds. The ring was restored by the original ring of Queen Elizabeth Habsburg Exhibited at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania treasury).

Photo: Gediminas TREČIOKAS

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and the design and construction of an adornment. Then a personal exhibition is organized and the artwork presented.

The goal of the School's founder and lecturers is to prepare professional jewellery makers who can generate ideas and implement them in practice.

One of the most important features of the “Vilnensis” Jewellery School is the constant effort to maintain the tradition of modernity, to remain open to the inclusion of the new media and other arts, without breaking up with the traditional classical jewellery making techniques. Darijus Gerlikas, who studied in Florence (Italy), teaches the knowledge of gems and traditional jewellery making techniques. One of the best Lithuanian enamel makers, Tadas Deksnys shares with the students the secrets of enamel techniques, which can be both intricate and capricious.

An important aspect of the school is openness to other areas of art; lecturing at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts (VDA), gives Darijus Gerlikas the opportunity to naturally integrate artists from other fields into the field of jewellery design. Artists working in the fields of textile or design, having artistic education, and having developed their artistic skills, gain the opportunity to complement their knowledge and skills with the basics of jewellery making and start creating interdisciplinary work.

The continuation of traditional, classical jewellery making tradition is illustrated by Darijus Gerlikas' rings – he created replicas of the original 16th-century rings of the rulers of Lithuania, minutely replicating original materials and following Renaissance jewellery techniques.

Tadas Deksnys is a jewellery pro­ fessional, enthusiastic enamel technical virtuoso, has been consistently and earnestly interested in enamel for many years; He participates in the prestigious international enamel exhibitions, a winner of many contests, capable of turning enamel into both a spatial object and a plaquette, that can demonstrate the most virtuoso ways of mastering this complicated technique.

The rational nature of Tadas Deksnys allows a consistent distribution of the details of the décor on the flat surface of the brooch or plaquette, the fine ornamental elements concentrate and dissipate, creating an impression of

XVII INTERNATIONAL BALTIC JEWELLERY SHOW AMBER TRIP 11–14 MARCH 2020

“

The goal of the show is to create a special atmosphere

allowing our jewellery community to feel like at home, no matter what kind of passport they are holding. We are doing this every year, which makes a difference between us and other shows.

Amber Trip will always be a bridge connecting Baltic Sea Region, Europe and other countries of the world”, – Giedrius GUNTORIUS, head of “Amber Trip Cluster”.

“

From the beginning, I have been part of the Amber Trip exhibition, it is my platform for meeting partners and new clients”, –

“

Astijus JASAITIS, head of the company “Napoleonas” (Lithuania).

“

This is the only show where we-buyers are treated as VIP. Starting from pickups from the airport and help with other our requests”, – Jassim BOUHAMAD, head of “Tbh” (Kuwait).

“

This is a very professional and contemporary exhibition where you can always see the latest innovations and trends in jewelry and amber, and get to know the equipment for professionals. And it’s great that this is in the beginning of the year”, – Darvin Veciaslav SERGEJEVIC, owner of the “Studio Darvin” (Russia).

The Amber Trip Art Jewellery Contest is known among the professionals and I was glad to be part of the jury at 2018. Besides many great pieces of art jewellery in the competition I was surprised to see the vivid atmosphere of the whole fair”, – Tanel VEENRE, jewellery artist, entrepeneur and teacher at the Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia).

“

I attended the Amber Trade Raw auction, I was very comfortable with this form of trading, and I will definitely participate next year”, – Edward PIETRAS, head of the company “Amber Gallery” (Poland).

“

I always try to visit Amber Trip exhibition, forme it's more than a fair, it's a celebration”, – Xiao Dai LI CHEN, head of “Dai&Beltost.ApS” (China).

VISITORS EXHIBITORS

“

This show is becoming more recognized among Scandinavian and Nordic region. We hope that Finish Jewellers will find their place in this platform too”, – Petri JÄRVINEN head of “Gold, Silver & Watch messut” (Finland).

“

I’m very glad that this show never stops growing. It is a statement from exhibitors and visitors that Vilnius truly is a jewellery capital of Baltic States”, – Salvatore CONTE, head of the company “Italo Import Export” (Italy).

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ESTONIA LATVIA LITHUANIA

QATAR

TAIWAN

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BIRMA

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Largest specialised International Jewellery Show in the Baltic States.

Nearly 240 business representatives from over 30 countries will be exhibiting in 2020.

Exhibition takes over 6600 sq. m Each year, the event is attended by jewellery and amber business representatives from various countries of the world: The Baltic states, Poland, Turkey, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, USA, Japan, India, South Africa, Mexico, etc.

Around 60 percent of the exhibition's area is used for amber and around 40 percent – exclusively for presenting jewellery works.

The exhibition is held in the biggest exhibition centre in the Baltic States – Litexpo.

Contact us for more information: +370 618 53538 info@ambertrip.com www.ambertrip.com

www.balticjewellerynews.com

"Amber Trip" 2019

P i

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TILES Measurements of one tile is 20 cm x 20 cm 1 m² is made up of 25 tiles.

The price of one tile is 30 € When buying 25 tiles or more (1 m² or more), every tile is a lot cheaper – 20 € The price of 1 m² of tiles is 500 €

AMBER TILES FOR WALL DECORATIONS J. Janonio g. 7, Klaipeda, Lithuania (EU) Phone +370 605 55016 E-mail info@ambertiles.eu www.ambertiles.eu

HOW TO PURCHASE: If you wish to set up an amber room or create a unique element from natural amber – fill the request form on the website www.ambertiles.eu or please send us the request by e-mail: info@ambertiles.eu.

You will receive your amber tiles order in no more than 20 business days (after invoice payment) to any corner of the world.

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A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / FINNISH JEW ELLERY R EPORT

By Antonio ALTARRIBA

INTERVIEWING WIEBKE PANDIKOW â–˛ 01

Wiebke PANDIKOW is a Helsinki-based jewelry artist. She was born in 1986 and raised in the northeast of Germany, an area of rolling hills and forests and very few people. She came to Finland as a exchange student at first and later she enrolled and graduated from Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Design and Fine Arts, with a BA of Culture and Arts, Jewelry design.

1) Why did you wanted to be a jellewery artist?

Originally as a teenager I planned on studying biology, but eventually ended up going through Salpaus vocational school in Lahti to become an artisan for goldsmithing. Even as child I've always been writing stories and drawing a lot and been good with my hands, so going for a handcraft centered schooling felt right in the end. I soon fell in love with

the exact and patient craft aspect of world around me as well, so at the end goldsmithing, but when I went on to of my studies I gravitated more and more the University of Applied Sciences for towards jewelry art. studying jewelry design, I wanted to do more than just traditional jewelry from 2) Do you have artists / craft people in gold or silver. I also spent an exchange your family? year in Japan studying traditional I do, but not professionals. My Japanese lacquerwork, urushi, because mother does beautiful textile art, but I'm very interested to try out different unfortunately only as a hobby, and my materials. I want to tell stories with my grandfather was always the typical works and make statements about the do-it-yourself kind of person at home,

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5) What inspires your creative work ?

The obvious background to my work is of course the environmental problems of plastic waste, but what inspired the pieces and their shapes itself is nature and all its fascinating, weird and beautiful forms. Walking in the forest or on the sea shore tends to make the most ideas pop into my head.

Listening to suitable music, usual instrumental, can often help me when I'm for some reason stuck with a piece and am not sure how to proceed.

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Torrent neckpiece, 2016 recycled plastic bags, driftwood, pebbles size ~31 x 25 x 5cm photographer: Mikko JOONA 02

Accumulation Pine brooch, 2017 recycled plastic bags, wood, gravel size ~13 x 6 x 2cm photographer Wiebke PANDIKOW

3) What is an ordinary day for you?

I usually get up around 8, then have a slow breakfast and try to be at my work table (I have my own workroom at home) around 9 to 9:30. First I usually do basic organizational things like answering mails, paying bills, doing bookkeeping, organizing exhibitions, applying for grants and so on. A lot of time goes into that. What I love most though, is the actual making of pieces or researching new materials, like different kinds of plastics I haven't used before. A perfect day would be when I can do only that all day. I usually work for a few hours in the morning, then have a few hours of break in between and sit back down for work again for a few more hours in the evening.

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Tideroot Nr. 11 brooch, 2014 recycled plastic bags, driftwood size ~14cm long photographer Wiebke PANDIKOW 04

Tideroot Nr. 46 brooch, 2017 recycled plastic bags, driftwood size ~7cm long

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photographer Wiebke PANDIKOW

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4) What is your approach to art making / craft?

With my material of choice, plastic bags, it all starts out with a lot of research – just doing a lot of weird things to the material and see how it reacts. Along that process I usually start to get ideas about how those different things could be used in actual works and then maybe make a quick sketch of it or sometimes even start making a piece directly. My works mostly start from this material side of things, using chance and randomness to explore.

More seldomly I have a certain story I want to tell and then design a piece to do that, but usually I just start from a random idea of a certain shape for example, make a few basic sketches maybe, but mostly let the piece grow on its own, in a way.

