Get to Know Danuta Burczik-Kruczkowska of Kruczkowska

I interviewed jewelry designer Danuta Burczik-Kruczkowska of Kruczkowska at the 2013 Amberif show in Gdansk, Poland, this year. While her jewelry spoke volumes, our own conversation was limited to what could be filtered through translators. (Thus, some of the regular sections of this Get to Know profile are missing.)

Burczik-Kruczkowska—who has been in the jewelry business for more than 20 years—loves the warm, matte finish of natural unheated amber. Her pieces have an organic, unpolished look—as opposed to the heated, highly polished amber styles most Americans know. The artist told me amber is a “living stone for the body,” and that she loves using it in its raw state, commonly dug out of the ground in the northern Gdansk region or washed up on the Baltic beaches. One of her favorite hobbies: walking on the beach after storms and finding bits of amber and driftwood (or both!). In fact, one look at her jewelry and you can clearly see the natural amber-driftwood combinations that Mother Nature took millions of years to complete and return to the earth’s surface.

Ed. note: Kruczkowska’s website is in Polish, and she speaks only Polish, so if you are interested in her designs, I will put you in touch with an English-speaking associate; email me at jheebner@jckonline.com.

Danuta Burczik-Kruczkowska of Kruczkowska

Danuta Burczik-Kruczkowska at her booth at the 2013 Amberif show

Headquarters: K?ty Rybackie, Poland

Year firm launched: 1995

Signature style: Natural unheated Baltic amber designs that are ideal for women who favor statement pieces

Materials of choice: Natural unheated Baltic amber, silver, and gold-plated silver

Accounts: No U.S. jewelry stores, though she does sell to a wholesaler in the States. She also sell stores in 27 different countries.

Starting retail prices: Much of her amber jewelry is sold by gram; thus, suggested retail prices for amber start at triple key prices of $9 per gram.

Kruczkowska amber jewelry