Our Russian Tea Glass Holders, showcased above, have been one of our most popular items, making tea as stylish as it is healthy. As our friend Svadilfari said on Flickr, “Food tastes better with the correct table setting.” We’re inclined to agree, but maybe we’re a little biased.

Also, we’re now on twitter! So be sure to follow us!

We receive a lot of questions from customers, and Amber collectors, on how to properly clean, and care for, their favorite pieces of amber. So if you’re new to the world of amber, or just looking to mantain the beauty of some of your favorite pieces, we’re here to help with this video!

If you’ve like to learn more about our Amber Jewelry, just click here!

Your going to want to start with:

-The first step is to mix a small amount of liquid soap in the water.

-Next take the toothbrush, dip it in the soap and water mixture, and scrub the amber gently.

-Next, rinse off any residue from the soap, by washing off the amber in your other container of water.

-Then take a very small amount of olive oil, apply it to your hand, (or finger depending on the size of the amber) and work it into the stone. This will keep your stone with a beautiful luster.

We receive a lot of compliments and questions about our Russian Toys. Since we started offering them on our site, they’ve delighted, and inspired all age groups. There simple, yet endearing nature, allow them to function as both pieces of entertainment, and decoration. These toys have actually been around for almost 600 years, they were first created in the village of Bogorodskoe, near Moscow. The toys feature not only excellent craftsmanship, (in the case of the bear, the wood is carved to mimic the bears fur,) but are also an example, and a symbol, of great mechanical ingenuity, toys with moving parts in the 13th century! Who would’ve thought? A lot of people are curious to see what they look like in action, so we’ve included some videos of both our Bear Toys, and Pecking Hens Toys. Tell us what you think!

Watch Russian Pecking Hens Toy in Family |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I thought I’d share one of our favorite passages from one of Russia’s greatest authors.

…And what Russian is there who doesn’t love fast driving? How should his soul that yearns to go off into a whirl, to go off on a fling, to say on occasion, “Devil take it all!” How should his soul fail to love it? Is it not a thing to be loved, when one can sense in it something exaltedly wondrous? Some unseen power has caught you up on its wing and you are flying yourself, and all things are flying; some merchants are flying towards you, perched on the front seats of their covered carts. The forest flies on both sides of the road with its dark rows of firs and pines, echoing with the ring of axes and the cawing of crows. The whole road is flying, no one knows where into the unseen distance. There is something fearsome hidden in the objects that are flashing by, so rapid that there is no time for each one to become defined before it disappears; only the sky in the infinity above, the light clouds and the moon breaking through these clouds seem motionless. Ah, thou troika, thou that art a bird! Who conceived thee? Methinks only among a spirited folk that thou could have come into being. In the land that is not fond of doing things by halves, but has evenly and smoothly spread itself out over half the world. Therefore try and count its milestones until they turn to spots before the eyes! Far from cunningly contrived is the vehicle the troika draws; held together with no screws of iron art thou, but hastily, with a slam and a bang, being thou put together and fitted by some handy Muzhik (a peasant) of Yaroslav, with nothing but an ax and a chisel. No fancy Hessian jackboots do the driver wear. He spots a beard, great gauntlets, and only the devil knows what he sits on for a cushion. Let him rise in his seat, swing his whip back, and strike up a long-drawn song while his steeds are off like a whirlwind. The spokes of each wheel has blended into one unbroken disk; the road merely quivers, and a pedestrian, stopping short, cries out in fright, and the troika is soaring, soaring away! …Now all one can see, already far in the distance, is something raising the dust and swirling through the air. Thou art not my Russia, soaring along even like a spirited never to be outdistanced troika? The road actually smokes under thee, the bridges thunder; everything falls back and is left behind thee! The witness of thy passing comes to a deep stop, dumbfounded by this God’s wonder! Is it not a streak of lightning cast down from heaven? What signifies this onrush that inspires terror? And what unknown power is contained in these steeds, whose like is not known in this world? Ah, these steeds, these steeds, what steeds they are! Are there whirlwinds perched upon your manes? Is there a sensitive ear, alert as a flame, in your every fiber? You have caught the familiar song coming down to you from above. All as one and all at the same instant, you have strained your brazen chests and almost without touching earth with your hoofs, you have become transformed into straight lines cleaving the air. The troika tears along inspired by God! Where art thou soaring away to, Russia? Give me the answer! But Russia gives none. With a wondrous ring does the jingle bell trill; the air rent to shreds thunders and turns to the wind. All things on earth fly past, eyeing the troika and all the other peoples and nations stand aside giving it the right of way

Adelaide University in Austrailia features free english language eBooks of one of Russia’s most famous authors, Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

My Personal Favorite is Notes From The Underground.

They also feature an eBook of The Brothers Karamazov, which is great if you’ve always wanted to read it, but haven’t built up the strength to carry it home from the bookstore yet.

Check out more of Dostoyevsky’s work here.