The Goldsmiths' Review 2015-2016

One of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s defining features is that it serves a trade which continues to be a vibrant part of British business, and the new Prime Warden exemplifies this dynamism.

Michael Wainwright is the Managing Director of Boodles, a business which celebrates its heritage while breaking new ground in the market for luxury British jewellery. The firm (originally Boodle & Dunthorne), was established in Liverpool in 1798 and bought by the Wainwright family in 1911. His brother Nicholas works with him as Chairman of the firm, but despite now being part of a 5th generation of jewellers Michael remembers no pressure to join while he was growing up. Instead, some of his formative experiences were sporting: he attended the Leas School, near the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, which led to a lifelong love of golf. Later he went to Shrewsbury – a football school – as it allowed him to pursue his passion for the game, and he remains a committed Liverpool F.C. supporter to this day.

Of course the family business was always there in the background, and from the age of 15 he worked in the Liverpool branch in his holidays. Half of his gap year before university was spent in the shop (during the other half he worked his passage to Australia and back on a Blue Funnel ship). However, after graduating from Exeter University with a degree in accounting and economics, he decided to train as a chartered accountant as an introduction to the commercial world. It was a good choice. He joined Peat, Marwick and Mitchell (now KPMG) in London in 1979, and has very happy memories of working there. If his 20-yearold twins asked him for career advice now, he feels he would suggest that route as “accountancy opened all sorts of doors and provided fantastic business training”.

His aim is to help the Company build on its efforts to improve the

business and leadership skills of jewellers

In 1984 Michael decided to join Boodles full time, but “the thing with family firms is that people join when they are ready, rather than when there is a job for them to do”. He felt he did not really find his niche until 1987 when Boodles opened its first London branch. He returned to the capital to oversee proceedings and has been based there ever since. The new shop was in a rather unpromising building on the Brompton Road, and getting it established was a real struggle. Between 1987 and 1997 he worked a six day week, but his persistence eventually paid off. His motto is ‘nil desperandum’ and his advice to people in a similar position is to keep on going and give it your all. Today Boodles has five shops in London, as well as three in the north and another in Dublin.

Boodles’ flagship shop in Bond Street (which recently doubled in size) embodies what Michael calls the two ‘lightbulb’ moments in his career: the realisation of the importance of design, and the importance of creation of a brand. In 1990 he and Nicholas employed their first designer, Rebecca Hawkins; and in 1995 they took branding advice for the first time. The pair reinvented the business as a designer brand rather than a traditional county jeweller, changing their name from Boodle & Dunthorne to Boodles.

Visitors to Bond Street can now appreciate Boodles jewellery in a sophisticated contemporary interior designed by Eva Jiricná, the architect responsible for the V&A’s jewellery gallery (in a gratifying echo, a Boodles Raindance ring is on display at the museum). Hawkins’ designs are also showcased at a number of high-profile events staged throughout the year, including the Boodles Tennis preWimbledon event, the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse and the firm’s sponsorship of a Leading Jockey at the Cheltenham Festival. The fact that these events often revolve around Michael’s other passion – sport – is no coincidence. But with the help of his nephew James Amos, Boodles has also established more cultural collaborations, including developing a jewellery range with, and becoming a key partner of, the Royal Ballet.

Michael’s clear delight in business has led him to mentor small enterprises at the Cranfield School of Business, and he also uses his skills in his role as a fundraising trustee for the Rainbow Trust, which offers care and support to the families of terminally ill children. His involvement with this charity came through his wife, Annie, and they are both committed supporters of its work.

Michael describes himself as “passionately commercial”, and this belief in the importance of getting the best out of the market will be an important theme in his year as Prime Warden. In his words “there is no point having a great product if no one knows about it”. His aim is to help the Company build on its efforts to improve the business and leadership skills of jewellers, enabling those that wish to grow to fulfil their potential.

He knows that the next year will certainly be a busy one. As well as taking the reins as Prime Warden he will continue as MD at Boodles (he has got his commute from Bond Street to the Hall down to 17 minutes, and is already known for his consistency in arriving exactly one minute before the appointed start time of events). The two roles will complement each other: activities at the Hall provide a refreshing change to his usual work and have enabled him to meet people from all walks of life. Michael admits that he was not sure what to expect when Stuart Devlin asked him in 2007 to join the Court, but, as his involvement has increased, the more rewarding he has found the experience, especially in terms of the comradeship offered by fellow members.

When he does get a moment to himself, Michael’s vegetable garden at home in Stratfield Saye provides him with a relaxing alternative to business and sporting interests. The Court wine cup designed for him by Boodles reflects this horticultural theme, with sporting motifs shown alongside a gardener hard at work, roots on the cup’s foot representing his family, and vines showing his love of fine wine (he aspires to one day serve on the Wine Committee!).

It may be a while, however, before Michael’s garden gets all the attention it needs: this business-orientated Prime Warden still has much of his career ahead of him.

The New

Prime Warden

byEleniBide

Image: Julia Skupny

Prime Warden’s Year A

by Timothy Schroder

The extraordinary privilege of being Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company comes at a price. Several prices, in fact. There is the price of a gradually expanding waistline; the price of giving up much of your life for a year; and the price of bearing a responsibility for getting it right. But I wouldn’t have given it up for the world.

For 12 months (apart from the summer break) life was so full and so varied that I have found it difficult to distil my thoughts into a few hundred words. Had I not kept a detailed diary of the many events I have attended over that time, I would not have stood a chance.

The thoughts that have emerged come under two headings: what have I given? And what have I received?

The answer to the second question largely boils down to one word: invitations. These arrive on an almost daily basis and, sadly, it is simply not possible to accept them all. The common perception that these are all to do with eating and drinking is only partly true. Yes, you wear out at least three dinner jackets and one white tie outfit during the course of the year; yes, you eat wonderful food and drink superb wines in extraordinary surroundings and excellent company. But this is only part of the mix. Another part is about learning.

During the course of my year I have visited places and attended events that I had been only dimly aware of before. And in doing so I have learned a huge amount about the history of the City, about other livery companies and about our affiliated military organisations. The ‘Quit Rents Ceremony’ (when the City renews its ancient privilege to appoint sheriffs independent of the Crown) and the ‘Silent Ceremony’ (at which the regalia and the office itself are passed seamlessly from the retiring Lord Mayor to his successor): these are rites as ancient and evocative as the coronation itself. But they were quite unknown to me before I attended them in person.

We should encourage our supertalented young silversmiths to tap into the achievements of the past and to see what they can learn from the great masterpieces in our historic collection

Dining in other City livery halls and, indeed, further afield too, was also deeply memorable. Different Prime Wardens have different experiences (and different perceptions). But for me, some of the highlights of the ‘doing and attending’ aspect of my year have included opening the brilliant exhibition of the Company’s contemporary silver in Edinburgh, attending the strangely moving Field of Poppies service outside Westminster Abbey and – a very different Abbey event – taking part in a unique service to mark the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt.

The question of what I have given is more difficult to answer. Most Prime Wardens embark on their year with an agenda of sorts. I set out my stall at the summer livery dinner last year when I said that my theme would be ‘tradition and innovation’. It’s quite easy to come up with these catchy slogans and often they mean very little. But in this case one of the things I meant was encouraging our supertalented young silversmiths to tap into the achievements of the past and to see what they can learn from the great masterpieces in our historic collection. One way of doing that is to make the collection more accessible, by putting the chefsd’oeuvres on the Company website and by holding occasional tutored handling sessions, inviting students and apprentices to study our treasures at first hand. Both these things we have done.

Putting the decorative arts and the history of the Company more centre stage is also something at which we have made a start. We have set up a new annual event called the Goldsmiths’ Lecture and the first was to have been delivered by Dr David Starkey in May. Sadly this had to be postponed due to illness but will now take place next May. We have also set up the History Group. This will be a convivial club within the Company. It will meet several times a year for informal talks on the history of the Company and the City and will be an opportunity for members to get to know each other better. The first meeting will take place in September.

Most of the things that impinge on a Prime Warden’s diary are predictable. Chairing meetings, making speeches, binding apprentices and admitting freemen all go with the territory. Very few of these things are not a pleasure and even though they are not all easy, they are tasks you undertake gladly because they are such a privilege to do. But occasionally things happen that are more exceptional. One of those that fell to me was to chair the process leading to the appointment of our new Clerk. Like so many of the other things that occurred during my year, this was undoubtedly a privilege, but it was also a responsibility, as was helping to steer the transition from one Clerk to another.

