Artifact

The USA laser-cutting firm Artifact Puzzles was founded in 2009 by Maya Gupta, an academic, researcher and entrepreneur. She wanted to revitalise jigsaw artwork choices and follow many cutting styles. Their website highlights the very varied cutting styles with their designers named. The jigsaws are made from 1/4 inch 3-ply using soy-based inks.

Their puzzles include many designs with fancy edges, geometric and all-over cut schemes, complex piece shapes, fancy connectors and split tendril designs as well as conventional whimsy cuts. Cuts may contain up to 5% whimsy content. Piece counts are mostly in the range 150-400pc. They use two styles of packaging – pine boxes with sliding lids and small blue cardboard boxes with magnetic seals (introduced spring 2012, previously bags).

In May 2019 they launched the Ecru range with a matte surface. During the pandemic in July 2020, Maya launched the Hoefnagel Jigsaw Library. Its core stock is Artifact/Ecru but also includes many other international laser suppliers and some hand-cuts. Manufacturing has moved twice from Seattle, Washington, then in 2014 to Menlo Park California in Silicon Valley. Now (2024) there are two manufacturing sites at Port Townsend, Washington & Fremont, California.

Many thanks to Jackie Armstrong for providing so much information and detail on this important American manufacturer.