SARAH JONES She went to interview a silversmith for an article she was writing and was inspired to make something herself. After a day in the workshop she decided that she would like to be a silversmith and eventually had two shops in London from which she sold her work. Over the years I have bought a number of small pieces for my wife, ranging from rings to necklaces, to ornaments. Each of them has been slightly quirky without being eccentric and each one has been personal. Walking round Sarah’s ‘showroom’, I am always inspired by something. Michael Pearce, 2004
Sarah Jones was born in Sussex in 1948. ‘Growing up then, making things was the norm.’ She continued, ‘There was no television and you had to amuse yourself. I also had a very creative mother. Being a silversmith was certainly not on my agenda, although I developed an interest in medieval metalwork when I read the history of medieval art at the University of East Anglia. While there I learnt how to observe detail and compare styles.’ After graduating she worked for the Greater London Arts Association and in the early 1970s was sent to interview Michael Murray, the ecclesiastical silversmith,1 for the Association’s magazine. He had worked with Dunstan Pruden in Ditchling and crafted metal in the traditional way with a hammer on an upturned log. From all accounts he inspired both students and clients of all ages and from all walks of life.2 ‘I met him and he insisted on me making something in his workshop. So I went along for a couple of days and made a box and a ring. The ring I sold for £12 and that single sale made me think that I could make a living as a silversmith.’ Initially she trained part-time with
1. He also worked with bronze and aluminium. Although primarily an ecclesiastical silversmith, he would also undertake secular commissions, one piece being a stirrup cup in the form of a horse’s head, but designed so it could be slipped into a pocket. 2. Anne Nicholson, author of Michael Murray’s obituary in the Independent on 8 February 2005. When artist-in-residence at Cromarty, the townsfolk called him the ‘wild man’ whose door was always open for passers-by to watch or pick up a hammer and join in. 3. Michael Murray was instrumental in founding the Clerkenwell Green Association. Its objective is to encourage and support craftspeople and designermakers in the most appropriate ways. These include workspace provision and professional development programmes. 4. In 1971 two young businessmen leased unwanted industrial buildings and a timber yard from the British Waterways Board. In 1972 they sub-leased some of the buildings as craft studios and soon afterwards established the weekend market in the nearby cobbled yards. Sunday trading was permitted as it was a private site, while it was not allowed at many places elsewhere. The market soon became very popular because of the quality merchandise and the ambience of the area.
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Michael, but she soon took the plunge renting the workshop next door to his at 27 Old Street in Clerkenwell. She had access to his tools as by then he was setting up the Clerkenwell Green Association3 to save the area for craftsmen. When it was announced that Camden Lock Market was to open in 1974 she took a stall4 on the first day. “For eight years I was making stock all week and selling it there at weekends. Very quickly I learnt what people wanted and, more importantly, how much they had in mind to spend.’ Sarah’s main stock at this time was jewellery and boxes. However, in June 1975 when the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths held its first-ever selling exhibition ‘Loot’, Sarah participated. This not only spread her net from Camden Lock to the City of London, but it was the platform that brought her talents to the fore. It was no coincidence that the following year the Company decided to purchase an item for its collection. This was a pair of hand-raised salts in the form of water lilies. She is particularly fond of making salt cellars. Indeed, over the years, she has brought a new dimension to this essential feature of the dining table. What initially may look like variants of the traditional
Opposite: Goblet Inspired by Arthur Rackham’s Drawing Courtesy Styles Silver, photographer Michael Pilkington This was conceived and made to be a wedding goblet. Its design was inspired by an Arthur Rackham drawing for his daughter’s wedding invitation in 1935. The book illustrator from the golden age is certainly known for his gnarled trees where human form and nature seem to entwine. However, this goblet appears to have been purchased for a corporate marriage, for an inscription around its base indicates it was a gift from Lazard Brothers, the advisory investment bank, to Glaxo, the global healthcare company, upon its merger with Wellcome’s pharmaceutical business. Sarah made four in the 1990s and later another, ‘which I shall give to my son if/when he ever gets married’. Height 16cm. London 1995.