Prime Wardens have very little power. I am always amused by the staff response when asked if I may I do this or that: “You’re the Prime Warden”, they say, “you can do whatever you like!” because you can almost hear the unspoken subtext: “provided you don’t want anything that you can’t have”. It is well to remind yourself that the Prime Warden is a constitutional monarch for a year (like the Queen, but with a very short reign and very small kingdom). Within such limitations, it is often more obvious when you get things wrong than when you get them right.

In learning to understand that role I have been enormously helped by my fellow Wardens and the previous Prime Wardens under whom I served as a Warden myself. But most of all I am deeply grateful to the staff, especially Clerks past and present, Dick Melly and Sir David Reddaway, and to Nick Harland, Deputy Clerk.

Ellen and I have had a wonderful year and we wish Michael and Annie Wainwright the same.

Image: Richard Lea-Hair

Back Year Looking at the

The Silversmith’s Art Exhibition

Silver was introduced to a wider audience when TheSilversmith’sArt: MadeinBritainToday opened at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh on 18 September 2015, with a private view held the evening before. The exhibition, which showcased over 150 pieces from the Goldsmiths’ Company’s 21st century Collection, ran until 4 January 2016 and attracted over 28,000 visitors.

New Designers 2015

“It’s a fantastic confirmation that I’m heading in the right direction” was Karen Westland’s comment when she won the Goldsmiths’ Company’s prize for silversmithing at New Designers with her Infinity oval bowl. Ieva Mikutaite took the jewellery prize for her Articulation bracelet, described by the judges as having “refined detail and complex articulation”. Both winners were from the Glasgow School of Art and were praised for their combination of traditional craftsmanship and new technology. They will each receive experience in a professional workshop, a bursary worth up to £500 and a student hallmarking package with the London Assay Office.

Trial of the Pyx

The opening proceedings of the Trial of the Pyx took place on 2 February under the watchful eye of the Queen’s Remembrancer, Senior Master Barbara Fontaine. The coin shown in the Prime Warden’s hands is a gold coin, weighing one kilo and worth £1,000, issued to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning monarch. Approximately 96,000 coins were analysed as part of the Trial. The verdict was announced on 29 April with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon George Osborne, in attendance.

Goldsmiths’ Fair 2015

The 33rd Goldsmiths’ Fair saw over 9,000 visitors come through its doors to visit the 168 designer makers exhibiting there over a vibrant two weeks. Julia Peyton-Jones, Director of the Serpentine Galleries, guestcurated a showcase of 23 personal highlights from the Fair, which were shown alongside the John Donald exhibition PreciousStatements.Best New Design Awards were won by Silvia Weidenbach (week one) and Rhona McCallum (week two).

Image: Richard Lea-Hair

Image: Julia Skupny

The Prime Warden, the Art Director & Curator and Bruce Minto, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, National Museums Scotland. Image: Neil Hanna

Image: Rory Lindsay

WorldSkills

The Skills Show took place in Birmingham in November 2015. Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices Alex Wood, Ben Kerridge and Abigail Buckingham scooped gold, silver and bronze medals in the Fine Jewellery Making category, and Alex will attend WorldSkills in Abu Dhabi in 2017 along with Chloe Lightfoot and Hugo Johnson.

Ben Pritchard, apprentice to Harvey Sillis, was placed 8th in the world and received a Medal of Excellence in the WorldSkills competition held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in August 2015.

New Apprentices

Nine apprentices were presented to the Wardens to be bound in 2015, six of whom had come through the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s preapprenticeship scheme. Gabriela Kucharska (pictured with her mother) was bound to Barry Moss of Cleave & Co to learn the trade of Fine Jewellery Designer, the first ever design apprentice to be bound.

Getting Started

Getting Started ran from 11–15 January 2016, providing support for 30 recent graduates in the process of setting up their own businesses. They learnt from organisations like the creative agency Superfantastic (pictured), who presented on ‘Delivering Brand You’, educating the graduates in how to brand and market themselves. Other speakers included Martyn Pugh and Ruth Faulkner from the magazine RetailJeweller.

Lord Mayor’s Show

The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office took part in the Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 14 November, the 800th anniversary of the event, and the wet weather did not dampen their enthusiasm. The team is shown before leaving the Hall to man the float, which represented the livery companies from the Ward of Cheap and was number six in the procession. It was themed along the idea of the marketplace and the role of livery companies in consumer protection. The new Lord Mayor, the Lord Mountevans of Chelsea, is a liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Assay Office Masterpiece

On 2 March, Assay Office apprentice Candice Devine received her freedom through service and was presented to the Wardens. Her masterpiece was a pack of silver playing cards engraved with Flower Fairy designs complete with box and plinth. “I couldn’t be any more proud of her” said Candice’s master Dave Merry. His pride was further justified when Candice won two bronze awards at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards in the Smallworkers and Model Makers Junior category and the 3D Design Smallworkers category. Fellow Assay Office staff member Julie Bull also won a bronze award in the (3D) Design Technological Innovation category for her wedding band.

Charlotte De Syllas: SculptedGemstones

The glories of lapidary work were revealed when a retrospective of Charlotte De Syllas’ work opened at the Hall on 26 April 2016, paying tribute to the 50 year career of this innovative artist jeweller. Entitled SculptedGemstones, the exhibition can be viewed from Monday to Friday, by appointment, until 15 July. It is then open to the public (without appointment) from 18 to 22 July.

Image: The Goldsmiths’ Company

Abigail Buckingham, Alex Wood and Ben Kerridge. Image: The Goldsmiths’ Centre

Image: Julia Skupny

Image: The Goldsmiths’ Centre

Dave Merry and Candice Devine. Image: Julia Skupny

Image: Julia Skupny

Rebecca

de Quin: Experiments in Metal

by Amanda Game

It would perhaps have been surprising if Rebecca de Quin had not become an artist or designer in some form. She grew up in a home alive with making, surrounded by drawings and maquettes by her sculptor father, Robert de Quin (1927–2002), an influential member of the Free Painters and Sculptors group; and embroidery and textiles by her mother, Diana de Quin, an expert needlewoman, seamstress and Beauty Editor for Woman’sWeekly. Rebecca remembers being taken

to art exhibitions from a young age and being taught to draw and sew by a succession of aunts and uncles. “I was always making something,” she remembers, “the house was full of craft materials and Dad had a fascinating studio room with an etching press and easels and lots of interesting tools for drawing and making”.

On leaving school, she was taken on as a technical drawing apprentice with a one-man graphic design agency, Formset, in a basement on Commercial Road, London. The work gave her valuable training in different drawing skills, something that has proved useful to her future design thinking. At the time, however, she felt a little out of place amidst a group of young, all male, printing apprentices who used to pass break times by taking potshots at the resident rats and mice with air rifles.

After leaving Formset, de Quin joined the Photography Department of Sotheby’s, first as a runner/tea girl, then as Dark Room Assistant. This was a hectic job that involved handling hundreds of beautiful and extraordinary objects –a great training for any young designer. A particular memory is the Mentmore Towers sale that Sotheby’s ran in 1977. Such was the excitement surrounding the sale that de Quin was detailed to put up slides of each lot on overhead projectors to reach the vast numbers of prospective bidders who couldn’t fit into the auction room. This immersion both in the world of objects and in different photographic processes has remained a lifelong interest, giving her, amongst other things, an understanding of the value of a good photograph in documenting objects.

De Quin might well have stayed working her way up the Sotheby’s hierarchy if love hadn’t intervened, prompting an unexpected move to Durban in South Africa. Ever resourceful, she got a job as a window dresser in a fashionable retail district, moving on to become a retail consultant for a big paper and stationery firm. The 1980s, however, saw her back in the UK and enrolled on a foundation course at Barnet College, a time she describes as “wonderful and exciting – finally being able to work more creatively. I felt I had come home”. She had originally applied to do a fashion degree at Central Saint Martins, but a tutor at interview presciently suggested a foundation course, sensing her interest in threedimensional form. She experimented with photography in a darkroom in her parents’ house in London, and as part of a college project began to photograph found objects, developing an eye for sculptural form.

The excitement she felt in this foundation year – experimenting in a hands-on way, across a range of materials – was given further impetus when she won a coveted place to study 3D Design at Middlesex University, where her tutors included Alistair McCallum, Richard Fox and sculptor Esmond Bingham. At Middlesex, she experimented with sculptural form in metals such as stainless steel and became immersed in the metal-colouring alchemy that had been catalysed in art schools following the publication in 1982 of the influential text on metal patination, TheColouring, BronzingandPatinationofMetals by Richard Hughes and Michael Rowe. She remembers fuming a bronze object in a dustbin of ammonia – one of the practical experiments that she still draws on in her current work.

