In looking through different magazines and catalogs, I’m seeing an
incredible amount of Celtic and Celtic inspired jewelry components. I
am now wondering which way the trends will turn when the consumer gets
bored with Celtic? I’ll admit that the Celtic motifs have been going
strong for a long time, but they can’t last forever. Which way from
here?
I was discussing this with my husband. He thinks that there will be a
shakedown, like there was with the dot.coms, and that the quality
Celtic merchants will remain. I think the trends will turn to
Botanicals, since that is another theme that is easily accessible
across age and ethnic demographics. I’m interested in what everyone
else thinks.
“Oh look, a can of worms! Let’s open it!” – Elizabeth Schechter
Silverhorn Designs 6400 Baltimore National Pike Suite #170-A, #445
Baltimore, MD 21228 410-719-8712
Over the 20 years we have had a store Celtic designs have been
consistently in demand, not in large quantities, but steadily over the
years. I don’t think this is a trend that will go away. We have been
doing botanical designs for the same period of time and there has
never been a shortage of interest in them either.
Daniel R. Spirer, GG
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
@spirersomes
http://www.spirersomes.com
Celtic has been amazingly big – I wonder though if it may become as
durable as Indian designs have. Recent archaeology has made our
(Northern European) actual ethnic heritage much more real – there
seems to be a craving for it. After all for the last how many hundred
years we’ve been taught that the Greco-Roman culture is where its at -
only half true, really unless you happen to Italian or Greek.
I’m curious how many are aware of Scythian art? Scythian art
represents the other half of the Caucasian/Barbarian world-- it
precedes Anglo-Saxon, Viking & Scandinavian art . Links to Celtic too.
It’s almost totally animals used in fascinating decorative ways –
sometimes represented in a cartoon like fashion. I am amazed that the
jewelry arts world seems not to have picked up on it yet. There is a
wealth of design ideas there that are quite marketable.
I have a web page with a variety of illustrations and book lists,
Links too along with examples of my Scythian based jewelry designs :
The Kurgan http://pages.sssnet.com/7genex7/
Susan Herrmann
S. Lee Finds & Designs
regarding the celtic design trend… Did you realize that the celtic
knotwork trend reemerged for a period in the late 1800’s and again in
the 1920’s (take a good look at the art nouveau styles…where do you
think they got the organic knot style from?) and I don’t believe that
this style will be so quick to go away…why? well, there is alot of
focus on the viking age right now…(with the leif erikson millenium
celebration and the touring viking exhibit currently in ny.) and the
demand for the knotwork is taking off to new levels. Notice also
that amber is reemerging en force, do you realize that this trend
dates back to the early vikings and celts?..but why just limit
ourselves to the vikings??? I do belive the trends are not going to
stop with the vikings…we have already seen the reemergence of the
etruscan styles. Maybe the next thing will be chinese stylizations
(with fengshui being so popular) or maybe a reemergance to the
elizabethan or traditional european styles, or even egyptian. There
is a whole world of available ideas (and a whole line of history to
look at) and the best ideas constantly reemerge. Look at the trends
of even the past 10 years and you can trace usually trace the style
to an earlier form. The best thing about being a jeweler? You will
never be out of work…Jewelers have been around since man began
working with tools. I love my job. -julia in PA