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November 1999 Gemstones & Pearls: News Consortium Promotes Amber for New Millennium Polish companies combine marketing efforts Amber 8, formed last year by the eight largest amber and silver jewelry manufacturers in Poland, has established an office in River Edge, NJ, to serve the United States. These Gdansk-based companies, all of which have served Europe individually for more than 30 years, are Art 7, Dudnik, Sokolski, Venus, Silver & Amber, Silvart, RAV and Myrta. The group is negotiating with a number of national retailers to market amber. "Together, we have a production capacity of over one ton of jewelry per month," says Donald Chinery, president of Amber 8 USA. "The main advantage of this union is that we can offer a full assortment of different models in volume quantities while maintaining a high level of quality and competitive pricing." More than 10,000 designs of rings, earrings, brooches, pendants, necklaces and bracelets are available in styles ranging from Victorian, Art Nouveau and Art Deco to Modern Classic, ethnic and beadwork. In addition to marketing amber and silver jewelry ($16-$100 keystone) to mass merchants, the consortium also plans to promote amber and 14k gold jewelry ($150-$500) to independent jewelers. To help jewelers sell more amber, the consortium embarked on a national marketing campaign in October. Chinery says he is working to get more amber jewelry in consumer fashion magazines. The group also will do a one-hour special this fall on the Value Vision home shopping network as well as some Internet marketing. For its retail clients, Amber 8 will offer a comprehensive product catalog, point-of-purchase material and co-op advertising. The consortium hopes to promote amber as a mainstream gem. "No one has really pushed this product in a concerted way," says Chinery. "It's got a lot going for it: color, organic nature, design potential, good prices and history. It's a great product for retail jewelers to consider."
– by Deborah Yonick
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