At the time she did relatively little work directly in silver. One graduation piece, however, was an elegant, elliptical silver basket. This was created via a spark-erosion process, with the aid of the University engineering department, which allowed her to make accuratelyspaced parallel internal cuts in a single sheet, something not achievable by hand with a piercing saw. This work is an early example of de Quin’s interest in experimenting with and adapting different industrial processes to create original tableware designs in silver that are potentially suitable for batch production.

This interest was strengthened by participation in Professor David Watkins’ production project when de Quin moved on to do a two-year MA at the Royal College of Art in 1988. At the RCA she was able to develop further hands-on experience with silver, encouraged by resident silversmithing technician John Bartholomew. Helpful advice also came from a student in the year ahead, Simone ten Hompel, whose formidable technical and aesthetic experimentation with metals was already creating a stir in the department. Rebecca remembers Simone as a generous advisor and supporter in that period.

The decade 1990–2000 was an interesting time to be establishing an independent studio for silver and metalwork design in the UK. There was a growing number of exhibitions, galleries and special initiatives such as those sponsored by the Crafts Council (the LivingSilverproject, The ChemistrySetand SilverToday) and others such as the commissions by the Makower Trust that gave a platform for new kinds of work from emerging designers. European exhibitions such as TheSparklingPartyin Antwerp and commercial dealers such as Wilson and Gough in London and the Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh all began to buy and sell the work of new generations of metalwork designers, many emerging from the RCA, to eager customers. Rebecca’s original and confident designs were presented in all these contexts and she remembers the pleasure of showing pieces in a London showroom designed by the architect David Chipperfield.

Aided by a setting-up grant from the Crafts Council, de Quin established her first independent workspace in 1991/2 as part of Robert Glover’s silversmithing studio in Clerkenwell. Although independent designers were flourishing in this period, the mass trade was going through more difficult times, with many firms folding. This meant that Glover’s workshop was home to trade-originated master craftsmen of the calibre of chaser David Waller and silversmith Tom Rose. De Quin remembers with pleasure the support and encouragement she got from such masters. In time, Glover and his team moved on and de Quin was joined by Simone ten Hompel and Richard Vallis before they all moved to Branchworks Studios in North London, where ten Hompel still works. De Quin’s work at that time, such as ThreeBaskets and TwoPomanders, shows crisp lines with forms influenced by folding and scoring. De Quin was an early adopter of computer-centred technical drawing processes, something she worked on with Professor Watkins at the RCA: the complex patterns of piercing on the pomanders were enabled by her knowledge and imaginative use of these processes.

Rebecca de Quin with jug and beakers at Branchworks Studios, London, 1998. Image: David Cripps

BlackwellSeriestwo vases, 2008, sterling silver and copper. Image: Richard Valencia

StackingVessels 2015, sterling silver and gilding metal. Image: Nicola Tree

Meanwhile her teaching career was developing, in parallel with the studio work, with part-time posts at London Metropolitan, University of Derby and the Royal College of Art, where she is still a part-time tutor. From early 2000, a succession of important museum commissions came her way, partly aided by initiatives such as the Contemporary Art Society Special Collections scheme that enabled regional museums throughout the UK to develop their contemporary collecting programmes. The two jugs commissioned by Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery date from this period. In addition, two independent dealers, Sophia de Souza and Georgina Williams, established The Silver Gallery and started to show de Quin’s domestic hollowware at art and antique fairs, introducing the work to new audiences – one result being a private commission for a spectacular 84 piece silver flatware collection. The client was already very interested in mid-century Scandinavian design – owning works by Arne Jacobsen, for example – and saw an affinity there with de Quin’s elegant, functional designs.

At this time the Goldsmiths’ Company itself was showing an increasing interest in de Quin’s work, with Lord Cunliffe choosing her for his Prime Warden’s commission of a scored and folded dish, and the Curator, Rosemary Ransome Wallis, purchasing and then commissioning on behalf of the Company a succession of four works in both silver and silver with other metals. As Rebecca recalls, ‘I was particularly delighted that the Curator could see that my experiments with different metals worked well alongside my designs in silver: her support gave me confidence to develop these ideas further’.

By this stage married to the architect Mike Guy and with a young daughter, de Quin continued to retail established designs such as her dinner and cruet sets through companies like Asprey, but time for experiment became scarcer due to family commitments. She had acquired a studio in North East London from a printmaking collective, and the family then acquired the Victorian house alongside, which required restoration. A group of new pieces shown in SevenSmiths:newworkin metalandsilverin 2007 at Blackwell Arts and Crafts House in Cumbria was an exceptional example of her more experimental work in this period: pieces were shaped through trials with an industrial press forming tool.

De Quin was an early adopter of computercentred technical drawing processes

In 2011, the Goldsmiths’ Company hosted the MindfulofSilver exhibition, externally curated by Julie Chamberlain, in which de Quin was invited to participate. The timing was good as she began to emerge from family commitments, and she remembers the show’s focus on process being very exciting: drawings and models were exhibited alongside photographs and test pieces which gave greater emphasis to the creative process behind works. This approach was picked up and developed to great acclaim in the Company’s recent show at the National Museum of Scotland in 2015, TheSilversmiths’Art. By this stage, the regular support offered by new commissions and active retailers was less evident. This was a reflection in part of the downturn in trade in most markets following the economic crisis in 2008; and de Quin also feels ‘she had gone off the radar’ as fewer dealers were promoting her work,whether through galleries or fairs. This prompted her to apply for her first Goldsmiths’ Fair in 2013, something she repeated in 2014 and 2015. Each year became incrementally better for her – and her work began to reach new audiences again.

Recent works show her experimental approach remains alive and well. A series of silver beakers with different finishes – gold plated, polished and oxidized – are tactile and original, with striking surface patterns derived from her online drawing skills. She cites a growing interest in the ways in which architectural drawing can represent the qualities of threedimensional line in two dimensions. She has also recently become part of a newly-formed Research Group at the RCA with research leader Peter Oakley, Pete Musson and Will Smith, which will explore new approaches to industrial products in metal. And she continues, in her words, ‘to offer back what has been given to me’ through her materials-focused projects for students at the RCA.

Whilst sitting and talking in de Quin’s workshop, we are surrounded by drawings, metal samples, photographs, works in progress (we pause the conversation so she can take a beaker out of the pickle solution) and also the sound of others at work. She gives bench space in her well-equipped London studio to young graduates to help them start out.

De Quin is a quietly original force in modern silversmithing and metalwork whose own work has been exhibited, sold and appreciated across a range of art and design platforms. She exemplifies the range of skills and thinking – material, technical, visual – that are required to sustain an independent design practice. Her curiosity about the shape of things, nurtured as a child and developed through handling and working with objects in many contexts, has resulted in a body of sophisticated modern tableware enriched by direct experimental process. A lifelong immersion in making continues to inform her own designs as well as supporting her important work as both teacher and mentor to the next generation.

Spottiswoodecutlery, 2001, sterling silver. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Two water jugs, 2004, sterling silver with gilded interiors. Goldsmiths’ Company Collection. Image: Clarissa Bruce Centrepiece commissioned by Lord Cunliffe for the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection, 2002, sterling silver. Image: Clarissa

John Bridge, Georgian goldsmith and partner in the firm Rundell & Bridge, is now benignly observing proceedings from the wall of the Clerk’s office. The portrait of him by John Jackson became part of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s collection this year. It serves not just as a reminder of the role his vastly influential business played in the world of silver and jewellery two centuries ago, but also tells us something of the man.

From their premises in Ludgate Hill, Rundell & Bridge (which became Rundell, Bridge & Rundell after 1803 when Philip Rundell’s nephew joined the firm) provided plate and jewels to the rich and fashionable of Georgian society – not least George III and the Prince Regent, later George IV. The firm’s name is synonymous with lavish plate conceived by the most talented designers of the age.

John Bridge met Philip Rundell when they both worked for William Pickett; by coincidence, they had both been apprenticed at separate times to the same master, a jeweller in Bath. Their personalities were so different that they were nicknamed Oil and Vinegar, but this also meant they balanced each other. George Fox, who worked for them, remembered Rundell, or ‘Vinegar’, as ‘violent…very sly and cunning and suspicious’, whilst Bridge was ‘naturally of a timid, quiet disposition…he would bear any insult’. When Rundell managed to offend Queen Charlotte, it was Bridge who visited the Royal family, and before long he had charmed them – and their servants.

The painting was bought and entrusted to a restorer, who had the unenviable task of removing the overpainting using acetone and scalpels. When Philip Mould visited, he found the floor of the studio covered with blackened swabs. The restorer told him it was “one of the biggest restorations he’d done in years, and certainly the most dramatic”, but the gamble had paid off. “It was a kind of resurrection”, Philip told me. “There was some damage, but we were able to bring it back to life”.

