The Goldsmiths' Centre Impact Report 2022/23

Welcome to the centre of opportunity

Designing, making, crafting and finishing: it all comes together at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. It’s where jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths exchange ideas, skills and resources. We welcome everyone: from the young and curious, to designers, makers, manufacturers and craftspeople at all stages in their journey.

Our award-winning building is home to over 100 makers and businesses.

Within these walls they hone their craft, push the boundaries of creativity and access the suppliers they need on their doorstep. The building is open to everyone year-round – a space where we host exhibitions, training, networking opportunities and events, so the industry and the wider world can recognise and celebrate what it takes to create each piece.

We believe that every interaction should be a stepping stone to the next opportunity. So, as well as our high-quality teaching and training, we open up routes into apprenticeships, employment, further education and continued business growth too. That’s how we ensure the trade’s continued relevance, and our industry’s longterm health.

Where the industry goes to grow

The Goldsmiths’ Centre exists to support the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries to embrace learning as an essential lifelong practice.

Through technical courses, business support, affordable workspace, funding opportunities, exhibitions, events and selling showcases, we aim to close the industry’s skills gap so that creativity, craftsmanship and community can thrive.

To close the jewellery industry’s skills gap

OUR MISSION

To foster capability at every link in the chain

Creativity

Bold ideas brought to life in beautiful objects. Encouraging new ways of thinking, learning and doing makes our industry vibrant and progressive.

Craftsmanship

Centuries of experience, passed from one craftsperson to another. Offering advice and training in traditional and modern skills is how we keep the trade alive.

Community

A hub for connection, inspiration and networking. The Centre is a place where ideas take shape and relationships are formed.

Setting our sights on our goals

In working towards our goals, we help individuals and businesses take their next steps – wherever they are across the UK, online and in person.

We deliver highquality technical skills training, opening up routes into apprenticeships, employment and further education.

We break down personal, social and economic barriers to improve access and inclusion and foster diversity in our community.

Supporting and upskilling the industry

We encourage businesses to grow by providing support, mentoring, funding and networking opportunities, as well as platforms to exhibit and sell their work.

Championing and helping businesses to grow

We provide affordable workspace and foster a collaborative learning environment where makers and businesses can hone their craft, access suppliers and pass on their skills.

Widening access and representation

OUR GOALS

Building a supportive community

Encouraging sustainability and ethical practice

We embed an organisational culture that encourages sustainable practices and facilitates the exploration of traceability and transparency in the industry.

Creative business owners network and learn with their peers at Creative Links events.

We can’t do this without you

Our vision is to close the jewellery industry’s skills gap. We can’t do this without our community of makers and businesses, our experienced teaching team, our partners and our funders.

With your skills, passion, vision and financial support, we can support, connect, train and mentor thousands of inspiring individuals, businesses and the industry as a whole.

We thank everyone we’ve worked with in 2022/23. Our tutors, industry employers, mentors, speakers, visitors and members of the Goldsmiths’ Company who fund many of our programmes through donations help us have a greater impact. And together, we’ll achieve even more next year.

Jewellery and silversmithing are a vital part of the UK’s flourishing creative industries. By investing in skills, supporting businesses and championing excellence, the Goldsmiths’ Centre is core to the Goldsmiths’ Company’s mission.

Annie Warburton FCGI FRSA Chief Executive and Clerk of the Goldsmiths’ Company

Through our annual competition and events, the GC&DC continues to work in a cohesive partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Centre, sharing our values of supporting and promoting excellence in craft and design skills.

Anne-Marie Reeves Chair, Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council (GC&DC)

The Goldsmiths’ Centre continues to provide the industry with a home for professional development to forge a successful jewellery career. We look forward to continue growing our collaboration to best support our members.

Ben Massey Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Jewellers (NAJ)

The work and training undertaken by the team at the Goldsmiths’ Centre is exceptional, the apprentice programme and skills transfer is tremendous. We are very proud to support and be involved.

Andrew J. Morton Managing Director

at Weston Beamor

Above: An apprentice upskills during Day Release training. Middle: Visitors admire awardwinning work at the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council exhibition. Below: Foundation Programme trainees learn jewellery making skills.

Our training programmes and short courses are taught by master craftspeople with decades of experience.

Looking back and planning ahead

This year, as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we continue our mission to foster capability at every link in the chain of the jewellery and silversmithing industry.

Michael Wainwright Chair of Trustees

Developing home-grown talent is vital for the future of our industry. With support from the trade and our partners, we’re immensely proud to be a charity that helps makers and businesses at every level, especially new entrants. To date, 90 students have attended our Foundation Programme and we’ve trained over 60 apprentices — many of whom are now part of thriving businesses in our building. It’s a hot house of creative expertise where our craftspeople share their incredible knowledge with each other, as well as with our students and apprentices.

Looking ahead to 2024, our aim is to help even more young people start rewarding careers with employers in the Midlands, London and the South-East. We will be reinventing the Foundation Programme in line with new Government regulations, which gives us the opportunity to develop technical training even more relevant to the industry as it is today. And, in partnering

with organisations such as The Creative Dimension Trust, we will continue to raise awareness of creative careers for young people with fine hand skills.

We’re also excited to expand our skills programmes for emerging businesses by bringing our Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions, our Business Mentoring programme and our Creative Links talks and networking events to more people online and across the UK. In partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Company, we are also collaborating with the Museum of London Docklands to pilot retail opportunities ahead of the opening of the new Museum of London in 2026.

We’re immensely grateful to our partners, the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity for their generous support, as well as to our inspiring community.

Where hard work is celebrated

OCT 22

Moving into the Midlands: The Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme

Expanding beyond London and the South-East into the Midlands for the first time, we welcomed four young people specialising in diamond setting, diamond mounting, and CAD/CAM design onto the scheme.

Showcasing new talent: Shine 2022

We selected 10 up-and-coming UK designer makers to showcase their jewellery and silversmithing collections as part of Shine. All exhibitors completed a free, part-time programme , where they learnt how to present, sell and showcase their work online and in person.

Supporting business growth: Business Catalyst (Large) Grants

We awarded £5,000 (incl. VAT) Business Catalyst (Large) Grants to jewellers

Elsa Tierney, Jo Thorpe, Emily Bedford, Faye Hall and blacksmith Holly Loftus, funded through donations made by members of the Goldsmiths’ Company and The Radcliffe Trust.

JAN 23

Meanings and Messages:

ACJ’s 25th Anniversary Touring Exhibition

The Association for Contemporary Jewellery (ACJ) hosted a major touring exhibition at six venues throughout the UK, including at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. “Meanings and Messages” showcased 60 unique pieces created by ACJ members.

NOV 22

Exploring ethical making: Copenhagen Commitment

We partnered with the collective to host our first two-day panel and exhibition, where members discussed how transparency and collaboration can lay the foundation for an ethical future.

Hosting royalty:

A visit from King Charles III

In celebration of our 10-year anniversary, His Majesty King Charles III visited the Centre and met with our trainees and apprentices.

FEB 23

Teaching technical skills: A new series of short courses

Our new short courses helped participants deepen their knowledge of CAD and 3D printing, technical drawing, manufacturing solutions and metallurgy.

DEC 22

Building business skills: Spotlighting Getting Started

Twenty makers learnt how to photograph their work, speak live to camera and prepare their pieces for the annual Spotlighting Getting Started exhibition (the follow-up training course for those who successfully completed Getting Started Online, our free, introduction to business course).

