Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 1772642, member: 2844&quot;]Baltic metal wire and amber jewellery is generally from Latvia, where it is a centuries old tradition in folk jewellery.</p><p>Whether kard&#039;s necklace is Latvian I couldn&#039;t say. The quality of Latvian amber is generally good, and I have never seen Latvian or other Baltic amber in this deplorable condition.</p><p><br /></p><p>In defence of Polish jewellery, it is generally beautifully made and the abundantly used silver is properly marked. Many Polish jewellery makers have continued the Art Nouveau style to this day, with luscious swirls and flowers. Some people confuse it with Art Nouveau-inspired Navajo jewellery.</p><p>Detail of one of my Polish necklaces. This is a fairly simple one, but it is the only one I have on file at the moment:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]239494[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[USER=29]@Ownedbybear[/USER] , maybe you have a photo of a nicer example from your Hoard<img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=";)" unselectable="on" /> to show the excellent quality of Polish jewellery making?</p><p><br /></p><p>The amber craze started when China opened up to the &#039;free world&#039;, and Chinese began to buy amber like mad. Fake bug amber is often made in China.</p><p>Here in northern Europe, amber has been popular since pre-history.</p><p><br /></p><p>The manufacture of faux amber is an old tradition, think 19th century celluloid and other early plastics.</p><p>And mixes of amber and other materials were already made over a century ago in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad), the capital of Baltic amber mining and processing.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is one of my Yemeni necklaces, made with pressed faux and Baltic amber mix beads made ca 1900 in Königsberg/Kaliningrad:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]239492[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Other Baltic countries have also experimented with amber mixes and faux amber.</p><p>For instance, the GDR was home of the well-known Fischland jewellery, and amber was essential for its manufacture. But in the early 70s the sourcing of amber on East Germany&#039;s Baltic coast had all but stopped, and relations with Baltic neighbour Poland were not good, so Polish amber was no option. GDR scientists developed an amber-coloured polyester-amber mix called Polybern, which is now collectible in its own right.</p><p>One of my early 70s Fischland silver and polybern pendants:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]239493[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in