As Mould researched the painting, and mulled over its sober depiction of a man with a church beyond, he began to question its composition. Whilst it was not unusual for a churchman to be depicted with a church, it certainly was for a man of business. This world-famous goldsmith does not hold a piece of silver in his hand, àlaPaul Revere; behind him there is no velvet drapery nor the glimpse of a great estate; only the church of Piddletrenthide, the tiny Dorset village where Bridge had been born. After much thought, Mould came to a conclusion about what the portrait was telling him.

“It shows his piety. It says: there is more to life than business. The emphasis on the church shows a profound aspect of his character with which we weren’t familiar.”

The artist, John Jackson RA (1778–1831), was an accomplished painter, a Yorkshireman who sharpened his skills by copying the Old Master paintings at Castle Howard.

Philip Mould describes his style in a complimentary but measured way: “he is a tentative (Sir Thomas) Lawrence, who makes up for some deficiencies in technique with the intimacy and trouble that he accords to his sitters”.

would bear any insult’

Bridge was ‘naturally of a timid, quiet disposition…he

Bridge, like Rundell, was utterly dedicated to the business. He would leave the shop every morning at 11 o’clock with a blue bag full of jewels and would walk through the West End with it, describing himself as ‘beating the bush…to drive the game to Ludgate Hill’. Sure enough, every afternoon customers flocked to the shop. This quiet man and his acidic business partner had become the foremost suppliers of plate and jewels to the Empire. As Fox described it, to own pieces purchased from Rundell & Bridge ‘was considered as proof of the good taste of the parties who possessed them’.

The portrait of Bridge, inscribed with a date of 1827, found its way to the Goldsmiths’ Company through a circuitous route. Having descended through Bridge’s family, it was sold at auction in September 2014, but its poor condition meant that the Company, and other interested clients, backed away from acquiring it.

Its parlous state was noted by art expert and dealer Philip Mould OBE when he saw it. Past owners had attempted to remedy its craquelure with the application of a bitumenbased paint. Although the face of John Bridge was relatively unharmed, 70–80% of the painting’s surface had been overpainted. The buying and restoration of it involved risk. But when Philip looked at the painting, he thought it a risk worth taking. “The face,” he told me, “gave me hope”.

It is tempting to speculate about how Jackson was introduced to Bridge. The painter’s first wife, Maria, was the daughter of a jeweller; and Thomas Bigge, Rundell’s nephew, was often visited at Ludgate Hill by ‘artists of first rate talent’.

But the circumstances of their meeting remain a mystery.

What is certain is that, in the last decade of his life, when he painted John Bridge, Jackson, a Methodist, was increasingly focused on his own religious faith. Perhaps the composition was influenced by both of them.

Further research by Philip Mould revealed that John Gawler Bridge, the nephew for whom the painting was inscribed, had been married at Piddletrenthide church exactly ten years before the date on the painting (14 March 1827), so it may have been a wedding anniversary present. This nephew worked in the family firm (George Fox noted, rather sourly, that he was not so great a courtier as his uncle), and he was no stranger to Goldsmiths’ Hall, serving as Prime Warden of the Company in 1839.

The original John Bridge remained a partner in his firm after Rundell’s death, but withdrew from active business in his mid-seventies. He died at Piddletrenthide, and was buried in the church in the picture, in 1834. The life of one of the greatest businessmen of the Georgian age had come full circle, and his portrait remains, reminding us that “there is more to life than business”.

Portrait

Goldsmith of a

by Sophia Tobin

Tectonics:

Jewellery &

Architecture deals with the space in which a body resides, whilst jewellery occupies/defines a space on that same body. However, just as a building houses us, jewellery can house memories, narratives and messages. These less obvious functions inform the practice of the jeweller just as an architect looks beyond spatial matters to consider the function of a building. Louis Osman, artist, architect, goldsmith and silversmith asserted that while function and technique could produce an adequate object, “a subtle blend of emotion, feeling, proportion, rhythm, colour, texture and surprise can raise the mundane to a work of art”. Louis Osman was commissioned to design the coronet for the Prince of Wales’ investiture, which was presented by the Goldsmiths’ Company to Queen Elizabeth II in 1969. His approach to the commission was to both embrace new technologies and push traditional craftsmanship in order to get the quality of construction required, themes which are consistent when architecture and jewellery intersect.

We are shaped by the places we inhabit; the influences of architecture in jewellery are evident throughout history. Architectural motifs are strongly evident in the jewellery of the Middle Ages and again during the Gothic revival of the Victorian era; they occur in the elaborate Renaissance pendants that bedazzle us with the complexity of their arrangements of gems, motifs and enamel work. The effects of the splendours of ‘The Grand Tour’ upon the collective imagination are evidenced in the choices of adornment at that time featuring miniature depictions of the ancient ruins of Greece and Rome whether in micro-mosaic plaques or gold filigree and granulation. Many of the Arts and Crafts jewellers were trained as architects, and Art Deco jewellery was heavily informed by the architectural revolution taking place at that time.

We are shaped by the places we inhabit; the influences of architecture in jewellery are evident throughout history

Architecture

by Melanie Eddy

Throughout history, architecture and jewellery have shared a common visual language. Both, in their own way, express the views of society, achievements in design, innovations in technology and the breadth of the wider creative community. Despite the difference in scale, both define the division of space with structures based on volume, function and proportion. The process of making jewellery shares similarities with the processes employed in architecture and most importantly there is the core link between these two ancient mediums – the body. Jewellery is often described alongside furniture, silverware, ceramics and clothing as ‘intimate architecture’.

Researching the practices of architects was an important part of the development of my own jewellery. I researched the work of the master masons of the medieval period through to the design of contemporary sacred spaces and museums and galleries; architecture to inspire; buildings to hold not just us but something other. This fascination with architectural spaces and processes has been a constant in my quest to create volumes for the body using a similar approach to that which architects use to create the spaces we inhabit. A piece created in collaboration with Turquoise Mountain for the exhibition GEM:ContemporaryJewelleryand GemstonesfromAfghanistanwas based on a traditional door latch in Afghanistan and developed from an exploration of the architectural trappings of enclosed spaces in both domestic and public spheres and the flow of movement between these spaces and exteriors. It echoed my experiences of the way in which buildings are designed and function in Afghanistan.

Striking examples of the aesthetic influence of architecture on jewellery can be seen in the Early Christian baptistery rings dating from around 500AD, the cloak clasps and girdle buckles of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the Jewish marriage rings of a similar period through into the 17th century. Today Sevan Biçakçi’s evocative work uses reverse intaglios to depict architectural wonders. These jewels replicate in miniature scenes of courtly life, celebrated buildings, cherished cityscapes or hallowed baptisteries, churches, synagogues and mosques. An excellent example is on display in the William & Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I was first mesmerised by this elaborate pair of silver-gilt cloak clasps at the V&A in the spring of 2008 whilst installing objects in the jewellery gallery ahead of its opening. To be honest, they held more fascination for me than the famous Beauharnais emeralds or Londonderry amethysts.

Vicki Ambery-Smith’s work carries on in a similar spirit to this early architectural jewellery. Cityscapes balance across your hand in rings that delight in both their complexity but also in the rigour of their form. Churches or cherished buildings are evoked in brooches that invite the viewer to peek at the interior worlds of these buildings. It is not surprising, if you are familiar with her work, to learn that she grew up in Oxford. When in Oxford one cannot help but be drawn to the city’s built heritage – it boasts notable examples of every English architectural style since the late Saxon period. Her frame of reference has broadened from the buildings of her childhood to the classical proportions of the architecture of Ancient Greece to the contemporary built environment of Europe and America. AmberySmith’s work recently returned to her childhood home in an exhibition at the Ashmolean entitled Architecture inMiniature where her works and those of ceramicist Hugh Colvin captured architectural delights both real and imagined.

Top left: Oxford ring by Vicki Ambery-Smith, 2013, silver with red and yellow gold details. A cluster of Oxford landmarks depicting the Radcliffe Camera, Sheldonian Theatre, Magdalen Tower and All Souls College.

Image: Picasa

Bottom left: Drawings of the Sheldonian Theatre by Vicki Ambery-Smith. Image: Picasa

Top right: Cloak clasp, 1400–1420, silver gilt. Image: Victoria and Albert Museum

How do we define ‘architectural’ in regards to jewellery? The term is applied to pieces that have some quality of or affinity with the buildings that surround us; but not all work deemed ‘architectural’ is as literal as the work of Ambery-Smith or those early architectural pieces. Sarah Herriot’s work, albeit more abstracted, evokes the structures of our built environment. The work of Jennifer Saker, Tom Rucker and Alexandra Tosto appear to pay homage to the skeletal structures of contemporary architectural forms and the glazed exteriors of buildings. We see a similar approach to construction and form in Rucker’s work as in Richard Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, that masterpiece of architectural structure created for the Montreal World Expo in 1967. The lattice goldwork of Alexandra Tosto’s Metamorphosis pendant recalls the glazed ceiling of Richard Rogers’ British Museum extension. An Alleweireldt’s work nods to the brutalist forms we recognise from those much maligned but now praised buildings of the late 20th century.