MAR 23

Introducing business essentials: Getting Started Online

A total of 77 startups took part in our free, one-week introduction to business course. Over five days of live webinars, UK based designers, makers and craftspeople learnt from industry experts, networked with their peers and exhibited their work.

APR 23

Showcasing our resident craftspeople: The Trove Collective at Fortnum & Mason

Fine jewellery collective Trove showcased high-quality designs by eight goldsmiths businesses based in our building. The exhibition took place in the iconic Fortnum & Mason jewellery showroom from March to June 2023.

JUL 23

Planning for success: Business Diagnostic and Advice

In the first of our monthly diagnostic sessions, our high-profile industry panel helped six emerging jewellery and silversmithing businesses by identifying their growth potential and providing invaluable advice. Each business was given a report including a business plan. During 2022-23, we helped 25 businesses in total.

MAY 23

Empowering people experiencing homelessness: Pivot

Award-winning social enterprise Pivot delivered its jewellery making training programme and pop-up event at the Goldsmiths’ Centre for the first time, thanks to donations from members of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Supporting business growth: Business Catalyst (Small) Grants

We awarded £1,000 grants to 10 business owners who are underrepresented in the industry or face socio-economic barriers. The grants paid for equipment, marketing tools or training and were funded by donations from members of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Bringing together startups: Creative Links events

Emerging makers reflected on their progress and aspirations at our monthly talks and networking events. The first one saw Alex Monroe’s Head of Design, Susie Ekelund, and other industry experts exploring the importance of understanding your customer.

AUG 23

Apprentice to Masterpiece: The Goldsmiths’ Apprentices exhibition

This annual exhibition celebrated six Goldsmiths’ apprentices who completed their apprenticeships. They presented their Masterpieces at the Freedom Ceremony at Goldsmiths’ Hall, demonstrating the bench training and hand skills they’d learnt.

The beating heart of our community: Bench refurbishment

In August, our café reopened with a new look – a blend of contemporary design and cosy charm. Our kitchen team also introduced delicious new dishes and drinks alongside signature classics.

JUN 23

Inspiring students in UK schools: Artists in Residence

High-quality artist residencies took place at Alperton Community School, Bellfield Junior School, Hatch End and Heathlands Primary Schools in London, where young people developed practical skills and gained insight into arts careers.

SEP 23

Launching careers in craftsmanship: Our Foundation Programme

Ten young people started their journey on our Foundation Programme. During the year-long programme, they learn craft skills and techniques such as fine jewellery making, silversmithing, stone setting and Computer Aided Design (CAD).

Where progress happens

Supporting and upskilling the industry

10 young people completed our Foundation Programme, all of whom went on to Goldsmiths’ Company apprenticeships or industry employment

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took part in 30 technical skills short courses

2,520 hours of day release training provided to support 18 apprentices and their 15 employers in London, the South-East and the Midlands

Championing and helping businesses to grow

118 startups equipped with the skills to promote, sell and showcase their work through our programmes (Getting Started Online, Shine, Business Diagnostic and Advice, Goldsmiths’ Fair Emerging Maker Bursary Training)

12 practising craftspeople taught technical skills across 12 different topics

5 entrepreneurs awarded Business Catalyst (Large) Grants

302 people connected through our first Creative Links and other workshops

42 startup profiles raised by sharing their work with 20.4K Instagram followers (Trove, Spotlighting Getting Started, Shine, Business Catalyst (Small) Grants, New Designers Awards)

Building a supportive community

128

resident craftspeople and Gold members thriving in our subsidised workshops and coworking spaces

Widening access and representation

304 members of the public inspired through 9 talks and 2 pop-ups (Shine 2023, Meet the Maker, Made by Pivot, talks, Creative Inspiration Workshops)

41%

of revenue generated through commercial activities (Bench café sales, venue hire, ticket sales, online shop and workshop rental)

24 people upskilled on our short courses for free, thanks to Access Grants

Funded by donations from Goldsmiths’ Company members to the 1327 Fund

210

young people from underrepresented communities entered creative careers through our training programmes

Working with The Creative Dimension Trust, The Creative Mentors Foundation, Artists in Residence

20%

of Creative Dimension Trust alumni joined the Foundation Programme

Encouraging sustainability and ethical practice

12%

decrease in our total market-based emissions since 2021/22

238 minds opened through Copenhagen Commitment and Centre talks focused on ethical making

12 people from undersupported communities grew their skills and entered the workforce

In collaboration with Flourish Jewellery Project and Pivot

£15,000 invested to promote ethical transparency in the UK industry

100% zero carbon electricity used to fuel our building’s operations

Where talent and training come together

Foundation Programme trainees Ella Rothing and Bobby Wilkie learn silversmithing.

Skills gaps and staff shortages can have a huge impact on the jewellery and silversmithing industry. With talent and technical capability, it can survive and thrive. We sustain growth and close the skills gap by adapting to industry needs and providing education and training, routes into employment and business support. For makers, for small and medium sized businesses, for manufacturers, for everyone.

Our activities

Foundation Programme

Preparing young people to start a career in jewellery, silversmithing and the allied industries

The Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme

Supporting apprentices and employers in London, the South-East and the Midlands

Awards and recognition

Celebrating our alumni’s achievements and the next generation of master craftspeople

Short courses and continuing professional development

Teaching specialist techniques and processes

Launching careers in jewellery, silversmithing and the allied industries:

Foundation Programme

Young people embarking on a career in jewellery, silversmithing or the allied industries need skills, training and confidence. Our free, one-year Foundation

Programme provides all this and more to 10 people aged 16+ living in London and the South-East. Since its inception in 2012, 110 trainees have completed the programme and earned qualifications from City & Guilds. These credentials unlock avenues for employment, apprenticeships or further education, empowering individuals to pursue their aspirations in the industry.

The 2022/23 cohort begins their journey of skill-building alongside their peers.

Being on the Foundation Programme gave me the opportunity to learn all the different skills needed in my trade.

Gemma Rogers Foundation Programme alumnus

10

10 young people completed

our Foundation Programme, all of whom went on to Goldsmiths’ Company apprenticeships or industry employment

Bringing talent into business:

The Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme

Apprentices bring new talent into businesses, sustain vital specialist skills, motivate existing staff and boost business performance. Since 2012, we’ve managed the apprenticeship scheme on behalf of the Goldsmiths’ Company, providing apprentices with day release training, development opportunities and industry networks.

In 2022, the scheme expanded beyond London and the South-East for the first time with four apprentices from the Midlands:

Kai Blu Triassi, apprenticed as a diamond setter at Weston Beamor

Sofie MacEanruig, apprenticed as a diamond setter at Weston Beamor

Joseph Craddock, apprenticed as a diamond mounter at Hockley Mint

Daniel Rushby, apprenticed as a CAD/CAM designer at Vipa Designs

We also enabled employers who don’t have a Goldsmiths’ Company member (a Freeman) in their business to take on an apprentice. They include: Bobby White of Bobby White Ltd

Michael Summers of Summers Diamond Setting

Ben Hawkins of Benjamin Hawkins London, former Foundation Programme trainee

2,520 hours of day release training provided to support 18 apprentices and their 15 employers in London, the South-East and the Midlands

Celebrating exceptional talent: Awards and recognitions

Our trainees and apprentices make invaluable contributions to their employers and specialisms, and their journeys inspire our whole community. Here are some of the next generation of master craftspeople who have been recognised through awards:

Blythe Jolley-Ellis and Louis Faine

On top of winning awards for their standout achievements during our Foundation Programme, Blythe Jolley-Ellis and Louis Faine, both distinguished as best students, had the honour of meeting His Royal Highness King Charles III in 2022.

