Buying Amber

I am doing a Baltic cruise on the Connie departing May 17th and I am intersted in the best place to buy Amber. Which port would be the cheapest....Amsterdam, Warnemunde, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallin, St Petersburg, Copenhagen? Also how do you tell if it is real or not?

Thanks for your help,

Roseanna

Out of the cities you are going to that I have been also, I have to say Tallin had the better buys for Amber.

I like the amber jewelry in Tallinn best. They have some very unique and elegant selections.

House of Amber in Copenhagen is a chain store with nice ambers. Their prices are actually very good.

I like the amber jewelry in Tallinn best. They have some very unique and elegant selections.

 

House of Amber in Copenhagen is a chain store with nice ambers. Their prices are actually very good.

What stores would you recommend for amber jewelry in Tallinn?

Eileen

I am doing a Baltic cruise on the Connie departing May 17th and I am intersted in the best place to buy Amber. Which port would be the cheapest....Amsterdam, Warnemunde, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallin, St Petersburg, Copenhagen? Also how do you tell if it is real or not?

 

Thanks for your help,

Roseanna

LOL -- believe it or not, one of the standard gemological tests for Amber is to touch it with a heated needle and smell the typical resiny smell!!

Somehow I doubt that any store will let you do that. So I guess you are dependent on the honesty of the store.

Amber can be fun to buy, and if you are looking for a nice souvenir an inexpensive amber piece will be great to show your friends.

If you are planning to spend a significant amount of money on any kind of jewelry, I recommend you use a good local jeweler in your home town!

Michael J. Hall, Gemologist, GIA

What stores would you recommend for amber jewelry in Tallinn?

 

Eileen

There are several jewelry shops near the Town Hall Square. They are the kind of stores that you buy jewelry for yourself or for your loved ones. I bought an amber bracelet for my mom in one of the stores (don't remember the name). Mom loves the bracelet!

You didn't list Gdansk, which I say had the best selection and prices in amber.

Next suggestion would be Tallinn and there are so many stores that are very comparable in price to each other.

Thanks everyone for the info

Roseanna

Thanks everyone for the info

Roseanna

We actually stopped in a little store in Gdansk where they had a demonstration on how to tell real amber from plastic. Real amber floats in salt water and fake amber will sink to the bottom! We purchased our amber jewelry in Tallinn.

Our vote goes to Tallin.

Wife puchased a very nice matching set of amber ear rings and a necklace. Best amber we saw for sale was in Tallin.

We were on a 14 day Connie cruise of the Baltics as well at the time.

Do not remember name of the store. It was a general merchandise store with a very good jewelry department. It was behind the Russian Catholic church across the street from the government buildings complex in the Old City. There was another old church's "backyard" across from the store as well. The store was on the corner of a block with the streets being made of old cobble stones. Sorry that is the best I can do.

Thanks for the info Steamboatin. I will see if I can find it.

Roseanna

Our vote goes to Tallin.

 

Wife puchased a very nice matching set of amber ear rings and a necklace. Best amber we saw for sale was in Tallin.

 

Two questions:

(A)What form of payment did you use. Credit Card, Local currency, Dollars?

(B)What was the ballpark figure for the jewelery set? Am trying to figure out how much money to convert

Thank you for your info.

I have an "Amber" section, in my review.

Here is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=380651

Amber is GREAT !

I bought amber in Tallinn, outside the gate across from the flower market. I saw many lovely shops in upper Old Town but there was no time to shop or return there after our walking tour. We did not get a VAT refund because they have a limit for purchases over 2500 Estonia $ at that store.

However, when we arrived at Mariacka Street in Gdansk, I have to say I saw the most beautiful amber settings and variety. We had little time to shop but it is certainly the "jewler's row" of Gdansk. Should I return to the Baltics, I will certainly make time for amber shopping in Gdansk.

I would say Gdansk had the best prices for amber that I saw.

Second would be Tallinn.

Prices in Scandinavian countries seemed higher for everything.