Architecture is more than a profession. It is a discipline. This discipline informs an architect’s approach – their way of seeing and doing. In order to comprehend the extent and fluidity of the ties between jewellery and architecture we need to understand the context. It is only since the middle of the 20th century that architects have been solely concerned with building. Prior to that as an architect you were probably also an artist, a designer and any number of possible permutations of artistic pursuits. In addition, many architects’ dreams are never realised – so little of what is designed is built that designing in other areas with a quicker return and satisfaction can be highly rewarding for the architect. It is no surprise then that there is a history of architects making jewellery. The list is too extensive to cover adequately here but includes noted architects William Burges and Augustus Pugin. In the 1980s Cleto Munari commissioned a dream team of 16 superstar architects to design jewellery for his company, including Ettore Sottsass, Piere Eisenmann and Arata Isozaki.

The Louisa Guinness Gallery works with architects, sculptors and painters to create jewellery that sits alongside collected works of art within the gallery. Jewels have been made in collaboration with Ross Lovegrove, Anish Kapoor and William Ehrlich to name but a few. The more mainstream collaboration of Frank Gehry with Tiffany & Co stands out but it is not a rare occurrence for an architect to collaborate with a jewellery house. During her remarkable career Zaha Hadid collaborated with at least four companies to realize jewellery collections – first Swarovski, then Swiss based Caspita, followed by Lebanese jewellery house Aziz & Walid Mouzannar and, only shortly before her untimely death earlier this year, Georg Jensen. One reviewer of Hadid’s last architectural project was convinced Hadid was a jeweller in a former life. Not surprising considering she often referred to the forms of her buildings much in the way you would describe a piece of jewellery; and indeed her award-winning designs have been likened to a ‘necklace’ more than once in the media. Her way of seeing was employed recently by the Goldsmiths’ Company when they invited her to curate a selection of 21 jewellery pieces for a showcase at the 2014 Goldsmiths’ Fair.

To a great extent the design process can be separated from the making in jewellery, as in architecture. Modern buildings are not built as such, they are assembled from parts; and this process of fabrication and the design aesthetic that it encourages have long been a part of jewellery’s own history. Increasingly, both fields share similar processes of fabrication: CAD, CAM, welding (laser or otherwise), milling and machining. It is no surprise then that, in addition to architects making jewellery, we have jewellers who have moved beyond the scale of the body to larger projects – to gates, to doors, to installation design. Wendy Ramshaw’s screens and gates, her work for the stained glass gallery at the V&A and her RoomofDreams exhibition are examples, as is Simon Fraser’s performance and installation art.

…in addition to architects making jewellery, we have jewellers who have moved beyond the scale of the body to larger projects

Let us not forget that architects are almost always involved in designing the spaces that house jewellery when not on the body – the shops and galleries where jewellery awaits its wearer, the spaces jewellery inhabits between the designer and/or maker and the wearer.

Eva Jiricná’s redevelopment of the V&A jewellery gallery saw her create 30% more space for showcasing the museum’s collection (only a portion of which is on permanent display).

Lighting and display solutions were devised to showcase the jewels to the optimum. Jiricná, being no newcomer to showcasing jewellery, having designed jewellery retail spaces before, took the challenges of the permanent display in her stride.

Articles, blogposts, and Pinterest boards dedicated to ‘Architectural Jewellery’ abound; and fine jewellery houses re-release older gem cuts based on roofing tiles (Bulgari) and diamond cuffs based on the graphic pattern of city grids and streetscapes (Chanel Fine Jewellery). One only has to scroll through an Instagram feed, flip through a magazine, or spend an afternoon in the V&A jewellery gallery to see how ubiquitous the connection is. I would highly recommend a trip to the V&A. Go again if you’ve been before and hunt out the medieval cloak clasps; the Renaissance pendants; the pieces by Giampaolo Babetto, Fritz Maierhofer and Charles Rickets; and the pillar rings of Wendy Ramshaw – for then you will truly understand that the history of jewellery and architecture is the history of mankind. Two ancient forms side by side – both tied to the body. It is no surprise that the connection between these forms is ever-present. It is through the body that we relate to the world, it is our medium through which to understand and be in the world; and since their inception both jewellery and architecture have been centred on us.

Top left: GEO.AEGANAring by Tom Rucker, 2014/2015, platinum, gold and natural vivid yellow diamonds.

Image: © 2015 Tom Rucker – www.tomrucker.co.uk

Bottom left: Montreal Biosphère. The geodesic dome was designed by Richard Buckminster Fuller for the 1967 International and Universal Exposition (Montreal World Expo).

Image: Idej Elix-CC BY-SA 3-0 unchanged

Bottom right: Metamorphosispendant by Alexandra Tosto, 2014, 18ct gold and black diamonds.

Image: Simon B. Armitt

This September it will be 350 years since the City of London was engulfed by the Great Fire. That year, the Goldsmiths’ Company had already spent over three centuries on Foster Lane, enduring the ebbs and flows of fortune in the City, but 1666 marked the culmination of a particularly turbulent time in its history. The turmoil of the Civil War, the Commonwealth and the Restoration of the monarchy were matters of recent memory; and in the summer of 1665 the plague had returned to London, scattering those wealthy enough to take refuge elsewhere, and striking down many others.

The ‘Great Plague’, which emerged in the simmering heat of the summer of 1665 has found its way into legend, but London had been visited by the plague many times over the centuries. In his research on 17th century goldsmiths, Dr David Mitchell also studied the plagues of 1603 and 1625, when each visitation killed approximately 20% of the population. He notes that these plagues had their effect on the Goldsmiths’ Company, halving the number of apprentice bindings in the years that they occurred, as concerned parents chose not to send their children into the pestilent City.

‘…a very good fire engine for the quenching of the fire shall be provided; it is to be bigger than the last…’

The plague of 1665 took a heavy toll on the population of London, with historians estimating the numbers of dead at between 68,000 and 100,000. Again, apprentice bindings halved, as did the amount of plate touched at the Assay Office in Goldsmiths’ Hall that year. Despite this, the plague is barely mentioned in the Goldsmiths’ Company Court Minute Books. When Symons, the engraver of the punches, died in August 1665, it was not noted whether he died of the plague, although there was some discussion as to how the punches were to be retrieved from his home. Their collection from his widow was noted several months later. Poignantly recorded beneath the entry of his death is the Lord Mayor’s precept that the Company make a contribution ‘towards the relief of the poor infested with the plague in this City.’

If the Company was no stranger to plague, it was also no stranger to fire, a constant hazard in the built-up streets of 17th century London and especially where assaying was concerned. Fire engines are mentioned in the Court Minutes throughout the 1640s and 1650s, such as in December 1654 when the Court of Assistants agreed ‘that a very good fire engine for the quenching of fire shall be provided; it is to be bigger than the last…’ There is no mention whether it was deployed after the Great Fire broke out on Sunday 2 September 1666. By Tuesday the fire had reached Cheapside and the surrounding streets; and on Wednesday Samuel Pepys noted in his diary ‘Lord! What sad sight it was by moone-light to see, the whole City almost on fire…’

It was a rather shaken Court which gathered on 15 September, at the ‘first meeting of the Wardens and Assistants since the late lamentable fire’. From the ashes, however, one victory emerged: the former Prime Warden, Sir Charles Doe, had loaded the records of the Company and contents of the Treasury onto a cart and taken it to Edmonton, to the house of a Mr Broadbank. Compensation was paid to the Deputy Assayer and the Beadle, who had hired the cart to evacuate their own possessions and were ‘deprived’ of it in order to save the Company’s treasures. Doe was thanked for his ‘careful and prudent act’, and four years later, his son would be given a tangible token of the Company’s debt to his late father: a silver tankard worth 20 marks, with the Company’s arms engraved upon it.

Much of the City of London was destroyed by the fire – such as the church of St John Zachary, where many Company members had worshipped, its footprint today forming the outline of the Company’s garden. But the walls of the second Hall, built by Nicholas Stone with the advice of Inigo Jones, remained standing. Remarkably, the Court meeting after the Fire instructed a committee to prepare and equip an area of the Hall for assaying, so hallmarking could continue even amidst the ruins of the City. Later a house would be taken on Grub Street for the Company’s meetings. But despite this apparent resilience, the damage to the Company was deep and long-lasting: over the following years the minutes trace the continually precarious condition of the building.