Alysha Strong of Summers

Diamond Setting

Diamond setting apprentice Alysha Strong and her employer Michael Summers were awarded the 2023 Theo Fennell Apprentice and Master Award at the annual Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council Awards. The award celebrates the synergy between the apprentice’s craft and employer’s guidance.

Maddy Rowe of The London Art Works

Vipa has always trained people, but the prospect of a Goldsmiths’ Company apprentice is a game changer.

Peter Crump Director for Vipa Designs

Maddy’s apprenticeship has been marked by her skill, craftsmanship and unwavering support for her fellow apprentices. It was no surprise that she won the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice of the Year award for 2022/23, nominated by her peers and presented by The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Nicholas Lyons.

Industry and family members celebrate Foundation Programme trainees at their end-of-year event.

Above: Apprentices take part in day release training at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

Growing and sustaining skills: Short courses and Continuing Professional Development

A combination of traditional and innovative technical skills is vital for the lifeblood of the industry. Our courses help people learn everything from fine diamond mounting, traditional stone setting techniques, microscope setting and engraving to CAD modelling using Rhino 3D and 3D printing.

Our tutors are master craftspeople including Niall Paisley, Paul Wells, Jasmin Karger, Sonia Cheadle, Harry Forster-Stringer, Linda Lewin, Filipa Oliveira, Elisavet Messi, Lucie Gledhill, Jack Meyer and Mark Lewis.

218

participants took part in 30 technical skills short courses 12 practising craftspeople taught technical skills short courses across 12 different specialisms

I learnt so much during the course. The tutor had a wealth of experience and was so generous with his knowledge on all levels.

Alice Robson

Alice Robson Jewellery

Above: A short course participant learns Setting with Air Tools with tutor Harry Forster-Stringer.

Clockwise from top left: Award winners Blythe Jolley-Ellis, Louis Faine, Maddy Rowe and Alysha Strong

The apprenticeship is an extremely valuable opportunity for people all over the Midlands.

An apprenticeship relevant to the current day and age

Kai Blu Triassi Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Diamond setter at Weston Beamor, Birmingham

Discovering a career in jewellery “ I did a 3D design course at technical college, and straight away I was drawn to the jewellery module – before that, I didn’t even know it was a job. I did my degree at the Birmingham School of Jewellery, where I learnt everything from hand skills to CAD. I was doing alterations and repairs for second-hand jewellery when I decided to specialise in diamond setting.”

Joining a thriving community

“ As an apprentice, you become part of a wide community. I get to meet silversmiths, engravers, CAD designers –all kinds of trades that I wouldn’t normally rub shoulders with day to day. I’m lucky to be supported by the Goldsmiths’ Company, the Goldsmiths’ Centre and my employer. The tutors are actually doing jobs in the industry, so they’re putting

their practical knowledge to use every day.

The Goldsmiths’ Centre is definitely a place for everyone, at every level –whether you’re starting out, extremely advanced or somewhere in-between and trying to perfect your skills.”

Being one of the first Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices in the Midlands

“ I feel fortunate because it’s something no one else had been offered before. I’m now part of a much wider community compared to the local Birmingham scene, including London and other places throughout the Midlands. In fact, there are four or five of us now in the Midlands, who I wouldn’t have met before.”

The culture of sharing knowledge is ingrained from day one

Ben Hawkins Founder of Benjamin Hawkins London Resident craftsperson at the Goldsmiths’ Centre

Growing up in the Jewellery Quarter

“ My grandparents lived near Hatton Garden, and as a teenager I had summer jobs sweeping the floors in jewellers’ workshops. I really enjoyed the whole environment, so on leaving school I applied to join the Foundation Programme at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. There were nine people in my class, all with different backgrounds and skill sets.

Although we only had a year learning and getting to know each other, we ended up collaborating together. Coming from school into this environment where there are hammers and flames, I was able to make anything with my hands – I was blown away.”

Starting a business at the Centre

“ After I finished, I rented a small starter studio at the Centre and got a loan to buy

some tools. I would sell to my client, get paid for the commission and then buy the materials I needed. This is how I’ve been able to grow the business. There are five of us now so it’s grown relatively quickly, but there’s still lots to learn.

The Goldsmiths’ Centre brings all of us small businesses together, which is a rare thing in the industry. At a time when there’s a lot of change happening, it’s a real anchor.”

Teaching and learning through the apprenticeship

“

I had impostor syndrome at first: was I really ready to take someone on? But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a real learning curve: you’re interacting with someone all day every day, so you need to develop the soft skills necessary to mentor and teach. Grace has reminded me of the

importance of doing the work I really want to do, and she brings a lot back to the business.”

The teachers are the best in their field and keen to pass on their knowledge, which is so coveted by the industry.

Above: Benjamin Hawkins passes on his knowledge and skills to apprentice Grace McNamara.

Where startups and entrepreneurs thrive

Course alumni meet and network at our Spotlighting Getting Started celebration event.

Running a successful jewellery or silversmithing business requires much more than craft skills or an eye for design. We recognise that emerging makers have limited resources to hand, so our support programmes are here to help by sharing expertise in branding, marketing, networking, finance and more. Each programme builds on the next, helping businesses on every step of their journeys.

Our activities

Getting Started Online

Sharing business fundamentals for startups

Spotlighting Getting Started

Putting business basics into action through upskilling and exhibiting

Business Catalyst Grants

Empowering UK-based craftspeople to grow their businesses

Business Diagnostic and Advice

Helping startups understand their potential and plan for success

Introducing business essentials: Getting Started Online

Every maker setting up on their own needs a launchpad. Our free, one-week online course offers the chance to network with up to 100 peers and learn the essentials from industry experts, with subjects covering:

• Starting and running your creative business

• Developing your products

• Branding and selling your work

• Unlocking your sales channels

• Taking the next steps to grow your business

Building on business skills: Spotlighting Getting Started

Once you’ve covered the basics, what’s next? Spotlighting Getting Started is the answer. This year, 20 emerging makers applied their learnings in this follow-on course, mastering photography and live presentations, and preparing pieces for the annual exhibition.

Creative Links

Inspiring and connecting creative business owners through monthly talks, delivered in person and online

Finding new talent

Visiting universities and colleges across the UK to find tomorrow’s talented makers

Shine

Supporting businesses in learning how to sell and exhibit their work

Participants join Getting Started Online digitally from across the UK.

77 entrepreneurs empowered during Getting Started Online 2023

82% of people who completed the Getting Started Online course applied to take part in the Spotlighting Getting Started programme

Getting Started

Online was a brilliant programme to help ask the right questions of my business. Hearing from peers and sector specific advice about manufacturing, marketing and pricing was invaluable.

Claire Mooney Silversmith and former

Getting Started Online

participant

Providing much-needed funds for businesses:

Business Catalyst Grants

Both new and established entrepreneurs need time and financial backing to turn big plans into reality. Thanks to the generosity of Goldsmiths’ Company members through the 1327 Fund, jewellers, silversmiths and allied industry practitioners in the UK can now benefit from our grants.

