The 17th International Baltic Jewellery Show, known as the "Amber Trip", took place in March 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was sponsored by the Vilnius City Municipality.  Originally scheduled from March 11-14, it was curtailed to two days, closing on March 13. The Lithuanian government issued a directive, concerning COVID, banning mass events as a precautionary measure. Yet, the show featured participants 30 countries including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, USA, Japan, India, South Africa, and Mexico. There is even an exclusive room, featur ..read more

Along with titanium, silver, and platinum, gold is considered to be one of the most valuable minerals ever to be found on our planet. Scarce, out of 94 naturally occurring elements, it's ranked 73rd in abundance. Historians believe that the Egyptians and Sumerians were the first to process and work with gold around 7,000 years ago. Gold is renown, not only for its attractive yellow, slightly reddish appearance but also for its remarkable physical and chemical properties. Gold is strong and resilient. Yet, unlike other metals, it's very flexible and does not react with other chemicals; it doesn ..read more

The VÍKINGR exhibition at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo offers a view of the most glamorous and romanticized objects from the Viking Age (780 – 1050 AD). The display is expected to last five years. It covers not only weapons but also jewelry, produced locally and acquired during travels from trading and pillaging. Furthermore, the artifacts illustrate an emerging era of travel and interaction during the of the Dark Ages (500-1500). The Hoen Hoard from Buskerud Norway. Photo by Ove Holst. Digging in a Marsh In 1834, while digging a ditch in a marsh, a laborer discovered the find (pho ..read more

An Old Country with a Young Vibe I visited the Netherlands three times: 1986, 1998, and 2019. Tradition and modernity coexist in all aspects of life: architecture, art, and technology.  The contrasts are not striking but rather harmonious. At street level, you can see that the mixture of old and new buildings flow together. The eye does not dwell on an edge or transition but keeps following a continuous line. It all fits together naturally. The continuity is so uninterrupted that I never gave it much thought until recently. Photo by Herman Wouters  However, on Instagram, Leen Heyne's rings an ..read more

Unaware  Since my wife and I started on this journey, covering jewelry design and the people behind it, we could no longer ignore it. Searching fashion and jewelry on Pinterest and Instagram, one inevitably comes across Goth fashion. They are impossible not to notice: sexy, black, and sometimes creepy and dark, seemingly expressing strong emotions. It seems so out there, yet we don't realize it's a part of our lives whether or not intended.  When I was a teenager in 1980s, attending a typical American high school, Goth was still "punk," defined by trench coats and unusual hairstyles. One of my ..read more