HELP..Need advice on Amber purchases in Tallinn?

[Kancruze]

Hi,

Do any of you out there have any experience with buying amber jewelry in Tallinn or even St. Pete.? I sure would appreciate any info you can give me.

 

I promised my grand-daughter that I'd buy her some amber for her 16th birthday but I've heard that you can get taken easily and end up buying plastic resin which scam artists pass off as amber.

 

Any and all help please.

Thanks,

Edith

[Giantfan13]

Hi,

Do any of you out there have any experience with buying amber jewelry in Tallinn or even St. Pete.? I sure would appreciate any info you can give me.

 

I promised my grand-daughter that I'd buy her some amber for her 16th birthday but I've heard that you can get taken easily and end up buying plastic resin which scam artists pass off as amber.

 

Any and all help please.

Thanks,

Edith

 

Edith

 

sorry, I cannot help you with this one as my DW only prefers diamonds :D:D:D

 

Just kidding, of course.

 

the only advice I can give you is try to buy something from a reputable store. Do not buy something from street vendors. On the way back to the ship in Tallinn, they ahd a sort of vendor alley along the way, with many vendors under tents and such selling all kinds of goodies. We bought this beautiful hand made candle. There were several selling Amber (??) but I would not buy from them. also, if buying thru a store, make sure you charge everything so if you do get cheated some how, you can dispute the purchase with your credit card company.

 

Good Luck

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Kancruze]

Thanks Len. Good advice. I will make sure to use my Capitol One card. No cash deals!! :rolleyes:

Edie

[Sherry Baby]

We bought amber in Gdansk. After looking at what seemed like a hundred vendors, we chose an indoor shop (with security feature on the windows), not a street vendor. Their choices were very beautifully detailed and displayed with bright light. The shop keeper spent a while with us.

 

We picked out about 10 pairs of small earrings, mounted in silver, and a couple larger gifts. We "bargained" with the shop keeper, and she lowered the price for the whole package by about 20%. We paid by credit card. We were totally happy with the deal.

 

So I can't speak for Tallinn, but I expect it would be similar. A lot of the street vendors had what looked to me like "glass" beads on a string. The amber itself is not terribly expensive (at least in small pieces) but the amount of silver (or gold) in the setting will influence the price considerably. Hope this opinion helps!

[Lair Bear]

Do any of you out there have any experience with buying amber jewelry in Tallinn or even St. Pete.? I sure would appreciate any info you can give me. Edith

 

I did not buy amber for my wife, but our friends were close to making a large purchase in Tallinn. They really liked what they saw at one of the many stores. The quality was right, no cheap plastics, but the 'thing' did not happen.

That is what women do, I guess, they shop and sometimes they buy.

 

My point is that in Tallinn, the quality of amber is the same as it is in Gdansk or St. Petersburg as long as you know what you are looking at. So shop!! Find a little shop in a back street. Be that in Tallinn or Gdansk. But don't buy from a street vendor who also offers you a bottle of cold water for sale.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Well it's good advice to buy from a reputable store, but I wouldn't discount street vendors if the situation is right. I bought a lovely unpolished white amber necklace in Vilnius at a street market full of vendors. I looked pretty hard and was satisfied and happy. I also bought some small pieces in a fancy store as well, but I've always enjoyed this particular necklace the most.

[Lair Bear]

Well it's good advice to buy from a reputable store, but I wouldn't discount street vendors if the situation is right. I bought a lovely unpolished white amber necklace in Vilnius at a street market full of vendors. I looked pretty hard and was satisfied and happy. I also bought some small pieces in a fancy store as well, but I've always enjoyed this particular necklace the most.

 

Good for you, Wendy. It goes to show again that if you know what you are looking for (or at) and know the difference, so much the better. I was not trying to sell 'fancy stores' but it was just the idea that some are better than some street vendors.

Curious, where is Vilnius?

