Blog for Amber- Andzia's Amber Jewelry

Dorota Kos: DK Collection Amber & Wood Jewelry Launches

–DK Collection: Amber & Wood                                              -Extra 15% Off Coupon Code expires Tuesday                   

-Interview with amber artist Dorota Kos posted to The Amber Reading Room        

-IIA certificate & amber care literature now included with every order
                                    Greetings from
Andzia's Amber Jewelry!                                

For your convenience & shopping pleasure, please take 15% Off sitewide for [newsletter subscribers only- to get future offers, you may sign up here] the next few days. This preferred customer only offer requires you to enter three digit coupon code  into the coupon code field as you check out. This offer expires Tuesday January 22, at midnight.               

                                     

Gentlemen, Valentine's Day is the second highest spike in Express orders we have all year!  Avoid those Express charges by ordering now & taking advantage of the 15% Off discount :) Every woman has room in her jewelry wardrobe for a piece of truly romantic amber jewelry!                   

                  

This great sale even includes our wonderful new DK Collection created out of amber & wood! 
                  
Inspired by her native environment, the Northern sea coast of Poland, artist Dorota Kos brings together two elements that blend the past with the present. 

                                     

Amber is sometimes called the tears of the trees, you can see this reflected in the International Amber Association's logo, for example. This is because amber comes from the trees themselves. Amber is ancient & the wood is very fresh, very young.

                  

The most natural complement to amber that can be found on the planet is wood, of course... Here you will find that Dorota has blended them in such an artful manner that one can hardly discern where the amber ends and the wood begins. This collection is pure harmony with a nearly utopian feel to it. Please, stop by & view Dorota's artistry. She is truly an original.  The DK Collection had a "soft" debut and already many pieces have been sold.

                                   

Dorota's achievements include her presence at exhibitions and art shows spanning very diverse fields: sculpture, photography, jewellery, design and collaborations with fashion designers. Her work has been exhibited in Legnica, Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw, Prague, Helsinki, Stockholm & New Delhi.

                           

                  DK Collection                    

                  

                  Interview with Dorota Kos                   

                  

                  Blog for Amber                   

                  

                  Blog for Amber Photo Gallery of her work                   

                                  

                  ----                   

                                     

We've also made up an attractive new amber care guide, included free with all orders. The front is a copy of our International Amber Association certification attesting to the fact that you've selected authentic Baltic amber from a reputable dealer. The back contains basic information about amber as well as easy to follow amber care guidelines.

                                     

                  The interview is posted in our Amber Reading Room.
                  
                  As well, we encourage you to visit Jagoda Urban-Klaehn's Polish Culture site
                  to explore wonderful elements of Polish culture.                   

                                     

Our $100 Andzia's Amber sweepstakes ended on January 15th, but the lucky winner's name has not yet been released. We will announce the winner next time. 

   

"Team Amberjewelry"                   

The 15% Off sale ends Tuesday at midnight. Code {deleted- to be the first to get future news & promotional offers, please subscribe to Amberjewelry.com's newsletter                                                                                                                                                                                     

>> Visit Amberjewlery.com now 

Andzia's Amber Announces Website Relaunch & Holiday Special Offers

Dear Amber Lover:

Inside this message:
-Introducing the all new amberjewelry.com!
-All orders ship with a tiny vial of raw amber
-Promo code for 10% off
-Free holiday 2006 gift with $100 purchase- no coupon needed
-Housekeeping: What existing customers need to know
-What's coming up?

Everything Old is New Again

We're putting the final touches on...

We're not far from releasing the all new Amberjewelry.com, just a few hours. It feels like the afternoon of opening night at a new restaurant... or a dress rehearsal. If you find us here at the blog but have problems accessing the site, this is normal as the domain is redirected & republished. We'll be back to the blog shortl too!

                                       —Holly

                                                                      ---

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to present some of our most amazing amber goods ever...choosing and handling the selections, writing descriptions are such a great part of the excitement of our web presentation to you.

Holly has been saying all along Andzia's Amber is new again and finally, it does indeed feel that way! I understand what she's been saying all along—our website is beautiful because of the amber we showcase and the manner in we which we obtain & present it. Dealing with reputable producers, focusing on small family shops, and intuitively letting the amber lead the way. Our business really did come from a love of amber rather than as a business that just happens to be about amber.