Our new Business Catalyst (Small) Grants of £1,000 support micro-businesses that have recently engaged in business consultancy or mentoring programmes. In 2023, our grants helped Rebecca Oldfield, Clio Saskia, Natalia Majewska (Bibba London Jewellery) and Aishleen Lester (Le Ster Jewellery) to accelerate the growth of their businesses.

Our Business Catalyst (Large) Grants provide up to £7,000 to help businesses gain new skills, grow teams and offerings, or expand into new markets. In 2022, we gave grants to Elsa Tierney, Jo Thorpe, Emily Bedford, Holly Loftus and Faye Hall, which meant they could enhance and expand their craft.

We wanted to step away from outsourcing, but it was difficult to take the time out to learn or invest the money in new skills. The grant came along at the right moment.

Jo Thorpe Thorpe and Brown, who received a Business Catalyst (Large) Grant

Understanding growth potential: Business Diagnostic and Advice

It’s not easy for business owners to be objective about their own strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. That’s why, this year, we introduced monthly Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions to help emerging businesses get valuable insight from experts.

Over three sessions, 25 jewellers and silversmiths crafted action plans, reviewed products and creative ideas, and identified coaching needs. We also provided Access Grants to businesses needing financial support to participate, alongside the opportunity to be paired with a mentor.

Having such a candid discussion with experts allowed me to see my work through fresh eyes and has allowed me to focus my efforts in directions best suited to the products I make.

Mark

Newman Business Diagnostic and Advice session participant

Above: Jo Thorpe, Business Catalyst (Large) Grant recipient, focuses on creative growth for her business, Thorpe & Brown.

Clockwise from top left: Our Business Diagnostic and Advice industry experts Ellis Mhairi Cameron, Lisa Levinson and Liz Olver

Helping startups build vital connections: Creative Links

For entrepreneurs, the chance to meet others in the same position brings many benefits. Our Creative Links talks offer a space to share experiences, learn from industry experts and successful business owners, and form useful connections.

From October 2023, our programme takes to the road so that makers across the UK can meet in person.

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people connected through our first Creative Links events and other workshops

As a designer-maker of a relatively young business, I’ve found the Creative Links topics extremely insightful. Hearing from others who have experienced similar hurdles and how they’ve overcome them is always reassuring.

Daisy Grice Jeweller and former Shine participant

Finding new talent

End-of-year shows give us the chance to spot new talent, as well as to educate students and staff about the training and support we offer. Jeweller Alice Biolo from Glasgow School of Art was named our One to Watch 2022 at New Designers, London’s graduate design show. We also visited Birmingham City University, Central St Martins, De Montford, Royal College of Arts, Sheffield University and Fife College.

Creating a shop window: Shine

Being able to showcase your work is a necessary skill for any maker. Our free, part-time Shine programme teaches people how to write and talk about their work, photograph their pieces, boost their online presence and present their collections. Shine takes place through live events, an ecommerce show and an exhibition. In 2022, Shine exhibitors Qiang Li, Poppy Norton, Caitlin Murphy and Caius Bearder were selected for Goldsmiths’ Fair’s Emerging Business Bursary.

90+

craft and design enthusiasts met 10 makers at our Shine selling event

Shine participant Xinyin Chen presents her new collection.

Creative business owners engage in our Creative Links events.

This network has given me the confidence to keep pursuing my business

Genevieve Schwartz

Founder of Genevieve Schwartz Jewellery Gold Member at the Goldsmiths’ Centre

Discovering a career as a maker “I was always academic at school, so I studied Art History at Bristol. Afterwards, I did a one-day internship with an ethical jeweller, which had a profound effect on me, so I trained as a maker at the British Academy of Jewellery. I was designing for Astley Clarke during the pandemic, and working at home alone gave me the boost to start my business. It was daunting at the beginning, but nowadays I couldn’t imagine it any other way”

Growing a business and joining a community

“I’ve done a number of courses: Getting Started Online, Spotlighting Getting Started, Shine and Business Diagnostic and Advice. They supported me and gave

me a structure to follow. Some of my peers were singing the praises of Gold Membership so much that I joined too. Now I can see my business building and my customer volume going up. I’ve got 21 different commissions over the next few months – that’s my wildest dream.

I love meeting makers who are doing the same thing as me. It’s easy to feel lost, especially when you’re running a business on your own, so having a community is vital. The Goldsmiths’ Centre has completely changed my business.”

Exhibiting as part of The Trove Collective

“ Trove invites jewellers and silversmiths from the Centre to display their collections, and it gave me a proper

showcase for the first time. I remember one customer had been talking to me about a ring and eventually decided not to go ahead. She saw the ring in-person at Trove and ended up buying it! The luxury shopping experience made all the difference for her.”

The more I go to events, the more people I know, the more opportunities come up.

Being part of the community has opened up so many doors for us

Martin Cameron & Laura Breen Cameron & Breen Bespoke goldsmithing collaboration in Northern Ireland

Becoming a partnership

Laura “We both did a foundation degree at the University of Ulster and enjoyed the jewellery and silversmithing course. After we graduated, we did a collection together that involved both our skill sets – Martin’s the stone setter and I do the wax carving.”

Connecting with the Centre

Martin “I came to London to do some short courses and it was pretty eyeopening to see how much the Goldsmiths’ Centre offered. I remember being inspired by the brooch exhibition in the foyer, and thinking it would be so cool to have our work on display here.

We realised they offered lots of things online and we applied to do the Shine

and Getting Started Online courses. There’s so much on offer that you can learn at any stage of your career, which you would otherwise have to pay a lot of money for.”

Supporting makers in Northern Ireland

Laura “Through our work with the Centre, we asked if we could do a Creative Links talk in Northern Ireland. It was great to have an internationally exhibited fine jeweller like Flora Battachary to come over and speak to the makers here. It’s not very often that we get events like this in Northern Ireland so it was a privilege to be involved and it had great feedback from the community.”

Martin “We were demystifying things like the application process for Goldsmiths’

Fair and the importance of driving the creative side of your work.”

Laura “At Goldsmiths’ Fair, people were buying more experimental pieces, whereas people in Northern Ireland are looking for more wearable, everyday pieces. Through the fair, we met so many clients who’ve kept us in work continuously now. It was a brilliant, brilliant week.”

Every time we go to the Centre, it’s so inspiring and motivating.

Martin

Where everyone comes together

Award-winning team Sam James Engraving Ltd call the Goldsmiths’ Centre home.

Our award-winning building is home to over 120 makers and businesses alongside our tutors, speakers and trainees – all of whom are passing on their skills, sharing knowledge with their peers, and forging support networks. We’re proud to say that our community extends beyond our home in London to the length and breadth of the UK.

Our activities

Resident community

Enabling resident craftspeople and Gold Members to develop their craft and grow their businesses

The Trove Collective Uniting fine jewellers and silversmiths who are based in our workshops through pop-ups

Teaching team

Passing vital skills and expertise from leaders in their field to anyone who wants to learn

Making space to grow businesses:

Our resident community

Providing workshop space is one vital way we support the jewellery and silversmithing industry. Some of the industry’s most skilled craftspeople use our state-of-the-art workshops – paying affordable rates for a space to hone their craft, push the boundaries of creativity and access all the suppliers they need on their doorstep.

