A for Amber

Soon, I will get to the "B" entries in "My Polish Alphabet".  For those of you who are not familiar with the series - the Alphabet is about things, places, and people that come to my mind when I think about Poland.

Since I have reminded myself about another "A", today

A is for Amber

 

The part of Poland in which I used to live is rich in amber. After a storm, the Baltic Sea throws on its beaches small, brownish pebbles - raw amber. If you are lucky, you can find a bigger piece as well. It is said that raw amber contains positive energy, which is why wearing jewelry made from raw amber may be beneficial for one's health. Pieces of raw amber are also one of the ingredients of a tincture used by some for medicinal purposes.

Polished amber is a totally different matter - polishing turns a dull stone into a pretty gem. In the Baltic area of Poland, there are many jewelers shops and jewelry stores that offer amber items. Most often, the polished, old, congealed resin is framed in sterling silver. Personally, besides typical brown/yellow amber, I like the red and also the green version of it most.

When in Texas, I once was browsing through a catalog of an online jewelry store based in one of the US states. They happened to have amber jewelry made in Poland. What really surprised me, however, was the information given in the item description. It claimed that in Poland, amber jewelry is a traditional "good luck" gift for a bride on her wedding day. I found it quite stunning. Why? Well, I had lived in Poland for quite a few decades, attended weddings there, and never had I heard of such a wedding custom. I guess the retailer created that story to increase the sales of their products. Or it is me who is uninformed?

All in all, amber jewelry is a good but rather pricey gift for any occasion. I would certainly appreciate it!

In Gdańsk, there is a museum of amber (which we have visited as well). In the museum, you can see very interesting artifacts on display, including amber crumbles with insects that drowned inside the resin ages ago. There, you can learn about the history of amber as well.

By the way, do you know that amber is commonly called "Baltic gold/gold of the Baltic Sea"?

 

 To go to the Website of the Museum of Amber in Gdańsk - click here. 

One of the Baltic Sea sandy beaches in Poland