Necklace

The necklace is composed of 54 multi-sided polished clear amber beads and a tulip-shaped pendant. The diamond-cut polish method is a very precise means of polishing amber and was particularly valued in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A piece of natural amber would be polished from various sides to give it the appearance of a diamond. Amber processed in this way would uniquely reflect beams of sunlight and sparkle in hundreds of shades. Up until World War I around 20,000 kg of raw amber material was processed in Palanga. Manufactories employed anywhere from 300 to 500 amber craftsmen. Some of the workshops belonged to the Tiszkiewicz counts. Works by the Palanga amber craftsmen were in high demand in the international market and successfully competed with their German counterparts.