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always building and repairing things.

My grandmother's father actually was a clocksmith and jeweler, but I never met him. My grandmother again is very musical so yes, I would say I come from a pretty creative family.

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Sometimes just giving myself time, sitting for a few minutes without doing anything, just letting thoughts pass through my head is also a good way to get ideas.

6) How would you define your recent work?

Right now I am kind of revisiting my older series, exploring them anew and seeing how I have evolved in the craft aspect of making them, also combining them into new, hybrid versions.

I am also starting to take a closer look at how plastics have influenced us as humans, changed our behaviour over the years, instead of just looking at the environmental aspects of plastic waste. I want to do far more of that in the future and am now starting to think

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of new series and projects to do so.

Behind the scenes I am right now doing a lot of research on how to work with colored plastics bags and other plastic packaging that I haven't used before.

7) You use plastic bags to conceive some of your creative work. Is it a question of recycling material or is it a deeper concept for you like Duchamp did with found materials even he wanted to question the very notion of Art. Both, nowadays, though it isn't so much the notion of Art that I am questioning but that of preciousness.

I started out working with plastic bags because I saw a material that everybody was just throwing away and wanted to challenge myself to make something beautiful out of it, something that people would not recognize as the original material anymore, wanted to show what can be possible with something most people just through away. I am fascinated by how much of our idea of preciousness is tied to the price of a material. Even a worthless material can be made precious by the time and care and craftmanship invested in it, I think.

I want to question how we consume cheap things without questioning how they are made. We throw them away easily, not realizing the energy and resources that went into making them.

I further add my own time and skill to those recources, transforming them to make them last longer than they were ever meant to last.

8) Can you tell about an art piece that you have seen in a museum that changed your understanding of contemporary art?

A piece of art that has probably evoked the strongest reaction in me is Walter de Maria's Time/Timeless/No Time at Chichu Art museum, Naoshima island, Japan. It is a piece that was made for the space it is situated in and the space was made for it and walking into this huge room filled with stairs and a massive, polished granite sphere is indescribable. It takes hold of you, pulls you in, makes you feel tiny, overwhelmed, in awe. It is minimalist art at its best. It took my breath away and made me realize that something can be extremely simple, but, if done right, extremely effective.

I also love Andy Goldsworthy's landar t, especially site specific installations incorporating colored leaves. One of my biggest heroes is Chris Jordan and his works about consumerism and his photography and film about the albatross on Midway island in the Pacific and the impact plastic waste has on them.

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The Sea neckpiece, 2016 recycled plastic bags, driftwood size ~23 x 20 x 6 cm photographer: Wiebke Pandikow 06

Waveform sculpture/bracelet, 2019 recycled plastic bags size ~31 x 16 x 12 cm

photographer: Wiebke PANDIKOW 07

Point of Connection neckpiece, 2019 recycled plastic bags, driftwood, gravel size ~27 x 14 x 8 cm photographer: Wiebke PANDIKOW 08

Fountain neckpiece, 2016 recycled plastic bags, driftwood size ~ 25 x 21 x 11 cm photographer: Wiebke PANDIKOW

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A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / LITHUA NI A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT

THE AMBER TRIP ART JEWELLERY CONTEST

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By art critic, Ph. D. Pillė VELJATAGA and Laima KĖRIENĖ, chair of the jury, professor of metal art and jewellery at the Vilnius Academy of Arts

Pillė Veljataga: The 16 th international Baltic jewellery exhibition Amber Trip, held this March in Vilnius, included its traditional art jewellery contest. Amber was mentioned as recommended but optional material for contest work, as specified by the conditions of the contest. The theme and the title of this year’s event, the ‘Random Rapid Heartbeats’ was proposed by the Estonian jewellery artist Kadri Malk.

The lead of the contest articulated the theme through the following questions: ‘What bothers people today in their personal, communal and global life? What do artists notice and which topics reach their minds and hearts? Which internal and external things make their hearts beat faster? Maybe a strong truth or a complete lie? Maybe, a threat?

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the opposite – happy ending and laughter.’ The Amber Trip website call to jewellery artists stated it was a social theme. Since contemporary art is seldom not connected with social matters, I asked the chair of the jury to elaborate on the theme.

Laima Kėrienė: Contemporary jewellery is increasingly concentrated on message, versus its decorative

function. The aesthetic expression and finesse of craftsmanship do matter, yet the idea encoded in a piece of jewellery overrides these aspects. The art jewellery also follows the trend of contemporary art to create socially engaged artwork.

P. V. Yet on the other hand, the key word ‘heart’ points to the private element of human nature and the bodility discourse. We see the winner of the Grand Prix Jina Seo (USA) using, for her necklace End to End, parts from a pair of worn leather gloves. ‘By uncovering hidden intimate and sensual power of the human body,’ says the artist, ‘I allow the viewer to have an uncanny experience to face their own definition of desire.’ Sewn ‘end to end’, the fingers of the right and left glove became one, achieving something that is impossible in the real world. We fancy animal hide, horns and tusks as materials, but everything that comes

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Adelė ŠUMKAUSKAITĖ.

“12 weeks” 02

Airidas SKUBLICKAS. “Pear‘s core”

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Ieva ZIGUNSKAYA. “Hearts beat” Irena ŽUKAUSKYTĖ.

“For outgoing”

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Jarodslav KOLEC. “Ring. Ring. Ring.”

Chiara SCARPITTI. “Lacrima. Sadness.

Lacrima. Joy”

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separated from the human body – cut or come out hair, milk teeth, selfreleased skin, cut nails are disgusting for us. The piece Remains by Viktorija Vainiutė challenges this stereotype by endowing the apparently repulsive objects with aesthetic value. The artist created a ring set with human skin and a neckpiece with a curl of hair and three milk teeth, a brooch decorated with cut fingernails, and slippers with soles felted from human hair shed by combing. A similar effect of beauty of unexpected things is achieved by animal parts, splinters of animal leg bones in interesting shapes, integrated into the neckpieces Crumbs of Life by Dorota Paruznik (Austria). Karina Kazlauskaitė (Lithuania) used author’s technique to create parchment from pig’s urinary bladder where its twisted blood vessels strike us as being decorative rather than macabre.

Adelė Šumkauskaitė‘s (Lithuania) 12 Weeks is among those pieces that make one’s heart beat faster but without a shudder of perversion. The narrative begins with a dot against a white background, the early stages of embryo development when abortion is legal, and ends with an image of a developed infant. The socially important message is delivered in an emotionally potent way using the figures of babies hidden in scallops as a metaphor for the fragility of life.

Brigita Rodaitė (Lithuania), the winner in the object category of the contest, speaks about love and attachment in a more rational tone. Her Attachment features doggies circling around, all of them tied together.

The award in the category of jewellery this year was shared by two female artists, Michalina Owczarek (Polland) for her Imperceptibly and Irena Žukauskytė (Lithuania) with her piece For Outgoing. It seems to have been determined by a broad diversity of artistic solutions presented in the exhibition. What are your comments on the jury decision?

L. K. Yes, that was the cause for the division in jury’s opinion. Stylistically the two pieces are different, but both have a strong social idea, equally effectively realized in artistic terms.

Both show exquisite work and deserve the award. The brooch by

Owczarek evokes the internal state of the contemporary human being, the kitsch pink colour signaling the pressure or influence of popular culture on an individual. The brooch by Žukauskytė is dedicated for the leaving ones and employs symbols well familiar to Lithuanians. A split black oak wood piece resembles both a map of Lithuania and a heart in its shape, while a bit of blessed Agatha’s bread is a symbol for homesickness and internal kinship ties. Every nation has symbols of the kind, as people in different countries have to depart their Motherland due to different reasons.

P. V. The winner in the category of artworks with amber Sharareh Aghaei (Germany) used in her Momentos a combination of raw and lens-like polished amber and metal covered by resin. It takes a perceptible eye to notice the amber, so we can say that paradoxically, the winner in the category is ‘an artwork with a camouflaged piece of amber’. What other pieces within this category deserve a mention?

L. K. Amber is a complicated material for a jewellery artist, soft and brittle, while its intense yellow colour creates a sweet mood. The mastering of its material qualities takes expertise and a special aesthetic feeling. We saw quite a few unique solutions in this category. Between the Limits, a brooch by Laurent Brune (Germany) features a popular culture’s motif of the skull as an inset in amber.

The Random Shapes, an object by Justina Bukantaitė of heart-shaped amber pieces as well as the Still No Reply – Widening Circles, a brooch with kinetic elements by Ji Young Kim (South Korea), both are very subtle works. It is also important to emphasize that the jury, in awarding the competing artworks, were guided by their agreement to prioritize artwork that conceptually elaborate the theme over those, which though interesting, can tour from one show to another.

P. V. The jury selected the winners of the Grand Prix and the awards within the categories of objects, the artwork with amber and the category of jewellery. The works by four other artists, Ji Young Kim and the

Lithuanian artists Lauryna Kiškytė, Agnė Žaltauskaitė, Airidas Skublickas received a mention. Ieva Zigunskaya (Lithuania) won the award of the audience for her object Hearts Beat.