Finding the funds to repair the Hall was problematic, as the Company’s income was severely reduced by the reduction in the rents caused by the Fire’s destruction. Although the plate had been saved, much of it had to be sold in 1667, a careful note of the coats of arms and engravings on it being made so that it might be replaced in better times. Later, property would be sold and the vaults under the Hall leased out to enable further repairs, whilst members of the Company, particularly Sir Robert Vyner, also gave money for building work.

Fire would remain a concern for the Goldsmiths’ Company. In 1681 an Assay Office fire destroyed the records of makers’ marks which had been so carefully preserved by Doe. The 1682 plate, made to begin the recordkeeping process again, is now the focus of Dr David Mitchell’s research on the goldsmiths of that time, for which the Fire would have been a lifedefining memory. Looking back at the events of that distant year helps us to recognise the resolution it must have taken to endure such difficult times.

The Late, Lamentable

Plague, Fire & the Goldsmiths’ Company

by Sophia Tobin

In the autumn of 2013 Amanda Game proposed to the Goldsmiths’ Centre an ambitious exhibition which aimed to rediscover British jewellery design through the work of 40 artists from the past halfCurated jointly by Amanda and myself, each work represented our idea of a strong individual statement. The guiding principle, as stated by Amanda in the catalogue, was that ‘at the time of making the work showed itself as something which had not yet been imagined: it was in some sense new – materially, technically, aesthetically’. The process of making and staging the exhibition drew not only on the creativity of the artists, but on many different creative relationships: the interaction between the curators as well as with our hosts at the Goldsmiths’ Centre; the architects; the Crafts Council; and the collectors.

Sense Jewellery of A

by Dorothy Hogg

Amanda and I have worked together over many years and have often met to discuss developments in the field of jewellery. ASenseofJewellerywas in some way a culmination of these discussions. We were both interested in refocussing attention on the object at a time of considerable emphasis on less tangible aspects of creative practice, thus drawing attention to the vitality and innovation expressed by artist craftspeople working in individual workshops over a specific period of time. We were also keen to gather together a collection of studio jewellery which had not been shown together before.

We were both interested in refocussing attention on the object at a time of considerable emphasis on less tangible aspects of creative practice

Peter Taylor at the Goldsmiths’ Centre generously agreed to contribute to the organisation of the exhibition and to host it in the Centre’s Atrium Gallery. The choice of this space as opposed to the self-contained exhibition room adjacent proved valuable, despite the design challenges of installation: everyone who visited the Centre was able to view the show – some 20,000 people in its eight-week run. The three words the Goldsmiths’ Centre use to symbolise their vision are ‘Creativity, Craftsmanship and Community’ and we drew on these, encompassing them in the exhibition and in related talks and events.

My experience as Craft Resident at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2008 led us to the piece which would begin the exhibition. During my residence I was able to draw on the expert knowledge of curators Richard Edgcumbe and Clare Phillips and study objects at close hand, including the Sah Oved necklace made in 1950 entitled LifeBeganinWater. I recognised it as a significant piece and we were delighted when the V&A agreed to loan the necklace, which was displayed as the prologue for the exhibition. The imaginative approach to materials evident in Oved’s work encouraged us to seek out that approach in other works for the exhibition.

LifeBeganinWaternecklace by Sah Oved, c.1950, gold, silver, agates, jasper and aquamarines.

Image: Victoria and Albert Museum

AttheSnarebrooch by Ros Conway and Hugh O’Donnell, 1984, silver and enamel. Image: Private Collection

Amanda guided me through the process of finding funding, and her experience of intelligent curating and track record of successful exhibitions meant we were able to find support from many quarters. The Goldsmiths’ Company and the Centre both contributed direct funding; and administrative support and additional funds were secured from Arts Council England and a number of private philanthropists.

Studio jewellers would not be able to keep making works if it were not for the support of private buyers. Our intention was to highlight this by approaching private collectors for loans as well as asking jewellers and public collections to find appropriate pieces. We encountered great support from everyone we approached. One collector expressed her response to the exhibition: ‘As a lender…it was particularly gratifying to see that my own sense of what the important markers are [in the object] was echoed here’.

Setting up a jewellery exhibition involves more than a touch of smoke and mirrors as each piece has to be invisibly mounted and presented in a particular way

In the year prior to setting up the exhibition we gradually discussed different points of view and put together our selection, drawing on our respective skills: I am a maker and educator and Amanda is an experienced curator. After Amanda had secured the many permissions required from lenders, we met in my house in Edinburgh to plan the layout. I find I need physical objects to work out relationships and layout, so I drew each piece to scale and cut it out. With the dimensions of the cases represented by accurately-cut large pieces of paper on a wallpaper pasting table, we moved models around to work out how to arrange the individual cases.

Amanda secured sponsorship from the talented and generous team at Brocklehurst Architects to design the exhibition. Young architectural graduate Michael Zieja led by Director Matthew Maier took on the job of designing the space and presenting the display cases in a new way. By cladding them and the wall panels he transformed the space, holding the installation together in a cohesive and non-intrusive manner. One of the exhibiting jewellers highlighted the value of this: ‘the colours [and] graphics [were] all appropriate and it really showed just how jewellery could be displayed and very rarely is’.

Our monthly meetings with the Goldsmiths’ Centre team of Ruth Moir, Karine Lepeuple, Isabel Keim, Andrew Birks and Charlotte Dew were invaluable. They supported our concept and helped us with the practicalities of staging an externally curated exhibition in a relatively untested setting.

When Amanda and I realised what an amazing group of work was coming together through the generous loans, we decided that it was essential that a small catalogue be produced. This required another wave of fundraising and, with less than two months until the exhibition opened, we secured sufficient funds from the Binks Trust, the Inches Carr Trust and the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh. A few late nights and weekends ensued while Amanda amassed images from artists and prepared texts, and Nye Hughes at Dalyrymple in Edinburgh designed and produced the catalogue. It is important to have lasting evidence of exhibitions to contribute to the history of past artistic endeavours.

Setting up a jewellery exhibition involves more than a touch of smoke and mirrors as each piece has to be invisibly mounted and presented in a particular way. My many years of pinning and presenting Degree Shows at Edinburgh College of Art led me to develop various techniques, but nevertheless one has to make a conscious effort not to be overwhelmed by the responsibility of invisibly dangling and propping rare and valuable pieces in order to show their qualities. Amanda’s great calm and aplomb inspired confidence in us all, and the set-up went very smoothly.

Many exhibitors were born and educated in Britain, and others had come from overseas to contribute to its active jewellery culture. Gerda Flöckinger and Helga Zahn had an influence on the emerging jewellers of the 1960s; in conversation with Susan May I learned she was briefly taught by Helga Zahn and remembered a lovely picnic in Helga’s garden in Belsize Park. We were delighted to borrow a ring of Helga’s from a private collection; and Gerda’s wonderful 1963 necklace, owned by the Company, became a centrepiece for the show, featuring on both banner and invitation. Gerda also found Mark Hamilton’s striking 1970 image of this necklace in her own archive which we were able to reproduce for the exhibition.

We included examples of the innovative collaboration between jeweller Ros Conway and painter Hugh O’Donnell, whose pieces have the quality and immediacy of freehand painting unusual in the enamel process. I was particularly delighted to include Ros Conway’s work as I have always considered her talent to be under-exposed. One excellent outcome of the show is that the Goldsmiths’ Company Library now holds a newly digitised version of the film on enamelling by Jane Short and Ros Conway, originally made for video in the 1980s.

One particularly exciting installation brought together Andrew Lamb with digital expert Stef Lewandowski. They worked together to produce an interactive experience whereby the visitor could use their hands to zoom in and rotate one of Andrew’s amazing rings in extraordinary detail on screen.

Many narratives emerged from our research and I was very pleased to bring together a brooch by John Donald made in 1963 and one by Jo Hayes Ward made in 2011, both owned by the Company and both dealing with arrangements of cubes.

The former is of 18 carat gold and hand-engraved, and the latter of aluminum employing CAD: sharing an initial formal language, they provided an interesting dialogue. The British Library gave us access to their archive of Craft Lives where I was able to listen to John Donald and Gerda Flöckinger talking about their ideas and development and to select particularly interesting clips. Exhibition visitors could access them online via QR codes and other media embedded in the exhibition.