Makers share ideas and expertise with each other every day, as well as contributing to our training programmes. Come into the Centre and you’ll meet

makers like Sam James Engraving’s apprentices learning on-the-job, Jennifer Bloy sharing jewellery illustration skills with our Foundation Programme trainees, Yeena Yoon teaching the technique of alloying gold in one of our short courses, and Ellis Mhairi Cameron sharing business advice with startups online.

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businesses make up the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s community, located in subsidised workshops and coworking spaces

The shadowing programme

Giving the next generation the opportunity to observe and learn from experts

Academic Roundtable

Collaborating with training providers to share information about and shape our programmes

Artists in Residence

Inspiring the next generation of makers through community outreach

I thoroughly enjoy the collaboration I have with other companies and the fantastic facilities allow me to employ more people.

Reg Elliot Silversmith and co-founder of ElliotFitzpatrick at the Goldsmiths’ Centre

When I first started, I didn’t have a sense of community in London, so coming into a space like this where everybody’s very supportive was just an incredible place to be.

Jesica Jue Silversmith, jeweller and Goldsmiths’ Centre alumnus

Above: Reg Elliot of Elliot-Fitzpatrick delivers polishing services as part of our community.

Showcasing new collections through pop-up events:

The Trove Collective

For makers new and established, the chance to connect with new audiences is invaluable. The Trove Collective, one of a number of pop-ups we host, is a platform for jewellers and silversmiths based at the Goldsmiths’ Centre to promote and sell their collections. We collaborate with the collective on logistics, marketing and presentation skills, and they also learn from each other.

In 2023, Trove displayed and sold their jewellery in the iconic Fortnum & Mason jewellery showroom.

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Sharing craft skills and confidence: Teaching team

Those who care about the future of our industry, teach. Over 60 practising master craftspeople and industry experts pass on their skills and expertise in our training programmes. From setting techniques, silversmithing, 3D printing, business advice to mentoring, we work together to empower young trainees, emerging makers, practising industry members and anyone re-entering the workforce.

Above: Yeena Yoon teaches alloying gold as part of our short courses.

Below: Niall Paisley shares setting skills with Foundation Programme trainees.

Above: The Trove collective showcases at Fortnum & Mason jewellery showroom.

members of the public inspired through 9 talks and 2 pop-ups

Professionals at work: The shadowing programme

Shadowing is a great opportunity for our students to learn in situ. Our former Foundation Programme trainees and qualified apprentices gain first-hand knowledge by observing and interacting with experienced craftspeople.

Jewellers Ben Kerridge and Alex Wood are engaging in the Foundation Programme and Apprentice Day release training, while former Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office apprentice Candice Devine is learning how to guide and support apprentices and their employers.

Bringing the arts into schools: Artists in Residence

By bringing to life the reality of a career in the arts, we can open the doors of our industry to more talented young people. In 2023 Artists in Residence (AIR) allowed us to do just that by taking high-quality artist residencies to schools across the UK.

£20K

provided in Collaborative Funding to support Artists in Residence in 2022/23

Close collaboration with training providers: Academic Roundtable

A strong understanding of the educational landscape allows us to tailor our support for graduates who aspire to work in the industry. In 2023, academics from 15 training providers including Birmingham City University, Central St Martins, Belfast School of Art to Fife College and others took part in our annual event to identify common challenges and opportunities, as well as to forge strong networks and collaborative relationships across the UK.

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seats filled at our Academic Round Table in April 2023

Samantha Chilten and resident craftspeople, Ellis Mhairi Cameron, Emefa Cole and Ben Hawkins, partnered with AIR to develop hands-on workshops at Alperton Community School, Bellfield Junior School, Hatch End and Heathlands Primary Schools in London. Students learnt how to sculpt designs in copper, brass and clay before seeing them cased with metal pewter to make rings, pendants and other keepsakes.

All the different students had such unique ideas and even those who weren’t confident grew in the process, which was lovely to watch.

Ellis Mhairi Cameron our resident jeweller who took part in Artists in Residence

Gold member Bibi Cheung tutors apprentices in jewellery design.

Ellis Mhairi Cameron shares her jewellery skills with young people in schools.

A really vibrant community of people helping each other

James Neville Founder of Sam James Engraving Ltd Resident craftsperson at the Goldsmiths’ Centre

Starting a business at the Centre

“It’s a safe, secure environment to set up a business, and we’ve been based here since day one. The Goldsmiths’ Centre has given us a generation of new customers through all the people we’ve met and worked with in the building, which has helped us develop our business.

Engraving can be quite isolated as we don’t produce anything ourselves; we provide a service. But it’s great to have new students coming in and out of the Centre, and the opportunity to get involved and teach them. We encourage people to walk in and see what we do as it spreads the knowledge of engraving

and brings in opportunities for us.”

Investing in new talent through apprenticeships

“Twelve years ago, we asked the Centre how to get an apprentice. They set us up and we’ve had one ever since. We’re on our fourth apprentice now and thankfully, all of them are still working with us. It takes a lot of time to invest in those skills, so it’s good that they’re happy with the environment here.”

On the job and day release training, all under one roof

“Isabel, our new apprentice, has been with us for a year and a half. She works with us every day, and goes to day release

training every Wednesday, which is great for her and convenient for us as well. There’s no commute for her as it’s all in one place. And that I think it’s very valid that the apprentices are learning, perfecting the craft and knowledge.”

I would be a lonely soul in a shed without this community.

Above: James Neville supports his apprentice Isabel Freeman to develop her skills.

The network is incredible. It’s like six degrees of separation.

Darren Sherwood Founder of Mr Sherwood

Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company; Community Advisory Group member of the Goldsmiths’ Centre

From sculpture to silversmithing

“I was doing sculpture at Central Saint Martins but it wasn’t for me, so my tutor suggested jewellery. I loved it and went on to do my BA Honours at Kent Institute of Art and Design. After graduating, I learnt silversmithing and diamond mounting and worked with Graff Diamonds, Garrards and Stephen Webster. Then I became self-employed and took over a workshop from someone who was retiring – now, here I am!”

Bringing new blood into the industry

“As the Community Advisory Group, we’re trying to get people of different backgrounds to become involved in the trade. How can I get kids out of the estate and into making jewellery? Instead of buying jewellery, how do I get them to buy tools?

We meet four times a year to share updates. Right now I’m working with a charity that’s teaching Africans how to mine their own diamonds, and with the Jewellery Valuers Association and the Institute of Professional Goldsmiths on outreach work.”

High standards of teaching at the Goldsmiths’ Centre

“ When it comes to teaching, the Centre has the best calibre of people who are willing to pass on information. That’s a big thing because when you’re in the trade, a lot of people like to hold their skills very close to their chest.

At the Centre they’re quite open: learn everything you want, just teach someone else with it.

I want to see more craftspeople passing on their skills before they retire because we need to keep that knowledge. I suggest that every student tries to get involved in the Goldsmiths’ Centre.”

The community you meet through the Goldsmiths’ Centre holds the trade together.

We support the apprentices and make sure they’re looked

Candice Devine

First woman to be a Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office Apprentice; Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Consultant

An alternative way into the industry

“ I originally wanted to actually make my own jewellery, so I applied for apprenticeships in Hatton Garden and Bond Street before I came across the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme. It gave me a different path into the trade. Now I work for a company that makes tools for the jewellery industry. I’m there four days a week, and every other Friday I’m at the Goldsmiths’ Centre shadowing the Professional Training team.”

