Made in Scotland: Celtic Art

As a family business making our products in Scotland we love to find similar creative families! We met Philip from Celtic Art Ltd at Scotland’s Trade Fair and were delighted to find out that they are also a second generation family business with both himself and his sister Jennifer working to design and make their beautiful silver and pewter items. Their company makes such stunning Scottish products and have a lovely history behind them, do read on to find out more from our chat!

Can you tell us how your business got started? 

Celtic Art Industries originated in Glasgow in 1945 and started producing work inspired by the Celtic designs of Alexander Ritchie. It set out to revive the art of the Scottish silversmith and to help injured servicemen returning from the war and give them a sense of purpose. Over the subsequent years Celtic Art underwent changes including relocating to the ‘New Town’ of East Kilbride and becoming Celtic Art Ltd as we are known today. My dad, Andy Hynd, who trained at Celtic Art Industries in 1964 took over the company in 1974 and ran it until his retirement in 2009. My sister Jennifer and I have been running the business since.

Where do you look for inspiration when you are designing new products?  We look at a variety of sources for inspiration. We obviously look at historic sources (the Celtic crosses of Iona Abbey, the Book of Kells and other ancient artefacts) but also look to have a more contemporary take on our designs. We look at architecture and take inspiration from the small details, the tiles in Glasgow tenement stairwells for instance and to nature and the Scottish wilderness.

Can you tell us a bit more about how you make your products?

We make everything in house. All designs start as a sketch and, depending on complexity, we will make a master model by hand using traditional tools and methods or use CAD software and more modern methods such as 3D printing to make the master. From there we make a mould and can produce reproduction castings of the design. We do this with slightly different methods for producing designs in both Sterling Silver and pewter. We do the whole process ourselves with raw metals coming in and then leaving as a fully finished piece of jewellery.

What are your most popular products and which are your own favourites?

Our Kilt Pins and Sgian Dubh designs are always popular. I really enjoy making sgian dubhs, they require quite a few different techniques to produce, from metal work to woodworking and carving for the scabbards and handles. They are time consuming to produce but each one is a piece to be proud of when finished that can be passed on for generations.

It’s also great working on a bespoke design such as an engagement or wedding ring as this is a complete one off and the design is obviously so specific and meaningful to each client.

If you had to pick one place in Scotland to recommend that people visit, where would it be?

I have a massive soft spot for Glasgow and recommend anyone visiting Scotland to stop in Glasgow. There’s great architecture in the city from Alexander “Greek” Thompson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh through to Zaha Hadid’s riverside museum. There’s a great music and art scene. Great places to eat and meet friends for a drink. I think you can find something for everyone in the city. I may be biased though!

Which other Scottish Makers do you love to recommend?

I would recommend Joachim King Furniture. He’s a Glasgow based furniture and cabinet maker. He’s made a few pieces for us in the past and his work and craftsmanship are of the highest quality.

Thanks so much to Philip for sharing this fascinating look at his family business and their gorgeous heritage pieces. Make sure to check out Celtic Art on their Website, Facebook and Instagram to find out more and get shopping!