The contest exhibition featured 90 pieces by 73 artists from 14 countries, with half of the participants from Lithuania. This accounts for the Lithuanian names dominating both among the leaders and among the lesser contestants. The second most represented participant was Polish jewellery school, which stands out through the stylishness of design, exemplified by the artwork by Agata Nartowska Magdalena Maslerz or Aleksandra Szulc. Among other foreign artists, the pieces by Chiara Scarpitti (Italy) and Moira Werner (Denmark) caught the eye. Within the category of object, Lithuanian artists set the tone, and not because they outnumbered others. They were mostly graduates and students of Telšiai Metal Art and Jewellery Department of the Academy of Arts.

As a professor, how do you find the young generation of the metal artists?

L. K. I am truly happy with the creativity and participation of our students and alumni in the contest.

The young generation does not turn a deaf ear on social processes and are sensitive to human relationships.

They reflect on their own person in different contexts and communicate their insights openly and clearly. I would like to note such pieces as Airidas Skublickas’ Pear‘s Core, Agnė Žaltauskaitė’s Anxiety, Adelė Šumkauskaitė’s 12 Weeks, Viktorija Vainiutė’s Remains, Beatričė Sinderevičiūtė’s Heart Bigger Than Life, Simona Martinkutė’s 15/02/2019 303 B Room, Austėja Lukminaitė’s Conditioned Fear.

P. V. In conclusion, we would like to stress the importance of the jewellery art contest held by the Amber Trip event. International metal art exhibitions are not numerous. The Amber Trip with thousands of viewers is an ideal platform to increase the popularity of metal art and jewellery by professional artists. ■

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Sharareh AGHAEI. “Momentos” 08

Jina SEO. “End to end”

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Michalina OWCZAREK. “Imperceptibly”

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“The attachment”

THE WINNER OF “AMBER TRIP” ART JEWELLERY CONTEST 2019 “RANDOM RAPID HEARTBEATS” Grand Prix JINA SEO Interview by Billie THEIDE

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Billie Theide is Professor of Art in the

School of Art + Design and the Inaugural James Avery Chair in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Her creative work has been included in over four hundred fifty international, competitive, group, and one-person exhibitions.

Jina Seo (b.1987 Seoul, South Korea) is an artist, maker, and educator. She received a BFA in Metalwork and Jewelry Design from Kookmin University (Korea) in 2013 and a MFA in Metal from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) in 2016. Her creative practice explores relationships between body, clothing, sexuality, fetish, and space. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has shown work in conjunction with Jewellery Week in Munich, Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Sung-Gock Gallery in Seoul, and (AV17) Gallery in Vilnius.

1) You received a MFA in Metal from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. Where are you living now and what are you doing?

A lot of exciting things have happened since I received my MFA. I moved to Richmond, Virginia to serve as the Fountainhead Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University. The residency provided me with studio space, housing, a stipend, and teaching experience. In 2017, I accepted a tenure track teaching position in Metal and Jewelry at Missouri State University in Springfield. I am lucky to be able to pursue a career as an educator and artist simultaneously.

When I am not in the classroom, I am in my small studio cutting up old gloves.

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2) What is your interest in vintage leather gloves?

My interest in leather gloves originated from my lifelong fascination with fashion and clothing. People primarily wear clothing out of physical necessity; in many circumstances clothing also plays a role in personal expression. The use of secondhand clothing and related wearables serve as a means of documenting human existence. The vintage gloves that I use in my work convey specific memories. Instead of hiding the imperfections, I embrace them as evidence of human interaction.

Leather, once a container of life, is a fascinating material. I have mixed feelings while interacting with it. There is a skindeep layer between beauty and guilt, power and pity, brutality and delicacy. I deconstruct vintage leather gloves in order

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Necklace “End to End” 2015 “Amber Trip” art jewellery contest 2019 Grand Prix Material: leather glove, copper, thread, elastic band

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Necklace “Open It” 2016 Material: copper, leather glove, plastic beads, thread

Brooch “Gazing” 2019 Material: sterling silver, leather glove, acrylic sheet

Necklace “Connected” 2017 Material: sterling silver, copper, leather glove, thread

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Brooch “Oddly Familiar” 2017 Material: copper, leather glove, false eyelash, pigment, thread

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Brooch “Tunnel” 2019 Material: sterling silver, leather glove, pearl, thread, acrylic sheet

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to create bodily forms that speak to an intimate and sensual energy that hopefully everyone can relate to.

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3) You are working on a new body of work that includes components other than gloves. What are the materials and what role do they play in the work?

Currently, I am experimenting with introducing different materials to the work. I am focusing my attention on plastic and synthetic rubber. I am looking for a distinct contrast between the primitive and natural leather component and a manmade element.

Revealing and connecting are key ideas in my work.

Transparent plastic sheet enables the viewer to look into something while concealing some visual information. The potential of the material is exciting.

4) How did you come to make jewelry and related objects?

From an early age, I knew I wanted to be actively involved in an art related field like painting, graphic design, or fashion design. I was driven to find a discipline that would enable me to exercise my creative muscles. I enrolled in metal and jewelry design classes at Kookmin University. At the time, I had little understanding of the field. In retrospect, I came to understand that the choice was not purely accidental. I always had a good eye for detail and an appreciation for the hands-on experience. After participating in a study abroad program at University of Kansas during my senior year, I decided to go to graduate school in the United States. I wanted to experience an education system that was in stark contrast to my Korean training. I was accepted into the MFA Program in Metal at the University of Illinois in 2013. Since graduating, I have maintained an active studio practice, concentrating on creating contemporary jewelry and craft objects.

5) If you could invite one person to your studio for the day, who would you ask?

If I could invite someone, I would definitely invite a spiritual artist from the African Kingdom of Kongo. While, the country no longer exists, its people engaged in the practice of creating figurative sculptures, “Nkisi Nkondi” or “Figures of Power”.

These unique objects were believed to hold sacred powers that provided protection for the community. I am intrigued by the use of readily available materials like wood, human hair, feathers, fabric, mud, dirt, nails, and metal blades. The Nkisi Nkondi figures are conceptually inspiring. I would have welcomed an opportunity to engage in a conversation with the artists about their process and intentions. I am particularly interested in how mundane materials gain power. Maybe we could construct a figure together.

6) You are a relatively new teacher. As an educator, what do you hope your students will gain from your teaching?

I interact with a diverse group of students who come from varied backgrounds. Some of the students are not metal and jewelry majors; some are not even art majors. It is fascinating to see how each student quickly realizes the joy of making something with their hands. Of course, there are struggles and frustrations when it comes to learning something new. My favorite moment in teaching is when everyone is focused on the making process and the only thing you can hear are the sounds

of tools working. After weeks of hard work, students learn what it takes to create quality work. My definition of “quality” is broad and encompasses craftsmanship, conceptual creativity, functionality, and visual resolution. With this experience, I want my students to understand the value of well-crafted objects and gain an appreciation for the work of makers that they mayencounter in their lives.

7) What do you think are the most pressing issues in our field right now?

Unfortunately, there have been a number of jewelry programs that have closed due to financial difficulties and a lack of understanding of the field. The history of jewelry commenced with the beginning of mankind. As an educator, I hope my small contribution can somehow help to empower the field. I encourage others to do the same.

8) For those with an interest in the field, what books do you recommend reading?

There are many good books in the field. If you are interested in an overview of contemporary jewelry, I recommend Damian Skinner’s, “Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective”. This text defines contemporary jewelry and thoroughly addresses a broad range of aspects including making, marketing, exhibiting, collecting, and more.

Additionally, the book showcases quality images of stunning work. If you are looking for a different viewpoint on craft practice, I recommend, “Sloppy Craft: Postdisciplinarity and the Crafts” (Paterson and Surette). It is a refreshing selection.

The text addresses the growing trend of creating something messy and leaving the work with an unfinished aesthetic.

The text provides a contrast to the traditional definition of craftsmanship. The book is relevant to all areas of craft practice.

9) Drawing is important to your practice. What is significant about drawing?

Drawing is the most effective way to reflect on the world around me. I consider drawing as another form of my creative practice. My drawings, sketches, and renderings help me focus my ideas and serve to understand how to fabricate a particular piece. Often times, drawing is a way of organizing the jumble of ideas in my head. The formats of my drawings vary from representational to abstract. There is an exciting interaction that occurs between my drawing practice and thought process.

While my ideas influence the drawings, the drawings affect the way I think. For me, drawing is a process of understanding the world, communicating, and interacting with others.

10) What is on your bench at this moment?

