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 The
particles of the sun turned to stone have been appreciated from the times
immemorial. The legend says that the amber is the residual mineral of the amber
castle of Jūratė, Goddess of Sea that was
destroyed by the God Perkūnui as the punishment for her love to the ordinary
fisherman Kastytis. The ancient Romans used to dispatch the special expeditions
to the Baltic to acquire the wonderful golden gums with the hardened insects
inside.
It could
seem that amber is not appreciated any longer as the precious stone. With the
lapse of time, amber became prestigious again, but not as the stone used to
make pendants or inserts into rings but as the production material to make elite
gifts to decorate the houses of wealthy people. The ancient Greeks believed
that amber stones are the tears cried for Phaeton and they were called electrons.
The natives
of Germany
used to call the amber «feuerstein» (the fire stone) for the ability to get
burnt in fire. The Arabs called it «thief of straw» for its ability to
electrify. The accessories
from red amber were popular with the Roman patricians to protect from witchcraft
and magic. They loved using amber cups which are available to purchase
now for the gift to the beloved. During the Epoch of Renaissance the amber was
highly evaluated by the royal family members to symbolize the power and
authority. The golden amber
was used to adorn the crown, various unusual presents and utilities made from
amber used to be popular in the high society. This is proved by the Amber Room
which was presented to Peter I by Friedrich I in 1717.
The amber
comes in various sizes to really make attractive accessories from it. So, there
is a unique amber stone kept weighing 15,25 kg at the Museum
of Natural History, London. Cigar holders made from amber are
highly appreciated presently. In spite this stone is too fragile, it was
exploited for the production of mouthpieces in XIX century and till now,
because of its noble color, going from white to dark red, the cigar holders are
made from amber. These holders go for the most reputed heath and meerschaum
pipes which appear to be the worthy gift for smokers who appreciate good
tobacco.
The regular
international Amber Trip exhibitions show the high value of amber that are
usually hold in Vilnius to gather jewelers from various countries, especially
from the Baltic. This is the place to honor the stone when over 50% of the
products are made from this stone. The exhibition is usually followed by
the Amber Trip Fashion Show, where the designers of jewelry and clothes
demonstrate the idea of integrity of clothes and jewelry in collections
specially created for the Amber Trip Fashion Show.
Many visitor of the exhibition leave the place with the
warmest feeling towards the stone. The amber is the unique stone to make
exclusive and forever lasting gifts as keepsakes. So, the set of handmade chess
made from various shades of the frozen gum is highly appreciated. The cups,
drinking glasses, tea and coffee sets from amber are also eye-striking. The
thin walls of the utensil appear through the golden sun light which is frozen
for centuries. Such goods lokk solemn and elite when serving the table.
The silver spoons with amber inserts, candle-holders, cups
and chopsticks from the hard gum are the perfect present for anyone to enjoy
the meal However, start the day without having meal looking into the mirror in
the amber frame. The framework from amber is nice to keep the pictures of your
family members next to you.
The men would better pick up something more solid like the
amber egg with the secret lock, a globe or a casket worthy to belong to the
very prince, so beautiful work they appear. However, the fragile ladies will
never reject the charming amber box in the shape of a turtle, two cherries or a
small sun. it is too hard to list everything made from such a amazing stone
found in souvenir stores, including all those bells, key rings, horse shoes and
stone pictures, stands for hour-glasses, writing sets and piggy banks, plain
statues and figurines, domino, visit holders, vases, Easter eggs and in any
case we should admit that every single piece of mentioned items is the unique
and prestigious present to any memorable event.
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