[as19111]

I purchased some amber from a shop in Tallin just outside the gates and across from the flower market. The price was ok, but the pieces were pretty. When we got to Gdansk, the settings were the prettiest I saw the entire cruise. If I had more time, Gdansk amber would be my shopping choice.

 

I did purchase some amber on the ship. I was very disappointed with the construction. I had to return several pieces for a refund (they don't send a replacement) and some folks didn't get their souvenier. I still have a necklace and bracelet that I wear, that I purchased on the ship, too.

 

So, where ever you purchase, take a good look at the clasps and settings.

[The Viking]

The amber in Tallin & Gdansk is no longer necessary cheaper than in Copenhagen.

 

If you are starting in Copenhagen and have the time, visit some of the reputable stores to check price level etc. so you have a benchmark for your visit to Tallin and Gdansk.

 

I would also guess there are websites which describe how to detect fake amber.

[TLCOhio]

We loved Tallinn and its shopping. On amber, our experience was that the best values actually were on our ship in late July 2008. Certainly can't say that is true on most or all ships. That was just our surprising experience. As Len, Lair and others have noted, you need to be careful from whom you buy. Shopping is challenging, especially as the quality variances are so, so significant. Our experience was that among the best buys in Tallinn were linen and woolen items. Here are a couple of visual samples from our shopping while on our wonderful cruise stop there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Shopping is great in Tallinn. Inside a nice linen shop:

 

 

 

Tallinn street shop vendor with various woolen items:

 

[Kancruze]

Thank you everyone. All of your experiences and opinions have been duly noted.

Good advice which I'm sure will be used by more people than myself as there's not much in these threads about amber other than to buy some!

 

We're leaving in a few hours and I can't wait. :) Will write a full review when I return. Thanks again.

Edith

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Curious, where is Vilnius?

 

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, just south of Estonia. The city is a World Heritage Site and just amazingly beautiful to walk around. Not accessible to most cruisers except as a day trip I guess. Some day I would love to go back and do a land trip of all those cities: Riga, Tallinn, the countryside. I spent almost a week in Vilnius, so got to know it pretty well. ;)

[Lair Bear]

Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, just south of Estonia. The city is a World Heritage Site and just amazingly beautiful to walk around. Not accessible to most cruisers except as a day trip I guess. Some day I would love to go back and do a land trip of all those cities: Riga, Tallinn, the countryside. I spent almost a week in Vilnius, so got to know it pretty well. ;)

 

Thank you Wendy. I had figured out where Vilnius was, but it is so far inland for Baltic cruisers. The fact that you spent a full week there is interesting. No wonder you call yourself The Wanderer.

Did you find the people in Lithuania to have the same attitudes towards the Germans and Russians as we found to be the case in Tallinn? If you have seen the movie 'Singing Revolution' you know what I mean.

[Joy2theWorld]

Every time you post the picture of the knitwear in Tallin, my suitcase gets heavier in my head!

[TLCOhio]

Every time you post the picture of the knitwear in Tallin, my suitcase gets heavier in my head!

 

Just don't pack as much BEFORE departing to allow added room for more purchases. Easier said than done. Tallinn does have lots of nice shopping options. PLUS, it's a charming, architectural treasure in which to hang out and walk around.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[MercedMike]

Well, there are lots of places you can buy amber, including the ship's stores.

 

The thing that was fun for us in Gdansk was the shop our guide recommended, where we were first greeted with Goldvasser (vodka with gold flecks floating in it) and then had a demonstration of cutting and polishing the amber. Of course it fills the store with a beautiful resiny scent as the stone is shaped. If you are going to buy something, you might as well have an interesting and fun experience doing it! ;o)

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[hansolosmom]

now I know what to look for in amber!

 

 

Terry - I would be in heaven in that linen shop! As I've read & seen pictures, I'm sorry we picked Helsinki over Tallinn - Ok maybe not, but I would love to see Tallinn someday