I have a single jeweler’s bench and two large work tables in my studio. I have some silver components on my bench that I’ve been working on for my next project. I like to have a lot of things spread out in plain view whether they are materials or tools. I have to admit that my work area is quite messy. I have unfinished work and random objects in plain view all waiting to be turned into something exciting. ■

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Necklace “Red Holes” 2018 Material: brass, leather glove, thread 08

Brooches “Two Three” 2016 Material: copper, leather glove, thread 09

Necklace “Yeon-gi” 2018 Material: sterling silver, leather glove, thread

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SUGAR JEWELLERY OR THE GARDEN OF THE INNER ARCHITECT Dr. Jurgita LUDAVIČIENĖ

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At

first glance, to Lithuanians the Netherlands may seem like a heaven for modern jewellery, namely – a heaven for jewellers. The country is famous for artists such as the scandalous Gijs Bakker (I have in mind his role in the history of modern jewellery, not his character traits), who made the history of this form of art explode in the seventh decade of the XX century, Ruudt Peters and his activities – lecturing at the Gerrit Rietweld academy, at Konstfack in Stockholm, at modern jewellery school in Florence, who has influenced young artists from various countries, not to mention Ted Noten, making rowdy installations, Ineke Otte who plays with materials.

The country is called “design powerhouse”, a fair of modern day jewellery – The SIERAAD, which raises young artists (the fair is also very much for established artists, and some galleries – mostly from across the border – are represented), takes

place annually in Amsterdam. Andrea Wagner – a German born Dutch artist, who has also graduated from this academy has been residing in Amsterdam, working and creating in the field of modern jewellery for more than two decades.

This author is fairly well known to the Lithuanian audience, that is interested and follows the development of modern day jewellery in Lithuania. Perhaps not “fairly well”, however her works have been exhibited in Lithuania three times already. Knowing how rarely foreign artists are included in the Lithuanian jewellery scene, three times is already quite a lot. In 2001 during the festival of Thomas Mann, Andrea Wagner together with an artist of Finnish origin – Terhi Tolvanen created an exhibit in Mizgiriai amber gallerymuseum by playing with letters, words and books, entrapped in plastic. The following year she came in contact with amber for the first time by ⊳ 01

organising an exhibition of pieces made of amber and “amber”: the kitschy image of amber served the artist while making artificial luxurious jewellery made of artificial amber.

Here in Lithuania we have several souvenir shops that offer piles of lowvalue items and at times an outside perspective, while ironic and hurtful, is necessary. After fifteen years, her pieces were recognised at the contest “Nothing to Declare” which took place during the jewellery fair “AmberTrip”.

In 2018 she participated in modern jewellery biennial “METALOfonas”; SIGNATURE (Vilnius, The House of Signatories) Concept and implementation of a piece are equally important to the author. That is – materials and idea comprise a unified entirety. When the author is interested in a particular theme, she finds the material needed to implement it and immerses herself in objects until everything she wants to say is said. Then a new theme

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Francoise van den Bosch, Amsterdam (NL), CODA Museum Apeldoorn (NL) and other important institutions have acquired pieces by Andrea Wagner.

Some of here pieces are in private collections in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, USA, Canada, Italy, Austria. Beauty and strangeness, sugar crystal surfaces, shapes awakening fantasy and soft, but relentless and ceaseless care of the inner garden makes Andrea Wagner’s pieces exclusive. ■ Jewellery by Andrea WAGNER Photos by Andrea Wagner

Brooch: Whispers Of Low Tide Over Remains Of Palace Of Shattered Vessels, 2018 Antique Chinese porcelain shards, silver, glass, glass/resin composite, paper, stainless steel (pins).

From series: The Palace Of Shattered Vessels 02

Brooch: Golden Waters Cave Under Amber Lakes – 2, 2018 Silver, amber, bone china porcelain (color-stained), glass/resin composite, glow-in-dark pigment, stainless steel (pin back).

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Brooch: Orange Blossom Orchard Homestead, 2014 Silver, glass, stained and unstained dripped bone china porcelain, synthetic resin.

From series: “The Architect Who Faced His Jardin Interieur...”

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Brooch: Shivering Sands Sinkhole Lodge, 2017 Silver, found object with holes (bone?), bone china porcelain, glass, synth. resin, paper, stainless steel (pins).

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shapes remind us of abandoned buildings, covered in snow or frost, with inclusions of colourful metal.

Idyllic scenery of a non-existent foreign country, where people are not visible from heights. Perhaps that is why it is Arcadia? In every piece and every phase ceaseless, thorough, relentless and especially involving work of thought can be sensed.

By employing a French expression “inner garden”, used to describe particular scenery in our minds, where everything is possible and fantasy can shape all kinds of forms, the artists creates objects, which retain biomorphic shapes. However only shapes. The objects themselves signal inner freedom and possibility to change. The author takes care and cherishes her inner garden by creating strange surfaces reminiscent of sugary sweets. By employing bright colours and flexible shapes, especially shaped glass beads/grains, china, and sometimes – natural stones, in her inner garden she combines freedom of fantasy and composite balance, elements and intellectual restraint.

The inner garden is a place, where one can feel free, a place where your thoughts and feelings grow unrestrained like plants. And when these inner plants bloom in jewellery objects, then their whole beauty surfaces. And complete strangeness.

Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Boston, Montreal, Museum of Arts and Design NY (USA), Bengel Foundation, Idar- Oberstein (DE), Stichthing

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and source of interest are needed; It might sound like a careless game, however at the same time it is a sign of intellectual liveliness and conscientiousness. She started from interest, kitsch, beauty and irritating tension between them, then she immersed herself in the sweet atmosphere of artificial beauty, while not forgetting distance and irony.

In her early pieces one of the main concerns is the balance between traction and repulsion, between fascination and disgust. She chose (and still chooses) shapes, which appear organic, biomorphic; they can partially be recognised, however the entire view is strange and weird, kind of “disitemised items”, which have lost their primary meanings and gained different meanings, which we cannot comprehend. In her works bone china, cast in various colours (the porcelain material itself is coloured before casting) becomes exotic and stylised flowers and gemstones.

Outlines of the china tableware can be recognised, however while they would seem predictable, the resulting strange brooch shapes – china, pigment, metal – set the imagination free. Are these rings remnants of an unknown civilisation? Truth be told, no one will answer and no one will ask. Our gaze slides over bent wall shapes and openings, slipping and stumbling. In the series “Arcadian Flights” objects become replicas of imaginary mountains and craters as seen from above; strange industrial

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LEGNICA SILVER TH FESTIVAL 2019 40 ANNIVERSARY The culmination of the jubilee 40th edition of Legnica SILVER Festival organized by the Gallery of Art in Legnica is over. On May 17 and 18 vernissages of all exhibitions organized within the framework of this year's Festival as well as various accompanying events took place. Once again Legnica was a city breathing silver and the streets were full of visitors from all over the country and many corners of the world.

The

two-day long jewellery fest began on Friday (May 17) with the inauguration of the Festival in Legnica Market Square.

The opening of the exhibition “40 years of SILVER on posters” was announced by the orchestra from the Drum Battle Rhythm Festival and by stilt-walkers from the Avatar Theatre.

On the open-air exhibition one could see selected archival posters that have accompanied the Festival and the Jewellery Competition since the beginning of their history. The exhibition featured both: works by renowned artists from the beginning of SILVER (Lex Drewiński) as well as those from recent years.

Festival guests took part in the openings of SILVER exhibitions: Holownia – a show of works not qualified for the 28th International Jewellery Competition and the accompanying exhibition of posters illustrating the title “Silver”; Debuts – an exhibition from the series presenting young artists who are just beginning their adventure with jewellery. This year Aleksandra Szulc,

a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, presented her diploma projects in the cosy interior of the Silver Gallery under the Quail’s Basket.

Then “Remnants of the Feast” – an exhibition by the Romanian Assamblage Association – was presented at the Niello Gallery as part of the series Silver Schools.

The arrangement of the exhibition aroused considerable curiosity among the guests – jewellery set up on plates like food in an elegant restaurant with a menu and a beautiful tablecloth. The idea of that presentation is based on the Greek myth of King Midas and concerns our responsibility and awareness in everyday consumer choices. By recreating the mythical Midas table in its splendour and richness the authors uncompromisingly reveal the remains of the “feast” that has exhausted all the Earth’s resources. In contrast to the presented jewellery, a literal mountain of plastic garbage was piled up in the gallery, additionally highlighting the subject of overexploitation of the planet.

Chilean designers from the Joya Brava association showed Interiors – an exhibition whose creation involved delving into the artists’ inner worlds and translating their discoveries into the language of jewellery. Their aim was to create valuable and engaged objects that would have something to communicate to the audience.

This is their concept of contemporary jewellery – not only a decoration, an object of high aesthetic and material value, but also a means of communication and a carrier of content.

The last of the exhibitions presented at the Niello Gallery was the Amberif Design Award, a show of works qualified and awarded in the international competition for amber jewellery design organised by Gdańsk International Fair.

After such a rich jewellery feast, the Festival procession moved on to the Ring Gallery, where the 21 Grams exhibition was shown (according to an old theory, 21 grams is how much a human soul weighs). Ruudt Peters, a world-famous Dutch artist, decided to challenge world’s jewellery makers with this mystic concept, inviting them to close their vision of the soul in a jewellery work. Over a hundred jewellery designers, half of them from China, were invited to take part in the exhibition. The pieces created for the exhibition reflect the confrontation of eastern and western understanding and interpretation of the concept of the soul.

