About Baltic Bijoux:
The Unique Amber Experience
The love of nature, the passion for sunlit amber, and the powerful beauty that resonates from ages past are inspirations for Baltic Bijoux.
Our jewellery is designed to embellish the wearer’s inner beauty. On the surface, our amber designs have a unique aesthetic appeal – but at a deeper level, Baltic amber provides us with a unique link to the long distant past. To love amber means to appreciate its tonalities, history, age, warmth, magic, and glamour.
The company began when Baltic Bijoux founder Ania Healy started receiving an influx of compliments from both strangers and acquaintances, all asking about the unique jewellery she was wearing. Seeing how people reacted to her amber, inspired her to think about sharing her access to unique amber designs.
Baltic Bijoux was established in the fall of 2002. The jewellery made such an impression that within weeks Baltic Bijoux was proudly featured by some of Toronto’s most trusted and successful stores.
Today, Baltic Bijoux’ jewellery can be found in over 100 stores all across Canada.
Our Vision:
The Baltic Bijoux vision is to introduce amber as a 'stone' that can be appreciated and worn by people of all ages, with different fashion styles and tastes. Each piece of the finest Baltic amber is carefully selected for its quality and personality and is handmade using customized sterling silver fittings.
Our Guarantee of Authenticity:
Baltic Bijoux is a member of the International Amber Association and only commissions designers who belong to this prestigious organization and bear the appropriate certificates. This guarantees that Baltic Bijoux amber jewellery is made of genuine succinite-the finest Baltic amber.
In response to the demand for visible proof of authenticity, Baltic Bijoux has created ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ as a guarantee of the highest quality and genuine nature of the Baltic amber used in each piece.
In the case of our jewellery made with Swarovski crystals, Swarovski has created a label ‘Crystallized with Swarovski’ which gives our customers the assurance that only Swarovski crystal products have been used.
Some fascinating facts about Baltic Amber:
• Amber comes from the vascular tissue (not sap) of ancient trees 40-60 million years old.
• Over 214 ancient plant species have been identified through the DNA found in amber.
• Amber jewellery has been discovered from as far back as the Paleolithic Era (18,000 B.C.), and was one of the first traded commercial goods.
• Diamonds, jet, and amber are the only gems of plant origin.
• The quality of amber is determined by the level of succinite acid. Baltic amber has the highest level of succinite (3-8%) and is therefore the best quality amber in the world. It is scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine.
• Amber is the lightest and softest of all gemstones (diamond is the hardest). It is light enough to float in salt water, which aided in its discovery.
• Amber stores static electricity strong enough to attract lint, and was used to remove lint by the Phoenicians & Etruscans.
• Amber not only has a warm appearance, but it is also warm to the touch.
• Amber comes in many colors, from black brownish-red, orange, green, yellow & cream to white and even blue.
• No two amber gems are alike.
• Even in ancient times, amber was considered mystical. Some Greeks believed amber was frozen sunshine, broken away from the heavens and sunk into the sea. Slavic tribes believed it was the solidified tears of gods, while Neolithic peoples believed it held the souls of the dead.
• The most common mystical use for amber was to ward off evil.
• Amber was for centuries perceived as a bactericidal agent. Hence, amber baby teethers, spoons, cigarette holders and pipe mouthpieces.
Baltic Amber Colours:
There are about 250 color variations of amber. Common colours appearing in jewellery today are butter, citrine, honey, and cognac. Two factors that affect the colour of amber are air and the actual tree source. The gas bubbles vary in size and quantity within each piece. In the space between the bubbles, the resin is clear. The bubble inclusions actually interfere with the passage of light through the amber, resulting in the dilution and variation of color and opaqueness. For example, there are so many bubbles in butter amber, when examined under the microscope, it resembles sea foam - thus causing the solid milky color. Today, amber is commonly heat treated to enhance the luster and clarity of exotic colours like green and cognac. Milky, creamy, lemon and, of course, honey amber are natural colors which have not been heated.
How to take care of amber:
- minimize contact with perfume, make-up, perspirations, etc. that can alter amber’s luster or colour. Harsh chemicals such as these will cause a permanent white encrustation on the surface
- your amber should be the last thing you put on and the first ting you take off
- wipe your amber gently with a damp cloth to remove body oils before putting it away
- dust and perspiration can be removed with clean, lukewarm (never hot!) water and a soft flannel cloth. If necessary, a tiny drop of olive oil may be used to restore luster
- keep your amber protected in a soft material such as velvet and if your jewellery is made with silver, consider an air-tight bag to keep the silver from tarnishing
- do not let your amber rub against hard objects such as gold an diamond jewellery
- avoid very dry or extreme heat conditions
- direct UV exposure over long periods may cause the amber to darken
- darkening will naturally occur over time due to oxidation, however, this can be delayed if stored in a cool, dry, or better yet, airtight environment
- when cleaning the silver around the amber, it is best to use a polishing cloth, so as to keep harsh chemicals away from the amber; never dip amber jewellery in any type of jewellery cleaner