Our intention was to engage with a wide community, and the Centre gave us space to do just that by staging a special exhibition, HandsTogether.Running for the period of the London Design Festival, it engaged with current debates and the social context of jewellery. It comprised a presentation of three existing design projects led by jewellers demonstrating in different ways how material design skills can contribute to community benefit. (Assemble, winning the recent Turner Prize, is a related example.) Maria Hanson from Sheffield presented What’sinMyStuff, an active research programme which assesses the environmental impact of mobile phones (www.whatsinmystuff.org). Working with scientists, she showed a group of jewellery pieces drawing attention to scientific research. Elizabeth Turrell lent an evocative collection of historic and contemporary enamelled badges from TheBadgeProject that explored the different ways enamel badges have been used to commemorate social events. Shelanu,a collective of migrant and refugee women in Birmingham, worked with jewellers Rita Patel and Jessica Turrell to develop ranges of jewellery to give voice to their different experiences represented in the exhibition by their MigratingBirds collection. Finally, the Crafts Council enabled the production of ProcessonFilm:Jewellery,a new film programme devised from existing footage of makers talking about making in the setting of their workshops. It was screened continuously throughout the exhibition.

Further collaborations led to some exciting and occasionally unusual connections. I had particular fun organising and delivering a jewellery-making project with 60 nine-yearold children in Argyle Primary School near Kings Cross. Fortunately I had excellent help from Chris Oliver, Education Officer; Ruth Moir, Exhibition Manager; and Sam Salmons, who runs her own jewellery business in a workshop at the Centre. We enjoyed our immersion in the world of a primary school and have a great respect for the endurance of primary teachers. During my residency at the V&A I discovered how to devise projects for all ages where tools could be used safely, and I was delighted to see that experiencing how to make things in real metal is something people seem to appreciate in this screen-orientated era.

Amanda and I gave a series of talks at Goldsmiths’ Fair and the Centre, and Amanda also organised an evening talk by the architect Eva Jiricná, who designed the new jewellery gallery at the V&A. One of the most vibrant discussions around the exhibition took place on a study day organised with the Crafts Council, to coincide with their exhibition I AM HERE. The packed audience of around a hundred jewellers and curators listened to a diverse group of speakers. The sessions included a talk by Dutch jewellery historian and keynote speaker Marjan Unger, who discussed pieces in her collection and issues surrounding collecting and wearing; a group discussion on digital technologies chaired by Peter Taylor and involving Stef Lewandowski (whose interactive collaboration with Andrew Lamb was displayed in the exhibition), jeweller Silvia Weidenbach, and Lynne Murray, Director of the Digital Anthropology Lab at London College of Fashion. The discussion encompassed a range of issues from playful uses of digital technology to designing for production. Afternoon sessions included a talk by respected educator and maker Caroline Broadhead; Felix Flury, who showed images of jewellery exhibitions staged in Gallery SO; and a question and answer session with jewellery expert Beatriz Chadour.

ASenseofJewellerywould not have taken place without the generosity of many people and organisations – not least the Goldsmiths’ Centre; the makers; and the owners and public collections who lent their precious objects. I learned a great deal from working with Amanda, without whom ASenseof Jewellery and associated events would not have taken place.

Left: Brooch by Jo Hayes Ward, 2011, gold and aluminium. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Right: Brooch by John Donald, 1963, 18ct gold, platinum. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Visitors explore the exhibition. Image: Julia Skupny

Stones: Pavement

the Micro-Pavé Setting Technique

by Chris Oliver

For centuries, jewellery manufacture has evolved in response to technological developments and fashion trends. One such development occurred in the 1970s with the introduction of the micro-pavé setting technique.

Pavé setting, derived from the French word for pavement, is a technique that enables the designer to smother the surface of a jewel with a glittering carpet of stones. There are many examples of its use but perhaps one of the best-known is the iconic Cartier panther motif which was first used in 1914 and is still on sale today. Here pavé stones are used to highlight the form but also to introduce larger sapphires, mimicking the leopard’s spots. When first commissioned, these bracelets would have been set by hand using little more than a loupe, gravers and scorpers to cut the settings: an incredibly time-consuming process.

A micro-setter will use uniform stones to further reduce the appearance of any visible metal, which could detract from the beauty of the stones

Whilst many setters continue to carry out pavé in the traditional way, the introduction of specialist microscopes and compressed air-driven tools in the 1970s meant that the technique was opened up to a wider, and often more innovative, jewellery audience.

The new methods have meant that the time taken to create a piece has been dramatically reduced and quality has, in most cases, increased. This democratisation of the process has seen micro-pavé setting become a staple part of designers’ collections and as public awareness has increased so has demand from the consumer. Jewellers have continually pushed the boundaries of the technique, using it to set both diamonds and coloured stones in increasingly detailed and intricate designs.

One of the most appealing features of this type of setting is that, through carefully considered design, the majority of metal from the setting itself can be concealed. It can also produce fantastic reflections from a variety of angles. As the name suggests, the surface of a jewel can appear to be made of an almost unbroken ‘pavement’ of stones. The technique requires a very large volume of stones to be set directly into the metal rather than into pre-drilled holes, and so the layout of the stones is of fundamental importance. Requiring a minimum of two rows, stones are arranged in an off-set manner to each other, creating a honeycomb pattern. A micro-setter will use uniform stones to further reduce the appearance of any visible metal, which could detract from the beauty of the stones.

The cut of stone used will normally vary between both full cut and single cut: a full cut stone has 58 facets whereas a single cut stone will have 17–18 facets. For micro-setting the single cut – whilst a more expensive option – is preferable, as the larger facets will give a more distinct colour and reflection of light.

With craftsman working in fractions of millimetres, the need to work with high magnification is crucial. The term micro-pavé refers to the fact that this level of creativity and craftsmanship is only made possible with the use of microscopes and other specialist equipment.

One of the technique’s greatest practitioners is Alexander Sidorov of the Alexandre Diamond Optical Setting and Engraving School of Antwerp. In February 2016 he made his third trip to the Goldsmiths’ Centre to share his expertise with a sold-out audience in the latest in the Centre’s series of technical masterclasses. Developing skills in this way is central to the Centre’s role as a base for knowledge and new ideas, and it is unique in bringing a world-class master craftsman to lead group training sessions in micro-pavé setting in the UK.

With the provision of such specialist training, the Centre is equipping a new generation of jewellers to create the iconic jewels of the future.

Advanced Micro-Setting Short Course at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

Image: Julia Skupny DogRosering by Gurmit Kaur Campbell, 2015, 18ct rose gold, diamond, tourmaline, tsavorite.

Image: Gurmit Kaur Campbell

Conscience cufflinks by Jig Pattni, 2011, gold and black and white diamonds.

Image: Martner and Mowat

Exhibitions are part of the story of the development of modern silver. Most recently, TheSilversmiths’Art:Made inBritainToday,held at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh from 18 September 2015 to 4 January 2016, celebrated the exceptional artistry and technical skill that makes Britain a world leader in contemporary studio silver. The exhibition was seen by over 28,000 visitors. It introduced 21st century silver from the Company’s Collection to a new audience. Quotations from the visitor comments book showed its impact on museum visitors from all corners of the globe. A visitor from Canberra, Australia, wrote ‘a wonderful array of modern silver work’. Another visitor from Mexico wrote ‘beautiful, magic pieces of art’. And from Dunfermline, a Scottish visitor wrote ‘one of the most beautiful exhibitions I have ever seen’.

For me, the most important element of curating and directing an exhibition is to change perception by interpretation. TheSilversmiths’Artfocussed on the creative world of leading artist craftsmen silversmiths, where inanimate precious material is brought to life and becomes a work of art. For these people, there is no distinction between art and craft; the two elements are inextricably welded together. Thus, the value of the work by these artist craftsmen is not in the silver content, but in the individual artistic signature of each piece, just like a painting. These individual silversmiths do not repeat their work, as for them, each piece is a unique journey from concept to execution. As a result their individuality is easily recognisable.

The exhibition featured over 150 objects from the Company’s Collection by 66 silversmiths, made between 2000 and 2015. Significantly, 33 of the silversmiths were women, illustrating the important part women now play in contemporary British silversmithing; a development in this once male-dominated craft. Furthermore, 18 came from foreign backgrounds, bringing with them the influences of different cultures. All of these 66 silversmiths are part of the exceptional, diverse and creative movement that is modern silver today. This renaissance in silver design and craftsmanship reveals the role of the Company as a principal patron of the discipline; Britain is indeed at the epicentre of this beautiful, skilled art.

The starting point for artist silversmiths is observation, followed by the exploration of an idea. The pencil is a thinking tool; drawings provide the point of departure on the journey towards the making of the idea into a threedimensional object. The process of working in silver is the transformation.

A spiritual notion of the universe can often be found in the work of silversmiths from Far Eastern cultures. The Japanese silversmith Hiroshi Suzuki calls his hand-raised vase, made in 2003, AquaPoesyVII, meaning a poetry of water. The work belongs to a conceptual realm of appreciation. The swirling forms of a vase (2012) by Korean silversmith, William Lee, evoke a connection to the potential that is found in the forces of nature. Here he observes how liquid becomes a solid form, such as when water freezes and forms ice.