The evening ended with a discussion in a jewellers’ circle, which was a great opportunity to honour and thank Marek Nowaczyk – the man who invented “SILVER” in Legnica.

Mariusz Pajączkowski, a long-time participant of the Festival and a friend of the Gallery, also received thanks from the organizers.

The next day of the silver marathon (May 18) was devoted to discussions and lectures within the framework of the popular science session and further openings and presentations of artistic jewellery.

The afternoon was devoted to exhibitions. The post-contest exhibition Presentations. Silver and Amber was the first to be opened.

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2nd prize (Prize of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage) – Kateřina ŘEZÁČOVÁ (Czech Republic) My own silver necklace, silver hair (from author’s head), silver, hallmarked, 5 x 200 x 0,5 mm, 2019 03

3rd Prize (Prize of the Mayor of Legnica City) – Singrida JURKŠAITYTĖ (Lithuania) Live relations collection of whistles, silver, 2019 04

4th Prize (Prize of the Gallery of Art in Legnica) – Felicia MÜLBAIER (Germany) Momentaunahmen Canvas No. 06, copper, silver, 585 gold, 70 x 180 x 60 mm, 2019 Momentaunahmen Canvas No.13, copper, silver, 585 gold, 42 x 127 x 100 mm, 2019

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GRAND PRIX of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage + 1 kg of silver founded by the KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. company Paweł KACZYŃSKI – Poland The silver pillow bracelet, silver, goose feathers, welded, 100 x 100 x 100 mm, 2019

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Special Prize (Silver Spur) – Darijus GERLIKAS (Lithuania) Artist’s silver, silver, plastic trash, 60 x 70 x 60 mm, 2018/2019 06

Polish Jewellery Award – stand at the JUBINALE Fair 2019 and advertisement in the Polish Jewellery Catalogue – Kacper SCHIFFERS (Poland) Dark side of power, silver, gold, 23 x 58 mm, 2019 07

Distinction from the Association of Goldsmithing Artists – Dot MELANIN – (Israel) Ring, fine silver, onyx, quartz crystal, 35 x 30 mm, 2018

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Honorary distinction of the Director of the Gallery of Art in Legnica – Anna and Witold CHUDZIK (Poland) On point installation, silver 800, paper, plastic, hand-made, silversmithing, Ø8 x 22 mm, 2019 09

Inhorgenta Munich Award – stand at Inhorgenta Munich 2020 – Elena GORBUNOVA (Russia) Ocean evaporates pendant, plastic, pure untouched silver from 2nd prize “Identity” 26th Legnica International Jewellery Competition 2017, cord, 75 x 35 x 25 mm, 2019

Then there was time for the solo exhibition by Karol Weischlechner – a Slovak designer and educator.

The presentation within the About the Authors series was an overview showing his long-term achievements.

The historical exhibition Handmade. Polish Silver Art 19451979 presented at the Copper Museum depicted the post-war history of Polish jewellery design and its development until 1979 – the year of the first jewellery art overview held in Legnica. The works presented at this exhibition are often rarities – starting from the pieces by the doyens of this discipline such as Józef Fajngold, Mamert Cemliński, Jadwiga and Jerzy Zaremski and the artists associated in the first post-war craft cooperatives, to the awakening of modernity in the 1970s by Jacek Byczewski, Joachim Sokólski and Marcin Zaremski.

Another exhibition from the series About the Authors is a presentation of 40 years of creative work of one of the best Polish jewellery designers – Jarosław Westermark. The overview featured works that were a show of jewellery mastery supported by the knowledge of geometry rules (the artist is a mathematician by education), occasionally not shunning from anecdotes or artistic provocation.

As always, the finale of the jewellery evening was the announcement of the Competition winners (their names were kept secret until that moment) and the awarding of prizes in the 28th International Jewellery Competition Silver. But before the winners’ names were read out, there was time for thanks and congratulations. Because of the 40 th anniversary the list of those honoured with symbolic diamonds was exceptionally long. Diplomas and gifts were given to long-term friends and participants of the Festival – artists, donors, leaders, media, institutions, organizations and people who have their share in the creation of this fantastic event.

After the congratulatory part, the gathered audience could finally learn the names of the Competition winners. ■

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JAROSLAW KOLEC THE MOTTO OF THE WORK: WATCH, FEEL, DESIGN, MAKE, PRESENT www.balticjewellerynews.com

The past long years of Jaroslaw Kolec’s artistic activity is related to the theme of stones. The stones gained on a visit in quarry, found during a walk or just simply purchased. He focuses on the stuff occurred in the natural environment – coming from the nature. In his jewellery he accepts as well improving features of stones by variety technological processing, which may be: betterment of cleanlines, color enhancement, etc.

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HE CREATED SEVERAL JEWELLERY COLLECTIONS: “Spikes” is a jewellery made of porcupine spines and silver. It was made of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. The spikes from which it was made are very light, a curiosity can be a necklace made of one spike weighing 4,5 grams.

“Op – art” presented optical phenomena created in silver concave mirrors of various shapes (round, oval and square). Thanks to the use of mirrors of various depths, he achieved surprising effects that were reflections of stones and other materials on their surface.

“I will give you a crystal pebble” – is a cycle of jewellery made of mountain crystal in which it uses optical phenomena occurring inside stone, on their surface and various mirror reflections, optical illusions which are the effect of a cut. This collection continues to develop, combining the mountain crystal with other stones, e.g. with amber.

p. 77

“Striped flint” – designed jewellery presents the line systems contained in it, creating various patterns, sometimes looking like realistic drawings. The collection breaks the secrets of the interior of the stone, striped flint.

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to use natural stones? As he says, because they have always been the basis of ornament and jewellery from prehistoric times, from neolithic era till today.

There are two good examples of coexistence of human and stone, which made a huge influence in material and cultural development in the civilization. The ones are amber – organic stone and striped flint – sedimentary rock.

In Jaroslaw Kolec’s jewellery we can found also other materials of natural origin, like porcupine spines.

The motto of his work is: Watch, Feel, Design, Make, Present.

For making his jewellery he looks for such stones that stand out from others by color, pattern, shape, optical properties or other unusual features.

When he meets such a stone or a group of stones (e.g. a quartz, with special emphasis on a mountain crystal), he tries to get to know as many of its features as possible to use them to create jewellery.

Then he spends a lot of time designing an object that will best display the characteristic properties of the stone in full harmony with the jewellery to be created, after which it is made and presented.

In this way, he attempts to put his work into the historical sequence of evolution of jewellery created by man over the centuries.

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Why

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p. 78

A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / POLISH JEW ELLERY R EPORT

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p. 79

Jaroslaw Kolec presented his jewellery at 14 individual exhibitions, takes active part in numerous competitions and exhibitions related to designing jewellery, where he received several prizes and honors. His works may be found in the Amber Museum in Gdansk, the Textile Museum in Lodz, the Copper Museum in Legnica, the Regional Museum in Sandomierz, the Amber Museum “Alatyr” in Kaliningrad, YES Gallery in Poznan.

Artistic work of Jarosław Kolec in the field of jewellery design, supported by technological knowledge and workshop skills creates conscious brand building.

The selection of minerals for the designed forms of jewelry, dedicated to a specific character, space and purpose, is to create a harmony and unity of the whole.

Since 1988, he has been associated with the Jewellery Department at the Academy of Fine Arts Wladysław Strzeminski in Lodz. His didactic activity

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based on his own creativity: knowledge and practical skills, contributes to the professional education of jewellery designers and their participation in the development of this specialty, to their successes in the art of jewellery. ■ 01

Rings. Mountain cristal, silver 02

Necklace, Striped flint, silver, steel strings 03

An object. Striped flint, amber 04

Necklace. Mountain cristal, silver, steel strings 05

Rings. Mountain cristal, amber 06

Brooch. Silver, amber

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TO ME JEWELLERY IS

COMMUNICATION

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p. 80

Interview with Karin Roy ANDERSSON

By Simona GULBINIENĖ The urge to repeat movements over and over again, methodically and resolutely is something that is significant for both my personality and my work. The variations between the details become important creating patterns and rhythms. My aim is to make jewellery where dynamic patterns form harmony and balance.

Like many others, I find a lot of inspiration in nature; fish, birds, plants and landscapes. The shapes and patterns keep on appearing in my pieces but in a non-figurative way that gives space for own interpretations.

My latest pieces are made of plastics collected from garbage containers and ditch-banks. I keep my eyes open when I go to the hairdresser; I search in my friends’ bathrooms and fridges – you have to be observant if you are going to find that perfect jewellery material. The plastics still has traces from the consumer society, but in the finished pieces, the industrial image has gained a more organic

How and when did your passion for jewellery started?

Do any of your family members do something related to art?

