Contemporary high-quality Polish amber jewelry and art is the focus of a new book, titled Top Amber.

The coffee-table sized book of amber jewelry photographs is dedicated to contemporary amber art, design, and fashion. The album presents the work of artists from Poland and abroad who took part or sat in the jury in designer competitions in Gdañsk, Warsaw, and Legnica, chiefly the ELEKTRONOS Amberif Design Award and the Mercurius Gedanensis Jewellery Competition.

The book’s commentary was written by S³awomir Fija³kowski, a jewelry designer and an instructor at the Jewellery Design Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Gdañsk.

Fija³kowski said the book is an attempt to elevate the image of amber from its folk art and souvenir status, to show how artists and designers are creating innovative and contemporary pieces with the prehistoric resin.

The book also serves as a retrospect, documenting the achievements of how artists create with the material as the amber industry undergoes a torrent of change led by, among other things, availability and market conditions.

JCK