Amber Jewellery

“In my explorations of various Polish themes and stories, amber has always been on the list. Its aesthetic appeal may not be obvious, and today remains somewhat forgotten. I remember that as a child and young adult I didn’t love amber jewellery – it felt heavy, very old-fashioned, outdated.” — Zofia Chylak
In the Kurpie region in northeastern Poland women traditionally adorned themselves with beautiful resin gemstones. They usually wore three strands of varying lengths and sizes. The amber used to make the beads was found in the soil, and not, contrary to the popular conception, on seaside beaches. After they’d been dug out, the nuggets were polished in local homes on wooden spinning wheels, just like the ones used for making yarn.

Very few people know how to treat amber in this traditional fashion – and in the Kurpie region, among those who remain are Stanisława and Tadeusz Konopka. They invited us to their home.

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