Baltic Gold
By : Bogda Zukowska
Marcin Tyminski is a jewelry designer studying at the Academy of Art in Lodz and specializes in one of Poland's most treasured natural resources amber.
At 29 years old, he's already a master of his art and recently won an award at the 2001 Amberif International Amber Fair in Gdansk for one of his necklace designs. Even before the jury had awarded Tyminski his prize, the necklace had been sold to an amber museum in Vilnius, Lithuania.
For Tyminski, the award proved that amber was a natural resource to be prized and not simply to be mass-produced as it has been in the past.
Marcin Tyminski is one of the modern breed of amber designer's who wants to update the gem's dowdy image.
"I'm not interested in mass production," he said. "I'm aiming at state-of-the-art jewelry." Tyminski is convinced this is the only way to reinvigorate the prestige and commercial value of natural amber. At his workshop in Warsaw, Tyminski also designs for Silver&Amber by Monika, a Wolomin-based company. He said it's a rare privilege for a young designer to be hired by a jewelry company to make amber designs.
"It's still very rare in Poland that jewelry companies use outside designers, but this situation should change if Polish manufacturers are going to keep up with foreign competition," he said.
Traditionally amber jewelry has been regarded as rather old-fashioned, with designs appealing more to grandmothers than young socialites. The result has caused a slump in domestic amber sales in recent years, with major markets for amber products now mainly in the West.
Tyminski, however, is convinced that within the next 10 years a younger breed of amber designers will once again make the natural resource a prized possession in Poland and abroad.
Mariusz Gliwinski, the owner of the Gdansk-based amber workshop Ambermoda, said it's time to reject the traditional view of amber as a dowdy, cheap jewelry alternative.
Fashion items: Dariusz Gliwinski has made a niche designing amber for women's accessories.
"The amber market has been spoiled because gemstones were used in common souvenirs and cheap jewelry," he said. "Also, during communist times, amber designers had no access to foreign markets, prestige customers or renowned Western galleries." Gliwinski's family has been in the amber business for 40 years and he is the second generation to run a designer amber workshop.
"During the past few years, thanks to the market economy, (attitudes to amber) have changed," Gliwinski said. "We aim to make amber jewelry a prestigious art object. If we succeed in getting amber onto the upper shelf, we'll then be able to demand higher prices."
The Baltic amber trail
The Gdansk region along the Baltic coast dominates the amber business producing as much as 70% of the world's natural amber. It's also the oldest amber in the world, with fossilized deposits up to 40 million years old. The age makes Baltic amber unique compared to much younger deposits found elsewhere in Russia, Mexico or Asia.
Three's a crowd: Silver and amber corpus figures wait to be mounted on crosses. Designed by Mariusz Drapikowski from Gdansk.
The history of amber can be traced back at least 2000 years when it attracted merchants throughout the Roman Empire who established an amber route to the Baltic. Today, the resource's natural properties are highly sought after by Western designers who are keen to buy and sell natural products. Also, with the rise of so-called New Age medicine, amber is believed to possess a natural energy and is often used to help relieve rheumatic pain and other stress-related problems.
About 2,000 small and medium-sized businesses design and sell amber throughout Poland. Wieslaw Gierlowski, adviser to the Gdansk-based Amber Association of Poland (APP), said there has recently been a distinct shift away from interest in traditional designs. He said these days many people are more interested in state-of-the-art amber jewelry produced in smaller workshops.
Jacek Bielak, who is head of the APP office in Gdansk, said the recent popularity of amber is already putting pressure on smaller workshops as larger manufacturers start to take the lion's share of the trade. "Larger firms are usually better furnished with specialized tools, so they're more flexible and able to follow what's 'in' in amber fashion," Bielak said.
Local companies such as Dejwis or Klejnot, both based in Gdansk, offer up to 4,000 different amber jewelry designs. Bielak said that companies offering such a wide range of products will inevitably take trade from smaller companies.
"Larger companies with stronger financial standing are also better prepared to adjust to exchange-rate volatility," Bielaks said. "That influences the economic effectiveness of the amber jewelry business."
Read all about it: Mariusz Drapikowski's amber inlaid missal produced for St. Brigit's Church in Gdansk.
Although business may be tight, Bielak said it is unlikely that small manufacturers will respond by consolidating. "It would be counterproductive in the manufacturing of jewelry where an individual approach is a core part of the business," Bielak said. He added that some amber workshops have recently started to team up into informal groups, when orders exceed the manufacturing capacity of a workshop. In such cases producers share jobs to meet clients' needs.
The cost of doing business
Polish manufacturers generally sell amber products to wholesalers at $1.2-$1.8 per gram. As most major markets for Polish producers are overseas, the dollar/zloty exchange rate is a crucial business factor. "Amber manufacturers calculate their costs and profit margins based on an exchange rate of zl. 4.6-zl. 4.8 to $1, while the Polish currency recently traded at zl. 4.0-zl. 4.1 to $1," Bielak said. "For many companies, recent months have been very difficult due to the strong zloty against the dollar."
Amber teardrops: Wojtek Kalandyk shows off his designs at Art7 in Gdansk.In Poland, the main promotional event for amber is the Amberif fair, a Gdansk-based international amber jewelry and gems event held every year in March. "Amberif has boosted export sales in recent years," said Wojciech Kalandyk, president of AAP and owner of Gdansk-based Art7 amber jewelry company.