Testing precious metals at the Assay Office

“I learnt how to test precious metals such as gold, platinum, silver and palladium, which need to be hallmarked to be sold in the UK. This included traditional methods such as acid testing as well as new modelling techniques and hand marking. I specialised in display marking which is used mostly on trophies and big silverwear, and I learnt laser hallmarking and laser engraving, which means I can engrave messages on the inside of rings. That’s what my apprenticeship involved over four years, and I really enjoyed it.

I also went on day release training to learn silversmithing, hand engraving, setting and enamelling. It gave me a good insight into how much time and effort goes into making, so I obviously take extra care to make sure we apply the right mark.”

after

Working with apprentices

“At the moment, I’m helping the Professional Training team assess the apprentices. It’s good to come to the other side and see how all the pieces of the puzzle come together. I enjoy seeing what they’re learning and being there to support them – visiting workshops and making sure that both employers and apprentices are happy.”

To be the first woman apprentice of the 700–year –old Company was a really proud moment for me.

Above: Candice Devine admires a Masterpiece by an apprentice on display at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

OUR THANKS TO EVERYONE WE WORK WITH

We make all of this happen

together

A huge thank you to our founder the Goldsmiths’ Company, the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity, our partners, our tutors and the makers, businesses and teams who call the Goldsmiths’ Centre home. Our community and our work wouldn’t be possible without you.

Aishleen Lester

Ana Thompson

Andrew Pollack

Diamond Setter

Anja Moehler

Ashley Mikal Jewellery

A&W Setters

Benjamin Hawkins

Benjamin James Ryan

Bezant London

Bobby White Ltd

Cad-Man (UK) Ltd

Carol Clift

Clio Saskia

Clive Burr

Coline Assade

Crux London

Deborah Cadby

Design Build Cast

Edward Xú

Elliot-Fitzpatrick

Ellis Mhairi Cameron

Emefa Cole

Flora Bhattachary

Gala Creations

Genevieve Schwartz

Graham Saggers

Engraving

Harriet Morris

HP Diamonds Ltd

Holly O’Hanlon

Imogen Belfield

Irena Chmura

Jennifer Bloy Designs

Jessie Harris London

Jessica Jue

Karina Martus Fine Jewellery

Karlin Anderson

KATA Jewellery

Katherine A Brunacci Jewellery

Kerry Seaton

Kim Joux Jewellery

Laura Bezant

Laura Nelson

Le Ster

Leonid Dementiev

Leo de Vroomen

LIA LAM

Margaux Clavel

Melanie Eddy

Mike Van Buskirk

MOCIELLI Fine Jewellery

Molly Wu

Natalie Perry Jewellery

Olalere Fagbulu

Oxx Jewellery London

Paul York

Philip Jennings Jewellery Limited

Rachel Balfour Jewellery

Rebecca Keating

Rosie Odette

Rupert Todd

Sam James Engraving Ltd

SAM HAM

Samantha Salmons

Sarah Dorans Jewellery

Scarlett Cohen French

Shakti Ellenwood Precious Jewellery

Signets and Seals SKOMER STUDIO

Steve Stavrou

Stuart Paul Jewellery

S.V.S. Designs

The Rock Hound

Tressa Amirthanayagam, Russian Blue Jewellery TVRRINI Limited

Yeena Yoon Studios

For the good of our industry

Pivot participants and the team mark the end of their training with a pop-up shopping event at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

We want everyone working in or learning about the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries to see themselves at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. We aim to provide equal opportunities for all people to access, succeed and progress in their skill – through grants, funding, outreach work and more. After all, the more talent we nurture and the more makers we represent, the more our industry will flourish.

Our activities

Collaborative giving

Joining forces to broaden equitable access to skills

Youth empowerment initiatives

Opening career pathways for less advantaged young people

Our community and team Fostering a culture centred on empowering everyone to achieve their potential

Collaborative giving:

Funding diversity and representation

Funding is vital if we want to widen participation, but we can’t do this alone. Thanks to our project partners and to generous donations made by Goldsmiths’ Company members to the Goldsmiths’ Company Charity’s 1327 Fund, together we can support initiatives that increase representation in our programmes and the industry at large.

In 2022/23, we made change happen through numerous projects:

Pivot: Supporting people experiencing homelessness

For people experiencing homelessness, jewellery-making offers a sense of agency at a time when it matters most. This is the vision of social enterprise, Pivot, which provides creative skills, 1-2-1 mentoring and financial support. For the first time, Pivot delivered a training programme and pop-up event at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. Five makers learnt how to design, prototype and sell a jewellery collection made from brass, acetate and silver. They made sales, networked with the public and industry insiders, and built confidence in themselves.

Above: Pivot’s Head of Workshops shares jewellery-making skills.

Below: A Pivot maker sells a piece of hand-crafted jewellery.

Flourish Jewellery Project:

Supporting women with a history of trauma

Jewellery-making has the power to transform lives. Edinburgh-based social enterprise, the Flourish Jewellery Community Interest Company, runs programmes to aid people recovering from past traumas, such as addiction to alcohol, drugs, or a history of homelessness or domestic abuse.

After finishing the Fusion programme in 2022, six women progressed to second year jewellery training with the 32-week Glow programme.

Access Grants:

Ensuring training and inspiration is open to more people

While training is key for jewellers and silversmiths to further their careers, it isn’t affordable for everyone. Access Grants help people with these costs, especially individuals who aren’t fully represented in educational settings.

Access Grants offer funds towards a Goldsmiths’ Centre business or technical course each year. 24 people received grants totalling £6,350. Out of the 25 applications, 33% identified as being from a Global Ethnic Majority background, 21% were eligible for Free School Meals and 37% identified as having a disability, impairment or long-term health condition.

Youth empowerment initiatives:

Fulfilling career ambitions for the next generation

Opening up opportunities for young people to pursue careers in jewellery and silversmithing benefits everyone. From equipping our Foundation Programme trainees with toolkits to extending financial support towards travel costs, our team is always finding ways to help more young people join the industry.

In 2022/23, we collaborated with our grant partners and introduced dozens of young people to the trade:

Creative Mentors Foundation:

Opening up the industry to students with learning differences

Giving access to art, design, music and drama can tap into skills and build confidence amongst young people with learning differences. This is exactly what Creative Mentors Foundation does. A grant of £6,400 enabled them to run weekly jewellery-making sessions for year groups 7-10 from their fully funded jewellery workshop at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School in Borough, London, as well as jewellery-making sessions.

The opportunities given by the Flourish Jewellery Project have been amazing. Before my mental health was really bad. Since doing the course it has really improved.

Flourish Jewellery Project participant

24 people upskilled on our short courses for free, thanks to Access Grants funded by the Goldsmiths’ Company members to the 1327 Fund

Above: A Flourish Jewellery Project participant learns jewellery making skills.

Creative Mentors Foundation students visit the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s workshops.

The Creative Dimension Trust: Workshops for less advantaged 14-19 year-olds

Finding talent in schools and opening our doors to promote creative careers is part of our mission. It’s why we work with The Creative Dimension Trust, who offer free workshops and work experience for young people led by master craftspeople in fine hand skills, including jewellery-making and silversmithing. TCDT works directly with art and design departments at schools, local youth and art organisations to reach young people most in need of vocational opportunities – typically living in areas of social and economic deprivation or geographic isolation.