Handling some of the world's most beautiful amber for our new offerings, I found myself so attracted to a classic Gdansk style pieces..with curling antiqued vines and leaves, made us search for more of that type, which today really is hard to find—yes, everything old is new again. We'll be introducing the first installment of The Chopin Collection and much more!

Please enjoy viewing our new selections. And, remember, I just want you to be happy.

There is much more to come.

—Andzia

Top 10 Reasons Amber Jewelry is Better than Diamond Jewelry

Okay. I admit to being partisan here. But don't worry, I'm not going to suggest you buy an amber engagement ring at the end of this! We get many inquiries about amber engagement rings, but we usually recommend against this. The one legitimate quality I think a diamond engagement ring has is hardness- whereas amber is the softest of all gems- they're really polar opposites in that sense.

This time of year I become weary of being subjected to the barrage of hokey, upscale black & white "You aren't loved unless you get a diamond" ads splashed all over television. When it doesn't make me laugh, the diamond industry makes me cry. Last year about this time I watched my brother go through the covert (to his finance) process of purchasing a diamond engagement ring over a period of a few weeks.

More than once he stopped by looking rather pale & wan to ask our opinions about this cut or that carat- to get a female point of view. These visits usually ended with him saying, “But you don’t understand...” followed by repeating the propaganda spouted by the salespeople, mumbling the vaunted “Four C’s of Diamonds” & murmuring darkly about investments. He discussed various loan programs, considered buying a rock three times the price of his car, wondering how much quality of life he was prepared to sacrifice in the name of this one small but important object.

Then he would put his head in his hands, take a deep breath, check the internet, take the call or head off to the next jewelry store on his list in the dark December night through the snow, just to be sure he covered all the bases. It was so very important to him that she be bowled over by this diamond engagement ring.

Fresh Amber Bead Creations

Was it worth the wait? We think so.

The amber beads are just as fantastic as I expected them to be- & now I have some ideas for combinations of mat & amethyst beaded pieces that may come to fruition in the spring.

It's funny, you would think January would be comparatively calm after the holiday season- & it is, but this is a very very busy time of year for us in so many other ways- all the internal paperwork, plans to launch, new collections to line up. The amount of work that goes into running a small business behind the scenes is pretty incredible- without realizing you must become become a reluctant software expert, shopping cart programmer, press officer, inventory specialist, web designer, PR contact, show scout, graphic designer- really, about a hundred things I can think of.

&  (note to self:) for example, when there is no fax ribbon, you really only have yourself to blame.

;0!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to working with these because just looking at them is deeply calming- & centering. Life can become so unbelievably frantic it is easy to get sidetracked.

The overall very best thing of all about these is how these amber beads almost immediately take on the warmth of your skin, unlike glass or other gemstones such as turquoise, which will rest at room temperature. These are sea ambers- soft polished nuggets stitched into incredible compositions, they somehow seem fit for a barbarian queen. & yet at the same time they are sooooo modern & beguiling, just an absolute rebuke to unfelt corporate jewelry. & it is also curious how something so small, yet ornate, is so light- because these are substantial pieces.

The second best thing about these is how they contain absolutely no metal whatsoever, they seem like they are held together by magic, or a wish. The hand-crocheting is a little stretchy, but surprisingly strong & featherlight. It's a beautiful way to work with amber, it feels ancient & out of time. These are easy to get lost in-which is how it should be.

from the archives: The Case of the Missing Amber Necklaces

It's hard to believe it has been three years since I wrote this:

It is December 15th, 2004. In August, when we started to make amber jewelry selections with the holiday season in mind, we found a treasure trove of amber bead necklaces & matching bracelets we knew we had to have. We had placed one order with this company before- & the goods were like nothing on earth, delicate, light, handcrafted, luminous- almost otherworldly. Soft, polished amber bead nuggets in every color you can think of, radiant, romantic. Hand stitched in crocheted collars of gleaming beauty. Heirloom quality, each one. Close to the fundamental spirit of amber, no silver, nothing between you & a floating ring of pure magic lying against your skin. Over the years, we've carried a lot of amber beads from many different sources- Lithuanian amber beads are rightly famous for their precision handcuts, their sheer inventiveness, the hand faceting. 

But this shipment- this one is unlike anything else we've ever seen- & we've seen a lot of amber beads...