Edward Gorey’s Book Covers – Pomegranate – 1000 pieces
According to My Jigsaw Journal this is the first 1000 piece Pomegranate puzzle that I’ve worked on in almost four years! I’ve done a few of their 300 pieces, but that’s all. Mainly, I think, because the 1000 piece Pomegranate puzzles I have in my stash are all beautiful but very challenging images; they get passed over quite a bit when the “next” puzzle is being chosen.
Which leads me to a question for my readers, has anyone noticed a change in the quality of Pomegranate? As soon as the bag of pieces was opened I could tell that the thickness of the chipboard was different than I recalled – thinner, unfortunately. I even opened one of my older ones to check, and the pieces are definitely thinner than they used to be; and the fit isn’t the same either.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a VERY good quality puzzle, it just isn’t the same as it was. I have high expectations for this brand because that’s what I’m used to. Perhaps with the run on puzzles that we’ve seen in the past two years the chipboard they normally used wasn’t available, or it could be any other myriad of reasons. I noticed though, and was wondering if anyone else did too.
My Jigsaw Journal 
I only have two Pomegranate puzzles that I acquired ages ago (very impressive quality) but I never bought anymore. Likely because while their catalog of puzzle image is beautiful they don’t get me excited. (Although I’m glad for Pomegranate’s catalog of images as their fine art slant most definitely fills a niche in the puzzle world.) I sort of feel the same way about Cobble Hill Puzzle Co, beautiful catalog of images, but not usually my taste, and the images would be too challenging.
I *think* one of the Pomegranate puzzles we have is by artist Mike Wilks. It might even be this one……
My taste in puzzle images has definitely changed over the years, I prefer organized collage images (like the one you are doing) or scene (like a farm for example) where I can remember a lot of the details in my head and then when I look at puzzle pieces I can think to myself oh this piece must go with the barn or the pond or the cow. Overly cluttered (or perhaps overstuffed images would be a nicer way to say it) are too challenging and not fun for me. There’s too much scrutinizing of pieces and consulting with the box or poster.
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I am not a fan of overly cluttered images either, for the most part. I’ve never done any of the Mike Wilks alphabet series, they’re just not my pile of pieces.
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I’ve done this, and I really liked the quality. Later, I did another 1000-piece Edward Gorey Pomegranate, called Untitled, and that was definitely not the same. The finish was different, and I think the pieces were thinner as well. I haven’t done all that many Pomegranates, but from what I’ve read in puzzle groups on FB, they seem to be a bit hit and miss. This also matches my experience, I’ve done some great ones (like this), but the first Pomegranate I did in 2016 had a lot of pieces fitting where they didn’t belong.
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I’ve never had a Pomegranate with this type of quality before. It’s a bit of a let down, but still a good puzzle.
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Always sad when a brand isn’t as good as it used to be.
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Agreed.
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Yes! I have totally noticed the difference between the old and new pomegranates, and it is a bummer! The old ones felt super thick and the finish was slightly different. The puzzles are still great, but not AS great. LMK if you want to trade for this puzzle though- I would love to do it!
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I’d be happy to send it to you if you’d like. 😊
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Yes! Pomegranate has been my favorite brand both in terms of images and quality. But the last couple I have done, I have seen a noticeable decline in quality. As you mention, both thickness and fit have gotten worse. It makes me so sad!!! I’m hoping it is a temporary problem of the pandemic, and that when supply chain issues resolve, they can return to their previous level of quality. -Ronda
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I agree. I got out an older one from 2014 that I haven’t done yet and it was quite clear that the quality has declined. I too am hoping the level of attention to detail once again will rise once the supply chain is back to normal.
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