A record amount of amber has been mined in the Kaliningrad Region: 450 tons of this semiprecious stone for the first time in more than 40 years. The previous record is exceeded by 30%. The biggest stones will take their places in museums. Smaller ones will be used to plot special amber routes for the coming 2018 World Cup.
Marina Naumova reporting from the Land of Amber.
The amber warehouses of the Kaliningrad Amber Combine are filled with sacks and boxes with the semiprecious stone. Some part of it will be sold at an auction, the other will go to the amber exchange, some will go to Gokhran.
A stockman: "This is one of the most beautiful stones that we have. It's quite unique in its shape and monolithic in structure".
Such stones are kept locked in safes. They are exposed only on special occasions. Stones that weigh more than 1 kilogram are regarded as unique. Each of these stones was cleaned from blue clay by hand with brushes. Such a big piece may cost as much as an expensive car or a house on the seaside.
The specialists of the combine are developing a new mining policy and assessing the results of the year. After the enterprise became a part of Rostec State Corporation, it went from bankruptcy into the leading amber producer in the world.
Oleg Papin, Chief Surveyor: "We never managed to extract 450 tons in the past 41 years. The biggest yield was 341 tons".
The combine will be totally renovated. A new processing plant will be built here. Dozens of auxiliary equipment units have already been purchased. The authorities decided to support tourism so as to foster the development of the amber industry. Today, anyone can make a wish in the amber pyramid at a new viewing platform, and learn about the formation of "the sunny stone" in the interactive museum.
Mikhail Zatsepin, CEO of the Kaliningrad Amber Combine: "We have built 2 unique tourist spots. They have already become extremely popular. We assume that by the start of the World Cup the number of tourists will grow up to 100,000 visitors a year".
Kaliningrad is going to become a sacred place for jewelers from all over the world. Today, talented artists, who can see the beauty of amber, are already working in these jewelry workshops. They can turn the amber into exquisite necklaces, bracelets, and rings.
Marina Naumova, Nikita Bunakov, Alexander Naumov, Pavel Timofeyev, Vesti, Kaliningrad Region.
