We joined the throngs of fine craft lovers at the American Craft Council show in Baltimore a few weeks ago. It's HUGE. We try to go every year for a day of eye candy, some holiday shopping and inspiration.
We missed it last year because of bad weather, so with a year break, I did notice some big trends in the jewelry category. So much enameling. Not just cloisonne, but simple modern pieces, and in lots of ornate shapes. I'm imagining a some laser cutting for those original shapes, because hand piercing for makers trying to fill nationwide wholesale orders could be an exhausting business model. The other trend, which I use from time to time too, are balled up wire pins as surface decoration. There was a crazy amount of that going on. If you could take 2 days to see it, that might be ideal. Otherwise focus on your favorite categories. It was a good day though and fabulous weather, certainly compared to last year. Check out the show sometime if you have never been. Some vendors that participate in all the American Craft Council shows say the one in Baltimore is the biggest one.
We missed it last year because of bad weather, so with a year break, I did notice some big trends in the jewelry category. So much enameling. Not just cloisonne, but simple modern pieces, and in lots of ornate shapes. I'm imagining a some laser cutting for those original shapes, because hand piercing for makers trying to fill nationwide wholesale orders could be an exhausting business model. The other trend, which I use from time to time too, are balled up wire pins as surface decoration. There was a crazy amount of that going on. If you could take 2 days to see it, that might be ideal. Otherwise focus on your favorite categories. It was a good day though and fabulous weather, certainly compared to last year. Check out the show sometime if you have never been. Some vendors that participate in all the American Craft Council shows say the one in Baltimore is the biggest one.
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