My parents don't have artistic professions but my aunt was a ceramicist and both my father and my uncle has been working a lot with photography. There is also a tradition of craftspeople among my ancestors. I was studying nature science during high school and I think I had always been dreaming of an artistic career although I didn’t really see it as a profession.

I finished high school and was quite sure I would end up as a physicist or mathematician. Not because that was what I really wanted but because it was something that I was good at. But somehow I couldn’t let go of that dream and one day I found the website of HDK – Academy of Crafts and Design in Göteborg. They had something called “jewellery art”. I had no idea of what that was but it sounded very interesting! I think it was the thought of three dimensional, “hand sized” objects that attracted me. In my head I would be working with things I could easily hold in my hands – not too big and not too small but a nice handable size. A size that also make you want to get close to the object in order to really see it and a size that makes it easy to carry the object with you.

impression. From the plastics, I make scales that I sew together by hand.

To me jewellery is communication. The life of a piece starts with an idea or when experimenting with a material. When the finished piece meets an audience another process starts. My experiences are mixed with the thoughts and associations of others and the object develops. The intimate connection to a wearer and a body makes the relation to the recipient very special.

Since 2010 I run a gallery in Göteborg – Four. Four shows exhibitions with artists from all over the world and it is a platform for discussions about art, jewellery, work and inspiration. The aim is to communicate jewellery art to a broad audience. The gallery presents some of the highlights from the jewellery scene, showing both international and Swedish, well established and emerging artists. The ambition is to provide a diverse program interesting both for jewellery enthusiasts and visitors who are new to this art genre.

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I am a very practical, realistic person who doesn’t really like big changes and challenges but every now and then things happen and I just jump feet together into the unknown.

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What was the biggest challenge for you in your jeweller career?

Surviving the first 5 years… that is partly a joke but also partly true. The first years were a big challenge both financially and mentally. There were a lot of refusals, lots and lots of unpaid work and I had to struggle not to lose hope that one day I would get accepted to that exhibition, receive that grant or sell that piece. I’m very much a competitor and I’m very stubborn.

I think a mix of that and the lovely crowd of people that I have gotten to know and started different collaborations with kept me hanging in there.

What is the idea behind your recent jewellery?

Do you think that jewellery should have an idea behind it?

To me art doesn’t necessarily have to start with an idea or have a special message, but it has to evoke ideas or emotions .

My creative process is different in different projects. Sometimes it starts with an idea or a theme and sometimes it starts with a material. The last years I have been working with plastic scales in different shapes and colours. Depending on size, shape and colour the pieces give different associations and usually I give them titles and write a story about them when they are finished and according to what ideas they have given me along the way. For example in the Sastrugi pieces the shape of the plastic scale were originally inspired by bark, but when I started to use the white plastic from a mayonnaise bucket it made me think of snow. The quiet, calming snow blanket that puts growth and animals to sleep, and maybe gives time to reload. Collapsing snow covers in avalanches and the snow perfectly tempered for making snowballs that made me so so happy as a kid. Somewhere in the back of my head I had a

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notion that snow can form layers looking a bit like the material I was making and that there is a word for it. I contacted my sister who knows ridiculously much about snow and of course she could help me to find the word – Sastrugi.

Do you have any loyal customers that wait for your new pieces of work?

Yes – I do have some regular customers, but I would say my most loyal customers are my mother and my two sisters.

They have been wearing my pieces since the very beginning and they still constantly ask me for new pieces. They actually serve as a very good stimulator developing new work!

What are your plans for the future? In what ways would you want to grow, are there any techniques that you would like to try?

I am right now planning for a cooperation with Monica Blind Påve. Monica is working with duodji – sámi handcraft.

She lives in Övre Soppero and I will make and artist in residence there next year. We will be working together, sharing experiences and materials and the result will be shown in an exhibition. We had our first meeting a few weeks ago and it felt like a very good match. I’m looking so much forward to go up there and learn how she works with leather, tendons and bone and hopefully also bring some of my experience into her work.

What would you advice for anyone who is planning to start creating jewellery?

Be creative, bold, thorough, ambi­tious, sensitive, stubborn and have fun! ■ 01

Brooch: When the Sap is Rising I, 2019.

Recycled plastics (from cookie boxes), thread, steel 02

Necklace: Swans I, 2016.

Recycled plastics (food trays), steel, silver, paint, thread 03

Necklace: Sastrugi III, 2019.

Recycled plastics (detergent can), thread, steel, silver 04

Brooch: Fjällfink, 2017.

Recycled plastics (soap bottles), textile, steel 05

Necklace: New Flesh I, 2018.

Recycled plastics (from cookie boxes, shampoo- and ketchup bottles), thread, steel, silver, paint

p. 81

How do you understand the jewellery? Why did you choose to express yourself through jewellery?

The answer is pretty much the same as the previous question – the size and the three dimensional quality, but also the freedom of choosing materials and all the characteristics of a piece of jewellery that you experience when you touch and wear it – smell, sound, texture, weight. I also like the social aspect of jewellery. It is the perfect conversation starter and I love seeing other people wearing my pieces, handling them and put their imprint on them.

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Applying to and starting at HDK was such a moment. Usually I don’t regret it and this time I definitely didn’t.

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I BELIEVE

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that the adornment should be created not for the queen but for the woman who will become a queen by wearing it Interview with Māris ŠUSTIŅŠ

By Simona GULBINIENĖ Tell us about yourself. How did your journey start as a jewelry artist?

For the first time I touched metal and tools in my father's workshop, my father used them at that time to chisel, grind, and solder various artistic tabs and jewelry. After completing the eighth grade of the school, I went to study at the Riga School of Applied Arts and then followed the studies at the Metal Design Department of the Academy of Arts, where I studied for six years, gaining a master's degree in art.

What was the first jewelry? What qualities are needed to become a jewelry artist?

I do not remember exactly what the first adornment was that I made independently, but the first contact with the process was, of course, learning at school and in the practical work lessons I had to make a copy of the Namejs ring, which for Latvians is an icon and legend of ancient jewelry.

I consider myself a jewelry artist and not a jeweler. It’s all about education, of course, which gives a broad view of this ancient and interesting form of art, as well as knowledge of many metal properties, traditional processing techniques, and modern technologies. From human qualities, I could highlight the accuracy, the self-possession, and the ability to overcome the “material resistance” to turn your idea into a beautiful work of art.

What is your philosophy of creativity?

I’m definitely not a conceptual jewelry artist (at least for the moment ...). If my jewelry seems romantic to someone, it is fine, I have no objection. But it will never be luscious. Maybe let's call my style the harsh romance of our era. First of all, the jewelry needs to raise a woman, embellish and highlight her personality, without any unnecessary sentiment. You can make jewelry as a piece of art, like construction or sculpture

for a showroom... But it will hardly be called jewelry. Then it will have to be carried in a handbag.

The inner dialogue, the conversation with myself is the beginning when I try to light up the creative sparkle every time I start working and enter into the exciting jewelry-making process. I ask someone who is in me. I talk to him and He answers me. Maybe it is me, but maybe it's some other being or energy?

At first, I see the image of a jewelry that comes in my thoughts and imagination from unknown distances, or maybe it has long been living in my subconsciousness right here, but only by concentrating on work and sounding music, I can materialize my thoughts and feelings in the form of jewelry, trying to give each of them their own story and message.

What is the most interesting side of the “invisible” jewelry process that the wearer often does not see?

I am fascinated by the very creation process of the adornment, when, let’s say, a simple piece of gray titanium plate turns into plastic and delicate jewelry – a brooch or ring in stylized natural form – in the form of a flower decorated with different stones. It is the contrast formed between the beginning and the end, and only the artist is a witness and mediator.

What do you ask yourself most as a creator?

First, with every work, I try to discover something new and unprecedented for myself. Other time, my thoughts and ideas run ahead of the possibilities to realize them. Mostly it is due to a lack of time because if I tune in to the creative process, I have highlighted the theme of creating a jewelry collection, then there are a lot of ideas and compositions, they come in unlimited amounts ... but the possibilities to realize them technically are not so extensive. The main thing is that each of the adornment I create would have a positive energy charge to bring good emotions to people.

Do you wear jewelry yourself?

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A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / L AT V I A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT

No, I myself do not wear jewelry; if only the golden wedding ring on the finger for 25 years.

How do your works change over time?

For me, the aesthetics of jewelry is important because I believe that the adornment should be created not for the queen but for the woman who will become a queen by wearing it. Though fate gave me the opportunity and a couple of years ago I made a brooch for the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, I do not think that gold and diamonds are always needed for this purpose. If I made a collection of silver, semi-precious stones, amber in my first solo exhibition, then rare metals, gold and precious stones have come along at the next exhibitions over time.

Stylistically, I have also become more restrained, laconic, trying to make the jewelry collection look more solid, but every work with its own thought and story.

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37–2019 B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

What is the project you are currently working on?

What is your dream project?

In June, my solo exhibition “MAIJA. ILŪZIJA (MAYA. ILLUSION)” ended up, it took place at the Putti Art Gallery, I was working for it this whole year from the first days of January. In June, I sent my work to the Kaliningrad amber art fair which is organized by the Amber Museum and in which I have been participating on several occasions.