20% of Creative Dimension Trust alumni joined the Foundation Programme

Our community and team

Breaking down barriers so that everyone can thrive. Pooling the knowledge of our team and community enables us to identify issues, listen to diverse perspectives and better engage people from all backgrounds.

This is how we are making a difference:

Clear communication

Using simple language, so everyone connects with our work. In 2023, we teamed up with a brand strategy and copywriting agency to review our positioning and messaging across our communications.

Fair selection processes

Reducing bias in application processes to ensure fair selection. We’ve introduced anonymised applications, and will roll this out to more of our programmes. We welcome video applications, host live Q&As, broaden criteria to diversify applications, and enlist diverse external selection panels.

Improved awareness

In 2023, we took part in transgender awareness training with The Diversity Trust. Since then, we’ve included non-binary and unspecified titles in application forms and introduced gender-neutral toilet signage.

The Creative Dimension Trust introduced me to different trades and crafts at a young age. I was fortunate to be around like–minded individuals who are very knowledgeable in their fields.

Idris

Tetlow apprenticed as a silversmith at Thomas Lyte

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young people from underrepresented communities entered creative careers through our training programmes and by working with The Creative Dimension Trust, The Creative Mentors Foundation and Artists in Residence.

Above: A young person learns enamelling skills as part of The Creative Dimension Trust’s workshops.

Working with Pivot has given me ambition and motivation

Sabella Ibanez

& Nas

Kalisa

Pivot

– Social Enterprise

Recipient

of Goldsmiths’ funding

Empowering people experiencing homelessness

Sabella “Our founder, Alice, set up Pivot in 2020 as a social enterprise responding to gaps in public funding. Today, we help people living in hostels to support themselves through jewellery making.”

Nas “Living in a hostel is never easy and I’ve had challenges with my mental health. I never thought I could make jewellery but Pivot has changed my life. I’m learning to work with different materials, like acetate and brass. Coming out the other end, finishing a course and getting a job –it has absolutely helped me.”

In at the deep end

Sabella “The Goldsmiths’ Centre has helped us through their links in the industry. We taught the programme participants how to run a jewellerymaking workshop, then they ran it with trustees, jewellers and friends of the Goldsmiths’ Centre and the Goldsmiths’ Company. It definitely threw them in the deep end. Most people who participate have never publicly spoken before, so to come into a room with 15 high-standing people in their field –it’s very daunting. But we mean to do that, because they end up surpassing their own expectations. That’s what we want to see.”

Continuing the cycle of helping

Nas “It’s brought me so far in a short space of time. Within the last year, I’ve managed to move out of the hostel and into my own place, and it’s all down to Pivot. I find myself in the position of helping people jump up to the level they need to be at – I’m telling them ‘you can do it, don’t think you can’t do it’. When you learn, you help somebody else and it just keeps going.”

I’m wearing a ring I made at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. It’s a reminder to myself that I’ve achieved this.

Nas Kalisa

If we don’t enable others, we’ll lose generations of jewellers

Lisa Arnott & Jessica Howarth Flourish Jewellery Project Recipient

of Goldsmiths’ Centre funding

A shared passion for improving access

Jessica “I met Lisa at my degree show and started running workshops at her studio. At the time, we were both working with young people, so there was a nice crossover in our work.”

Lisa “We had this dream of working with those who traditionally couldn’t access jewellery making. The workshops gave us a good grounding in access provision, and they built on our background in community development, adult education and youth work.”

Starting the Flourish Project

Jessica “We secured £48,000 in funding from Creative Scotland to start Flourish. We taught 12 women recovering from trauma, addiction, homelessness and domestic violence how to make

jewellery, and gave them each their own kit of materials.”

Lisa “The magic of making is that it isn’t bound up in theories and writing, which can be off-putting to a lot of people. It’s about using your hands and your mind, and the joy that brings.”

Jessica “The funding we got from the Goldsmiths’ Centre made it possible for half of the women from the project to continue building their skills. One of them recently successfully applied for a heritage crafts grant, and that’s a real legacy of the project.”

The importance of community practice

Lisa “I think every jeweller should be taught how to do community practice. We should be pledging our contribution

back to society as makers, because it makes our practice sustainable for the future – enabling those who are non-traditional learners, dealing with trauma, living in poverty, or from communities that would not otherwise experience or have access to making.”

If you can solder, you can do anything. You can change the world because you need a lot of patience to solder.

Lisa Arnott

Above: The artistic team behind the Flourish Jewellery Project, Jessica Howarth and Lisa Arnott.

For the good of our planet

Copenhagen Commitment hosts its first UK-based event at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

Working to reduce our environmental footprint and share best practice is integral to the way we work, and it has been for years. In 2023, we developed our Sustainability Framework, which outlines how different aspects of our work – from our building operations to our partnerships – aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our activities

Copenhagen Commitment

Raising awareness around industry transparency

Reducing and offsetting our carbon footprint

Improving our building and supporting carbon offset projects

Sharing resources and knowledge

Helping our students learn about sustainable practices

Providing a platform to inspire change:

Copenhagen Commitment

Together, we can make a bigger difference when it comes to sustainability. This is exactly what Copenhagen Commitment, a non-profit organisation and collective for jewellers and suppliers, aims to achieve by building a community to share their experiences and thoughts and create

meaningful action.

Copenhagen Commitment was founded in 2021 and hosted their first UK panel discussion and exhibition at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in November 2022. Over 100 industry members came together to listen to speakers, meet exhibitors and explore how transparency and collaboration can lay the foundation for an ethical, responsible and honest future.

Working more sustainably through our day-to-day operations

Using fewer resources and creating less waste

The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust Collaborating to embed sustainability in our training and community

We hope to bring the jewellery community together and create a non–judgmental space where we can freely challenge our preconceived ideas of responsible jewellery.

Susie Ekelund

Head

of Fine Jewellery at Alex Monroe and one of the organisers of the Copenhagen Commitment event

238minds opened through the Copenhagen Commitment and Centre talks focused on ethical making

Above: People gather during the Copenhagen Commitment event to discuss the transparency of the gem industry and in jewellery businesses more broadly.

Reducing the carbon footprint of our building

Monitoring the environmental impact of our building is a vital part of our sustainability commitment. Upon its construction, our building was rated excellent BREEAM ratings for its environmental friendliness. The biodiversity garden bird boxes attract wildlife, while photo-voltaic cells and air-source heat pumps reduce energy usage and rainwater is harvested for greywater use. In 2023, we installed LED lighting in our public spaces to reduce heat emission and energy consumption.

Our annual carbon footprint assessment tells us where we can improve. In 2022/23 our total market-based emissions was 110.62 tCO₂e. We offset carbon which we couldn’t reduce by funding UK-based

and international projects that made an equivalent carbon dioxide saving. In 2025/26, we plan to replace our heating, ventilation and air conditioning system with a view to working towards net zero.

100% zero carbon electricity used to fuel our building’s operations

12% decrease in our total market-based emissions since 2021/22

Sharing resources and knowledge about sustainable practice

Knowledge and collaborative action can have a positive impact on our world. We explain to our trainees how to explore traceability and transparency in the jewellery and silversmithing industry, and practice sustainably.

As ambassadors of the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Pledge

Theo Salanson and Ella Rothing from our Foundation Programme 2022/23 gave their peers a voice. They attended two Ambassador sessions; took part in discussions on ethical sourcing; and worked with their peers to come up with a project to improve waste disposal in our training workshops.

