For what it's worth: The valuation of creative craft in the Netherlands and Germany

Creating with one’s hands, be it as a goldsmith, a baker, or a nurse, is essential to society. Thus, every profession contributes to community, economy, and society. Still, handwork is often not appreciated.

While evaluation has many facets, this work focuses on understanding the elements that affect and shape the assessment of creative craft goods. Based on cultural economic theory it aims to gain insight into how the goldsmith craft is valued in the Netherlands and Germany and what might be the reason for any discrepancies in this evaluation.

From the analyses of this mixed method study, some preliminary
conclusions are drawn. For example, the vital role embodied knowledge plays in the creative crafts, influencing the ecosystem and practices of goldsmithing. Next to that the work stresses the significance of collective artisanship, creating opportunities for individual goldsmiths and the goldsmith craft field as a whole. Accordingly, it is proposed that incorporating commoning elements into craft helps to develop
a craft culture, which is essential for a resilient creative craft sector. This may indicate, that without essential actors in the ecosystem of the
goldsmith craft, such as suitable educational initiatives, informed gatekeepers, and a national representative organization, a culture of appreciation for this creative craft field will be unrealizable.