This year's eighth annual Amberif fair attracted 330 exhibitors and among them were 235 amber jewelry manufacturers, 134 of which are based in the Gdansk region. There were 12 foreign amber jewelry exhibitors from countries such as Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, the U.K. and the United States. By comparison, the first Amberif fair in 1993 attracted only 50 exhibitors, mainly Polish.
Ambermoda's Gliwinski tried to attract Amberif's visitors, such as wholesalers and retailers, with amber-decorated sets of bags, fitted necklaces and bracelets. "We see co-operation with accessories and fashion manufacturers as a relevant part of our success because jewelry has to go well with the whole outfit," Gliwinski said.
"There is a steady market for amber and even without any major promotions for customers, there's always been a considerable group of amber fans," said Ewa Rachon, executive manager of Amberif. "It's like an amber club, but we believe the amber market has potential for growth."
Industry professionals see the Gdansk-based amber fair as proof that amber is now being taken seriously by the people who matter industry professionals. Although lacking detailed statistics, Amberif organizers estimate that up to 6,000 visitors attended the fair this year and among them were gemstones and jewelry wholesalers, owners of souvenir and jewelry shops and art galleries.
During the past few years amber has also started to attract the attention of cosmetics companies, keen to tap into the eco-conscious spirit of the times. Pollena-Eva, a Lodz-based listed cosmetics firm, recently started to experiment with amber in its laboratories. After research, it discovered that amber activates the metabolism of skin cells and speeds up the synthesis of proteins.
On the back of this discovery, the cosmetics firm launched a series of amber-based beauty products last November, including creams and body lotions. "Sales of amber cosmetics have been growing rapidly and now amount to 10% of the company's total sales and 33% of white cosmetics (creams and body lotion) sales," said Krzysztof Pawlak, president of Pollena-Eva. Last year, the newly launched amber series won the "Best Polish Beauty Cosmetic" award from Beauty Forum Polska magazine.
Beata Kostrzewska, a spokeswoman for Pollena-Eva, said the company's use of amber is a conscious move to exploit Poland's natural resources. She said clinical research had proved that dry skin improved after treatment with amber-based cosmetics. "We don't imitate the ideas of large international companies," she said. "We are seeking home-grown materials to produce our cosmetics, such as flax and amber. It distinguishes Pollena-Eva from the competition, which is very tough in Poland."
Oh, those Russians
Competition in the future could well become even tougher. Domestic manufacturers are only too aware that in the near future they will be up against Russia, which has an estimated 80% of the world's natural amber resources. "Labor costs in Russia are low and they have very skilled designers," jewelry designer Tyminski said. The industry is also looking warily at Ukraine and the Baltic states, which could become tough competitors soon.
Ring of fire: Amber stone set in silver, designed by Mariusz Gliwinski.The AAP's Bielak said the days when Poland enjoyed a monopoly on the production of amber could be over. "Polish manufacturers had a head start compared to the Russian or Lithuanian amber jewelry industry," he said. "Even during the communist era, this business (in Poland) was predominantly in private hands."
With amber deposits stretching along the Baltic shore from eastern Germany to Kaliningrad (Russia) and Lithuania, it's no surprise that Poland's neighbors have now taken a keen interest in the industry.
Polish producers are also concerned about what they view as the low quality of amber products offered by their competitors to the east. "Low quality combined with low prices could spoil the market," the AAP's Kalandyk said.
To counter this threat, the AAP has recently launched credibility certificates, which aim to protect and promote high-quality products. Certificates are proof that producers use only natural raw material and the amber is properly processed. To date, 56 domestic and foreign producers have been issued certificates. "It's not obligatory, but producers are willing to undergo the procedure as they see it protects their interest," the AAP's Bielak said.
Industry professionals agree that such measures to protect Baltic amber are justified, as business improves and amber jewelry is exported to countries as diverse as the United States, Japan and South Africa.
While no detailed statistics are available, amber exports are estimated to be worth about $300 million-$350 million a year, comprising up to 1.3% of all Polish exports.
The demand in Poland for amber is estimated at some 190-230 tonnes a year and any shortfall in production is covered by imports from Russia, Lithuania and Ukraine.
Poland exploits its amber reserves only to a limited extent, mining the gem in the Zulawy region, south of Gdansk. Analysts said the main reasons for Poland's limited output are environmental concerns and bureaucratic procedures concerning mining operations in the country.
Let's Gdansk
Mother and child reunion: An icon of the Black Madonna in white amber, gold and diamonds for the alter of St. Brigit's Church in Gdansk.
In Gdansk, the historic center of the amber industry, there has also been a revival of amber as decorations for public buildings, particularly religious ones. The altar of the city's St. Brigit's church is currently having an amber facelift. The work started last year and Mariusz Drapikowski, the altar's designer, hopes this 120 square-meter work will be completed in four years. "The altar should not be seen as a donation by amber manufacturers only," he said. "Above all, it's a votive gift for regaining freedom in Poland."
Amber altar makers will need at least 10 tonnes of material for their monumental work, which will be comparable only to the famous amber chamber from the Tsar's summer palace near St.Petersburg, which vanished in the final days of World War II.
"The amber altar is a religious undertaking, but it will be also be proof of the skills of Gdansk's amber craftsmen and it stresses Gdansk's position as a center of amber," Kalandyk said.
