Back in 2000, when we first started producing our Celtic jewelry line, it seemed we had much more company from other creative designers than we do now. I'm not sure if it's that we're not doing as many shows, other Celtic jewelry designer's Web sites aren't as visible, I'm not paying attention, or if there is less designer Celtic jewelry being produced.

I understand that creative inspirations come and go, and perhaps those designers of fine Celtic jewelry have moved on to other styles, but I miss seeing the new takes on traditional Celtic designs that were available even as recently as 2004 - 2005.

I'm not saying that original Celtic jewelry designs aren't available, I can still find some of our favorites from them among the handful of jewelry designers that we've known throughout the years. But, I can't recall seeing any new knockout designs in the past few years… something that would make me wish I had designed it myself.

Back when we first started introducing our exclusive line of Celtic pendants, earrings, necklaces and bracelets, there were many designs from our friendly competitors that inspired us to push our boundaries and come up with fresh, new Celtic jewelry styles unlike anything else that was out there.

Over the years, we’ve expanded our line to include a full range of Celtic styles of jewelry, even expanding into Celtic tiaras, and traditional and contemporary designs hand carved into woolly mammoth tusk. (to my knowledge, we’re still the only ones with mammoth tusk jewelry in a Celtic theme.)

Our earliest designs drew some inspiration from tribal tattoo influences, including those from Borneo, as well as what one would expect to see based on the Celtic designs found in the Book of Kells and other ancient scripts.

As the tribal interlace designs became more common, we drew from other influences in order to keep things fresh, creative and current. Even though traditional Celtic jewelry designs haven’t changed much in a couple of hundred years, we found our customers appreciated it that we found new ways to incorporate the knot work, spirals, and other shapes into contemporary jewelry designs.

Getting back to what I started this post with… I find myself wondering where Celtic jewelry design is headed, and who will be the designers that will lead into new territories, instead of relying on the tried and true traditional styles that have been around for years.

I’m sorry to say it won’t be us, as we’re not planning any new designs as long as the economy is stuck in the mud. But, I’ll keep an eye out among my friends, and other Celtic jewelry sites on the Web, to see who if anyone will create something that stands out from the rest.