We have just opened our first joint jewelry art exhibition organized by the recently established Latvian Society of Jewelry Art within the framework of Cēsis City Art Festival.

I am currently working intensively on the ‘’Kocmoc (The Cosmos)’’ project, which includes a message about what is a sky-cosmic waste.

When we look at the sky, we see beautiful clouds, freedom and inconceivable distances with stars.

But in reality, there is a lot of waste in the space that we don't see from the ground, such as debris and parts of space ships and satellites.

In the name of science, NASA and others are going into space, but behind science is actually hiding part of the waste heap that nobody wants to talk about. Of course, we are not able to influence this process directly, but we want to draw the public's attention to this problem by creating jewelry collections with the message that not only the world's oceans are getting more and more filled with waste used and left by society, but more than 500,000 different debris flies in our sky with a total weight of 1000 African elephants. And it will be a very big future problem that will have to be solved not in a far-reaching perspective while exploring space. In this project, I participate with the jewelry artist Valdis Broži and in cooperation with the exclusive jewelry and design object brand Óde and Eco Diamond, a producer of a labgrown diamonds.

At the moment I have not thought about dream projects, the main thing is that I can work creatively in the future, and then life itself will offer something interesting. ■

p. 83

How would you describe your jewelry in 3 words?

Movement, flow, variability. If in one word, then – a celebration.

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01

Brooch. Material: titanium, sterling silver, gold 14ct, topaz, diamond 02

Brooch. Material: titanium, gold 18ct, emerald, diamonds 03

Brooch. Material: titanium, white gold 14ct, tourmaline, topaz, rutile quartz 04

Ring. Material: gold 14ct, aquamarine 05

Brooch. Material: titanium, aquamarines

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p. 84

THE GEOLOGIST SVYATOSLAV SERGEEVICH SAVKEVICH.

B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

IMPRESSED BY THE MAGIC OF AMBER

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PERSONALITY /

Centre for Scientific and Technological Research of Amber Chairman S.V. PETROV

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p. 85

modern organic theory of origin of amber was developed and confirmed by the works of M.V. Lomonosov, a scientist having encyclopaedic knowledge in the field of geology and mining.

His observations and study of physical and chemical properties of stones became due arguments in favour of this theory, and his conclusions outpaced other scientific views of that time. In the 19 th century, professors F. S. Bokk and Y.F. Yoon became the followers of M. V. Lomonosov's views.

In the 20 th century, after 1945, a part of the best explored and richest Baltic-Dnieper succiniferous province (Palmnikenskoe amber deposit) was passed to the USSR. The research areas connected with the study of amber and amber-like gum, including geology of amber, began to develop in the country.

Amber is of particular interest for any native of the Baltics. Especially if this person is a geologist. Svyatoslav Sergeevich Savkevich was born in this amber district, in a family of an engineer and a doctor, in Vilna (Vilnius). After finishing a 10-year school as an external student in 1947, he entered Leningrad Mining Institute. Before he was awarded a diploma, he worked, within the framework of production placement, in Tuva, Mongolia, Karelia, Turkmenia, Tajikistan, Kola Peninsula, Pechera river as a member of expeditions.

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37–2019

The

In August 1953, an expedition of geologists who worked in Tuva was buried under a radiation fall-out following a hydrogen bomb test near Semipalatinsk. 8 of 17 geologists – participants of the group – died; S.S. Savkevich survived owing to his own method of treatment with amber and returned to the All-Union Oil Research Institute. He explored sedimentary rocks, searched for gas fields and oil in the Komi and in the Baltic states, but the stone from childhood – amber – met him everywhere on his path.

“Fascinated by the magic of amber, he studied, experimented, classified amber and amber-like gum of Kaliningrad deposit and related materials found in different regions of our country and in different countries of the world”. He made a profound analysis of the available knowledge about amber, from the 10th century BC to our days, collected a unique valuable collection of 16 thousand core samples (some of them can be viewed today in scientific collections of amber museums in Kaliningrad and Palanga). His studies formed a basis of his thesis for the degree of PhD – Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences “The Amber of Palmnikenskoe Deposit”.

S. S. Savkevich was an author of a monograph “Amber”, the only in the USSR (1970), which has not lost so far its scientific and practical importance in geology, chemistry, palaeontology, archaeology, history of natural science, etc.

The study of amber is carried out today by scientists from many countries. The scientific research of amber and amber-like gum in the present-day Kaliningrad region is concentrated in the Centre for Scientific and Technological Research of Amber. According to the testament of S. S. Savkevich's relatives, the exclusive rights to the use of the archive containing scientific works, developments and collections of academician S. S. Savkevich were transferred to his disciple S.V. Petrov (President of the Centre for Scientific and Technological Research of Amber Council). This way due

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B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

Amber has been a subject of scientists' interest at all times, as evidenced by written monuments of Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

The mystery of its origin has been a matter of greatest interest.

The lack of knowledge has been generously compensated by the abundance of fantasies and myths, with inklings of truth barely seen through the fabric of this fiction. Only by the middle of the 18th century, owing to the research of scientists from all over the world, the smouldering wraps enveloping the mysterious origin of amber fell off.

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PERSONALITY /

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succession took place – transfer of the world-value knowledge about amber and further development of the multidisciplinary research of amber, along with the creation of the foundations of the modern “amber education”. According to the approved programme of association experts of the Centre for Scientific and Technological Research of Amber, developed up to 2025, a cluster project has been elaborated, that provides for further development

01

Part of the collection of S. S.Savkevich from the funds of the Association of CNTR amber 02

Svyatoslav Sergeevich SAVKEVICH (18.08.1930-15.12.2003) 03

The monograph “Amber”, publishing house “Nedra” 1970. Leningrad (St. Petersburg) 04

The monography “Innovative amber cluster-progressive form of business organization” ed. Prof Pirogova 05

Genealogical tree of the Savkevich family

of the amber-related knowledge base and aims at identification and accreditation of the existing samples from the S. S. Savkevich's collection to the world practice in order to progressively stimulate the development of the amber market – consumption of the “Baltic amber”.

For this purpose, the technologies for the use of amber in non-jewellery areas – cosmetology, food-, medical-, health- and other industries – have been passed to 104 cluster enterprises and organizations on contractual terms.

Following the long-term cooperation between the association experts of the Centre for Scientific and Technological Research of Amber and Mendeleev Russian Chemical Technology University on the use of amber mining and production waste, a number of invention patents were obtained, in particular, for the “Method of Manufacture of Decorative Items with the Use of an Amber-made Filler” and “Research of Utilisation of Amber Production Waste with the Method of Reconstruction” and others. The polymeric materials

“Polybern” and “Bernit” were developed, as well as a recipe and technology of building materials production using amber as a filler.

A number of unique food products have been launched for consumers: “amber tea”, “special amber vodka”, “amber water” and others.

All new modern knowledge and technologies in the sphere of amber treatment have been obtained owing to the foundations laid by the outstanding scientists of the past, including the geologist S. S. Savkevich. Svyatoslav Sergeevich gave himself up to his scientific inspiration unreservedly; he was happy and was always in haste since he knew that the time granted to a man is not at all endless. He lived and worked creatively – such a person cannot stay unnoticed in the turbulent life of the modern world. We invite you to international cooperation on the use of the heritage left by Svyatoslav Sergeevich Savkevich and his subject of research, the unique Baltic gem – Amber. ■

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UAB “SILVER AMBER” Vilniaus g. 40-4, Kaunas LT-44287, LITHUANIA Tel.: +370 610 66233, +370 612 79900 baltijosgintaras@gmail.com www.silver-amber.com

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p. 89

A M BE R M A R K E T R E V I E W / 2018-2019

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LO G I S T I C S PA R T N E R O F A M B E R T R I P

15 ANNIVERSARY ★ ★ ★2 0 2 0 M A RC H★ ★ ★

We have been sending jewellery news from the Baltic sea region to the whole world since Thanks to all authors, partners, clients and readers! pages, issues, hundreds of wonderful jewelery stories and visited countries and many valuable friendships between partners, we sincerely hope to continue our journey with the help of all of you. th anniversary issue of the Baltic Jewellery News.

Thank you and we will be glad to see you in the

2005.

3500

37

38 LET’S CELEBRATE!

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MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT

List of open selling prices of amber production of

JSC Kaliningrad Amber Factory* Valid from 01 01 2019

Amber of commission sorting Sort 1

Open selling prices (excluding VAT), EUR/kg

500 gr. – 1 000 gr.

4 769

300 gr. – 500 gr.

4 292

200 gr. – 300 gr.

3 905

100 gr. – 200 gr.

3 515

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p. 94

Amber of weight sorting Sort 1 50 gr. – 100 gr.

2 856

20 gr. – 50 gr.

1 942

10 gr. – 20 gr.

971

5 gr. – 10 gr.

504

Amber of weight sorting Unsorted 2 gr. – 5 gr.