Our discussions on ethical sourcing have highlighted how important it is to question the sources of our materials to ensure that they are produced with as little negative impact to ourselves, others and our environment.

Theo Salanson and Ella Rothing former Foundation Programme trainees and The Scottish Goldsmiths’ Trust Ethical Making ambassadors

Above: The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s rooftop garden is a vibrant oasis bustling with biodiversity.

Working more sustainably through our day-to-day operations

Cycling to work, reducing print production, onboarding suppliers who work sustainably – these are just some of the actions we follow to make a difference. Here are some of the ways we are making our operations more sustainable:

• In our café Bench, we’re working with our partners Company of Cooks to use packaging from 100% plant based, renewable materials, source local and ethical suppliers, and reduce food and packaging waste. Bench also offers regular barista traineeships through Well Grounded, an award-winning social enterprise that supports Londoners facing socio-economic barriers into work.

• We only print marketing materials when necessary, and we do it in small quantities, using recyclable materials and offsetting carbon emissions through the World Land Trust. We also reuse or recycle exhibition plinths and displays where possible.

• Paying a fair wage isn’t just the right thing to do, it also helps to retain staff and attract talent. Since 2018 we’ve offered the real London Living Wage. Accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, all our staff from front to back of house are paid a wage that meets their everyday needs.

Bench is a social hub, bringing people together through great coffee and food.

Offset carbon

which we couldn’t directly reduce by protecting forests and biodiversity within the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Guatemala

Collaborating with the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust: The Ethical Making Pledge

We aren’t alone in our desire for meaningful change in ethical practice.

In June 2022, we signed the Ethical Making Pledge, which asks education providers to include teaching about ethical making in their curriculum, workshop practice and material sourcing. When it was introduced in 2018, the Pledge was signed by all seven Scottish colleges offering jewellery and silversmithing training at HND level and above and attracted a motion of support from the Scottish Parliament. We were the first education provider outside Scotland to sign it.

We also provided £15,000 in funding to encourage knowledge exchange.

This included the development of an online resource (theethicalmaking.org), meet-ups between student ambassadors, a symposium and a self-benchmarking tool to help makers assess their adoption of ethical and sustainable practices, and identify any hurdles to overcome.

£15K

invested to promote ethical transparency in the UK industry

Above: Director of the Goldsmiths’ Centre Peter Taylor signs the Ethical Making Pledge with Ethical Making Programme Manager of The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust, Karen Westland.

We want to embed ethical making throughout the process

Karen Westland Ethical Making Programme Manager Scottish Goldsmiths Trust

From Glasgow to South Oxfordshire

“I did a summer class at the Glasgow School of Art in jewellery making, and went on to do my degree at the Glasgow School of Art. After that, I went to the Bishopsland Educational Trust. It’s a year-long residential course in traditional silversmithing, and it meant I could access everything London has to offer in terms of the jewellery industry.”

Developing an interest in ethical making

“ When I was a student, I was a member of Ethical Metalsmiths and I won a competition to design a goblet for the Incorporation of Goldsmiths using eco-silver. That was my first opportunity to buy precious metals with some sort of traceability. All of my university projects

were around different moral issues –looking at copper and gold mining, the car industry, elephant culling. I realised I needed to do something in my own practice to respond to the moral issues involved in being a maker.”

Making progress on sustainability

“

The Ethical Making Programme is everything I’d have loved when I was a student. The annual symposium has talks around ethical making, and the Pledge helps educational institutions think about the theoretical and practical education they’re providing. Students have said they like seeing sustainability embedded in the courses they’re applying to.

We want to be thinking about sustainability through the whole cycle:

using chemicals, materials and processes that are safe for us and which won’t have a negative impact on wildlife and the environment. My aspiration is that we can start being more inclusive and honest – recognising that things might not be perfect, but we’re working towards something better.”

I want to have a positive impact on people and places affected by the materials I’m using.

Karen Westland speaks about the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s Ethical Making Pledge.

The more I learn, the fewer clear cut answers I have

Amy Gibson Former Foundation Programme trainee and Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Bespoke Designer at Alex Monroe

A lifelong love of creativity

“I’ve always been a creative person, and at school I was only interested in art. I did some work experience at a jewellers and loved it, so I did the Foundation Programme at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

On the Employer Day, I met Susie (Ekelund), Head of Design at Alex Monroe. I happened to be wearing my Alex Monroe bee necklace, so we started chatting. That’s how I ended up working with her.”

A broad education in business

“I’ve worked with customers on commissions, I’ve dealt with enquiries, I’ve done quotes and sourcing. I’ve also learnt directly from Alex: how he makes his jewellery and how he carves into the silver. It’s good to see the whole business, what each department does, and how much effort goes into making everything run well.”

Becoming a responsible maker

“I always go to the ethical making talks at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. At Alex Monroe, we’re always having conversations about ethical practice. It’s not just about the materials, it’s about packaging, recycling and all those things.

Sourcing responsible gemstones isn’t as easy as you might think. You have to consider responsible mining, working conditions, where recycled materials come from. When I started making my masterpiece, a collar necklace, I thought it was going to be the Holy Grail of sustainability. But then I had to sacrifice options because of budget, time or feasibility.

At Alex Monroe, our focus is on sourcing stones from responsible supply chains. We have amazing suppliers for our sapphires because they work with

partners in Sri Lanka who prioritise, and make a continuous effort to improve, traceability and working conditions from mining to cutting.”

You try to do your job with the least amount of harm that you possibly can in any given situation.

Above: Amy Gibson sources rhodolite garnets mined and cut in Sri Lanka for her Masterpiece, a collar necklace titled The Hummingbird.

Firework Brooch and Bracelet Masterpiece by Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Martina Grumitt of Griffin of London.

Image credits

Front Cover (clockwise): Foundation Programme trainee Annika Kroeger-Mayes with tutor Stuart Jenkin; Audience members at Copenhagen Commitment’s panel discussion; Pivot’s Head of Workshops Jason Thompson and programme participant; Foundation Programme trainee Bobbie Wilkie; Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentices Sofie MacEeanruig (Weston Beamor Creative Group) and Daniel Rushby (Vipa Designs Ltd); Creative Links attendee at the Spotlighting Getting Started showcase; Laura Breen from Cameron & Breen with a visitor at Shine 2023.

Pages 8 - 9 (left to right): Marble Effect Recycled Plastic and Silver Legacy Brooch by jeweller Deborah Beck; King Charles III meets Foundation Programme trainee Theo Kimber Salanson; Granulation short course with Linda Lewin; Networking at the Spotlighting Getting Started celebration event; Rose Gold, Amethyst, Sapphire and Diamond Palmetto Ring by Melanie Eddy; Clio Saskia exhibits at Trove; Creative Links event at Ulster Museum; A young person participates in the Artists in Resident workshop; Trainees and tutors at the Foundation Programme’s end of year celebration.

Photography

Julia Skupny, Sam Frost Photography, Rene Gonzalez, Thorpe & Brown, Genevieve Schwartz Jewellery, Cameron & Breen, Fortnum & Mason, Mr Sherwood, Morley von Sternberg, Shannon Tofts,Reno Erik Kofoed, Steve Hall, 161photographic, Sam Frost Photography, James Robertson, True Anderson, Trove Collective and Richard Valenzia, the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council.

Acknowledgements

Copywriting: Opening Line - openingline.co

Design: Fit Creative - fitcreative.ltd.uk

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