122

Amber of filter sorting 2,5 gr. – 5 gr. or fraction +16

132

Fraction +14

63

Fraction +11,5

32

Fraction -11,5+8

10

Fraction -8+4

1,3

Fraction -4

0,6

*According to the official exchange rate of the ECB (07.08.2019) 1 Eur- 72,79 Rub

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Beauty and Luxury of Baltic Amber !

Our shops:

Klaipeda, Turgaus str.3, t. +370 46 213390, mob. +370 619 55099 Vilnius, Didzioji str. 6, t. +370 5 261 7058, mob. +370 693 04542 Riga, Kramu 4, t./fax. +371 294 84807 New shop and museum in Riga, Valnu str. 23 t./fax. +371 294 84807

MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT

The Worldwide Price for

Raw Amber August 2019

B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

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AMBER FROM RUSSIA

UKRAINIAN AMBER PRICE

No.

Regular Amber Piece Size

Price / 1 kg – EUR

No.

Regular Amber Piece Size

Price / 1 kg – EUR

1

+5 fraction

5

1

2 gr. – 5 gr.

120

2

+6 fraction

8

2

5 gr. – 10 gr.

330

3

+8 fraction

25

3

10 gr. – 20 gr.

620

4

+11,5 fraction

50

4

20 gr. – 50 gr.

1 200

5

+14 fraction

75

5

50 gr. – 100 gr.

1 500

6

+16 fraction

170

7

2,5 gr. – 5 gr.

203

8

5 gr. – 10 gr.

320

9

10 gr. – 20 gr.

720

10

20 gr. – 50 gr.

1 300

11

50 gr. – 100 gr.

2 600

12

100 gr. – 200 gr.

2 900

13

200 gr. – 300 gr.

3 200

14

300 gr. – 500 gr.

3 500

AMBER FROM RUSSIA FRACTIONS 20-50 GR. RAW AMBER PRICE CHANGE 2006 FEBRUARY – 2019 AUGUST EUR per kg

4300 3900 3500 3100 2700 2300 1900 1500 1100 700 300

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 06 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08

If you have any questions concerning these prices, please, contact our office:

info@balticjewellerynews.com

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MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT

The Worldwide Price for

Amber Silver 925 Jewellery August 2019

AMBER SILVER 925 JEWELLERY PRICE CHANGE AUGUST 2010 – AUGUST 2019 Eur / gr.

Amber Silver 925 Jewellery

Price EUR / gr.

Handmade

2,21

Machine made

1,45

Data

EUR / ounce

2019 02

13,89

2019 03

13,41

2019 04

13,49

2019 05

13,09

2019 06

13,14

2019 07

13,43

2019 08

14,61

3 2

Handmade

37–2019

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 08 03 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08 03 08

Machine made

SILVER PRICE CHANGE FEBRUARY 2019 – AUGUST 2019 Eur / ounce

14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6

2019 02

2019 03

2019 04

2019 05

2019 06

2019 07

2019 08

www.silverprice.org

If you have any questions concerning these prices, please, contact our office:

info@balticjewellerynews.com

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B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

0

p. 97

1

MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT

The Worldwide

Gold Price

Monthly average 2018–2019 EUR per troy ounce

1240

Data/Eur

1220

2018 August

1 043,5

1200

September

1 033,7

1180

October

1 024,5

1160

November

1 079,3

1140

December

1 085,3

1120

2019 January

1 120,0

February

1 152,7

March

1 150,4

1100 p. 98

1060

April

1 152,2

37–2019

1020

May

1 141,9

1000

June

1 175,3

July

1 227,7

B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

1080

www.gold.org

1040

2018

2019 08 09 10 11 12 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

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M A JOR J E W E L L E R Y T R A DE FA I R S /

MAJOR JEWELLERY TRADE FAIRS August 2019 – March 2020

JUNWEX Moscow Date: 25–29 September, 2019 Venue: VDNH, Pavilion № 75, Moscow, Russia www.junwex.com junwex@junwex.com

Ambermart – International Amber Fair Date: 29–31 August, 2019 Venue: Amber Expo, Gdansk, Poland ambermart.amberexpo.pl ewa.rachon@mtgsa.com.pl

MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show Date: 1–5 October, 2019 Venue: Expo Centre Sharjah, United Arab Emirates www.mideastjewellery.com abid@expo-centre.ae

JOGS Fall Gem & Jewelry Show Date: 29 August–1 September, 2019 Venue: Tucson Expo Center, Tuscon, Arizona, USA jogsshow.com info@jogsshow.com International Jewellery London Date: 1–3 September, 2019 Venue: Olympia, London, United Kingdom www.jewellerylondon.com ijlteam@reedexpo.co.uk Watches & Jewels Date: 5–7 September, 2019 Venue: PVA Expo Praha, Prague, Czech Republic www.hodinyaklenoty.cz rakusan@abf.cz VICENZAORO 2019 Date: 7–11 September, 2019 Venue: Vicenza Fiera, Vicenza, Italy www.vicenzaoro.com info@vicenzafiera.it Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair Date: 10–14 September, 2019 Venue: Impact Exhibition and Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand www.bkkgems.com bkkgems@ditp.go.th SHENZHEN International Jewelry Fair Date: 12–16 September, 2019 Venue: Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, China www.newayfairs.com info@newayfairs.com Madridjoya Date: 12–15 September, 2019 Venue: Ifema, Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain www.ifema.es/madrid-joya madridjoya@ifema.es

www.balticjewellerynews.com

GoldExpo Date: 3–5 October, 2019 Venue: Expo XXI, Warsaw, Poland www.tjexpo.pl targi@tjexpo.pl Intergem Date: 3–6 October, 2019 Venue: Messe Idar-Oberstein, Idar-Oberstein, Germany www.intergem.de office@intergem.de Istanbul Jewelry Show October Date: 10–13 October, 2019 Venue: Istanbul Fair Center (CNR Expo), Istanbul, Turkey october.istanbuljewelryshow.com visit-ijs@ubm.com Gemworld Munich Date: 25–27 October, 2019 Venue: Munich Trade Fair Center, Munich Germany www.gemworldmunich.com besucherservice@munichshow.com VOD DUBAI Date: 13–16 November, 2019 Venue: Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates www.jewelleryshow.com Jeweller Expo Ukraine Date:, 28 November–1 December, 2019 Location: International Exhibition Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine www.jewellerexpo.kiev.ua jewel@kmkya.kiev.ua GeMin Date: 29 November–1 December, 2019 Venue: Athens, Greece www.gemin.eu info@gemin.eu

VICENZAORO 2019 Date: 17–22 January, 2020 Venue: Vicenza Fiera, Vicenza, Italy www.vicenzaoro.com info@vicenzafiera.it JOGS Tuscon 12 Day Gem &Jewelry Show Date: 30 January–10 February, 2020 Venue: Tucson Expo Center, Tuscon, Arizona, USA jogsshow.com info@jogsshow.com Jewellery & Watch Date: 2–6 February, 2020 Venue: NEC, Birmingham, United Kingdom www.jewelleryandwatchbirmingham.com JUNWEX St.Petersburg Date: 5–9 February, 2020 Venue: ExpoForum, St.Petersburg, Russia www.junwex.com junwex@junwex.com Inhorgenta Munich Date: 14–17 February, 2020 Venue: Messe Munchen, Munich, Germany www.inhorgenta.com info@inhorgenta.de HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show Date: 4–8 March, 2020 Venue: Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, China www.hktdc.com/fair/hkjewellery-en exhibitions@hktdc.org XVII International Baltic Jewellery Show Amber Trip Date: 11–14 March, 2020 Venue: LITEXPO, Laisvės Ave.5, Vilnius, Lithuania www.ambertrip.com info@ambertrip.com AMBERIF International Fair of Amber, Jewellery and Gemstones Date: 18–21 March, 2020 Venue: Amber Expo, Gdansk, Poland amberif.amberexpo.pl ewa.rachon@mtgsa.com.pl Istanbul Jewelry Show Date: 19–22 March, 2020 Venue: Istanbul Fair Center (CNR Expo), Istanbul, Turkey march.istanbuljewelryshow.com visit-ijs@ubm.com

p. 99

Japan Jewellery Fair Date: 28–30 August, 2019 Venue: Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center, Tokyo, Japan www.japanjewelleryfair.com info@japanjewelleryfair.com

Mineralien Hamburg Date: 6–8 December, 2019 Venue: Hamburg Messe und Congress Center, Hamburg, Germany www.mineralien-hamburg.de silke.eidam@hamburg-messe.de

37–2019

September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair Date: 16–20 September, 2019 Venue: AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong, China exhibitions.jewellerynet.com salesjgf-hk@ubm.com

B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S

New Nordic – Jewellery and Watch show Copenhagen Date: 23–25 August, 2019 Venue: Bella Center, Copenhagen, Denmark www.nord-fair.dk anne@nord-fair.dk

EC SIGHT Amber Trip art jewellery competition Deadline 17th of February, 2020 More information at www.ambertrip.com or art@ambertrip.com

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