Made in Britain Today

View of the gallery, including the workbenches and inspiration wall. Image: Neil Hanna

Above: Drawings and image from the sketchbook of Angela Cork.

Right: Rosewater dish by Angela Cork, 2015, sterling silver. Image: Clarissa Bruce

In the West, a different approach is taken by artist silversmiths; one of a personal rather than universal expression. Responses to nature’s beauty; negative space; deconstructions of form; and the relationship of shapes to one another are individual to each artist craftsman. Again, inspiration comes from observation. The breaking of ocean waves is studied by Miriam Hanid in her Deluge dish (2009), where she uses the momentary pattern of the flowing waters as her starting point. Repoussé chased by hand, her centrepiece conjures up the powerful ebb and flow

structure that cuts through the rolling North Yorkshire hills, inspired Petya Kapralova’s ViaductCutlerySet(2013). The deep purple iron base of this piece mimics the viaduct arches, whilst the curves of the hand-forged silver knife, fork and spoon follow the landscape where the viaduct sits. The piece thus becomes not only functional but sculptural. A rocky Welsh quarry face was closely observed by Rauni Higson, particularly the irrepressible growth of spring in the Snowdonian landscape, where plants, striving against hard mountain elements, emerge from cracks and fissures with immense energy. This inspired Rauni’s design for her Persephone vase (2012). These are just a few illustrations of how artist craftsmen silversmiths today distill a concept

The layout of the exhibition in Edinburgh aimed to convey this process of artistic distillation from idea to finished piece. The end wall of the gallery where the exhibition took place, became an ever-changing sketchbook. Delicate drawings and watercolours of wild river plants transformed into Ros Conway’s design for her WaferBox (2008), and then metamorphosed into an image of the actual piece. Images of cabbage roses transformed to models and then became three silver CutEdgeVessels(2006) by Sidsel DorphJensen. These faded into exquisite drawings of leaves unfurling to be translated into the Spirituscentrepiece (2010) by Theresa Nguyen. The scene then changed dramatically into photographs of street drains in Glasgow, the inspiration for the Variation teapot (2008) by Linda Robertson. This visual information, with examples from over 20 silversmiths, continued on a loop, underlining the artistic process undertaken by these extraordinary artist silversmiths. Visitors were fascinated by it.

representing different techniques used in silversmithing: raising; construction; engraving; chasing; and enamelling.

A display of tools relevant to each skill, together with a threeminute film of a leading artist craftsman demonstrating their exceptional ability in a particular discipline added further interest. Having seen Rauni Higson, Angela Cork, Rod Kelly, Angus McFadyen and Jane Short on film, the public then had the pleasure of more fully understanding their work (and other work made using the same technique) in the exhibition. Furthermore, the individual commentaries by the silversmiths showed them to be driven artists with a deep love for the material of silver, adding a personal aspect to the demonstration of the skills.

The variety of surface treatments used on silver were shown at the entrance of the gallery in the title graphic. Here 18 close-up details illustrated the technical excellence of chasing, engraving, shaping, enamelling, patination and modelling as used by the 66 silversmiths in the exhibition. In addition, visitors were invited to watch a film about the Company and its patronage of contemporary silver. It began with a commentary by myself introducing the Company and its work, but concentrating on in-depth interviews with Michael Lloyd, Rod Kelly, Rauni Higson and Angela Cork, who explained the major role the Company has played in their exceptional careers.

The first showcases introduced the major ceremonial commissions undertaken for the Company for the Millennium and for the modern buffet plate. These then led the visitor to walk down the sides of the gallery, where the showcases were filled with the Company’s Collection from 2000–2015, displayed in acquisition order. Many of these items were commissioned, some deliberately pushing talented silversmiths out of their comfort zone to produce ground-breaking work. One such masterpiece is Sheila McDonald’s ShetlandBirdvase (2013). It is hand-raised, decorated with gold and silver foil and enamel, and etched and engraved. Sheila was inspired to make this vase by her drawings of the Shetland landscape, with its rugged sheer cliffs and wheeling, circling birds. Sheila’s first ever largescale commission, this vase personifies the main ingredient in TheSilversmith’sArt:a work of art brought about by the unique patronage of the Company.

…the individual commentaries by the silversmiths showed them to be driven artists with a deep love for the material of silver

The icons of the exhibition were the Tectonic beakers, the work of two leading artist craftsmen. Here, the technique of enamelling was developed by Malcolm Appleby when he invited Jane Short to freely interpret the steel and goldfired colours that he creates in his workshop when heating metal. A virtuoso performance of the use of enamel with gold leaf, Jane creates a vision of gold melting in fire, and in a wider context, a vision of volcanic activity and the tectonic plates shifting on our planet. These beautiful beakers are the result of a seamless collaboration of two artist craftsmen silversmiths, encapsulating the true essence of The Silversmith’sArt.

The legacy of this exhibition is a fully illustrated catalogue. It gives the history of the Company and tells the story of studio silver in the 21st century, its development and definition. There is a biography of each silversmith, followed by illustrations and descriptions of their work featured in the exhibition. At the back is a directory of the sponsor’s marks. It is already a reference guide to the extraordinary studio movement that has happened since 2000.

In conclusion it seems appropriate to quote the artist silversmith Michael Lloyd, who spoke eloquently about his work and highlighted what was at the heart of The Silversmith’sArtexhibition and what made it so memorable for all those who saw it:

“Behind the world of the artisan is that sustainable energy, the motivation. It has been there so long: that desire to take an inanimate material, and bring it to life in a form or image that will sing out; that desire to pay homage to my surroundings, to my creativity; that thanksgiving to that first bite into the apple of awareness… And what of the work? It is simply my response to cherished observations”.

Formoreinformation,pleasevisitwww.thesilversmithsart.co.uk whereyoucanalsopurchasetheexhibitioncatalogue.

Top: Design drawing for ViaductCutlerySetby Petya Kapralova.

Image: Petya Kapralova

Bottom: ViaductCutlerySetby Petya Kapralova, 2013, sterling silver on a pure iron stand with silver inlay.

Image: Clarissa Bruce

Background: Design drawing for ShetlandBird vase by Sheila McDonald

ShetlandBirdvase by Sheila McDonald, 2013, sterling silver decorated with gold and silver foil and enamel. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Set Stone: in

Statues in the Staircase Hall

by David Beasley & Sophia Tobin

The toast raised to Philip Hardwick at the opening of Goldsmiths’ Hall was Simonumentumrequiris circumspice– if you seek his monument, look around you. Echoing Wren’s memorial in St Paul’s, it paid tribute to his achievement as the architect of the building. But although Hardwick would still recognise his creation, it is not unchanging.

The statues on the main staircase provide one particular thread of the Hall’s narrative. Piecing together their story requires a variety of sources. The Goldsmiths’ Company received a number of bound volumes of drawings of the Hall from Philip Hardwick and these have remained the main source of information regarding the third Hall’s construction and its interiors. The volumes are arranged thematically and include highly detailed drawings of the many elements which comprise a building of the Hall’s size and complexity. But a large number are lacking in detail and it is not always clear which particular schemes were adopted, adapted or rejected entirely.

Goldsmiths’ Hall is a developing story rather than a fixed text, a place which is constantly evolving according to changes in function and taste

There are also four separate 19th century watercolour drawings of the main Staircase Hall. Two of these depict unicorns (the supporters on the Company’s coat of arms), on the plinths where the FourSeasonsby Samuel Nixon are now situated. Two unicorns, which appear to match those in the painting, survive in the Hall today, and are presently placed on the stairs leading to the basement. They are identical, with the right foreleg resting over a shield, and not a ‘pair’, as one might expect on either side of a coat of arms. They could have been part of two pairs, the other two (depicted in the watercolours) not having survived. Company legend has it that the surviving unicorns adorned the Company’s 1744 barge, but they have always been described as being of painted plaster rather than wood. Might they have been modelled for the Staircase Hall in 1835 before Samuel Nixon’s statues were thought of?

There is a precedent for this. Two plaster casts of the classical statues Apollo and of Dianathehuntress, copied by Sarti, were displayed on the north and south landings on the first floor, and a payment of £31 10s was made for them in Hardwick’s volume of accounts. The Clerk of Works’ detailed weekly worksheets for the building of the Hall also mention modelling in other areas of the Hall, such as the putti over the mirrors in the Livery Hall. However, when one of the unicorns was photographed for this article, it was revealed to be made of thickly-painted wood, the unicorn’s horn made of painted metal.

Although the unicorns still could have been made for the third Hall, the second seed of doubt comes from the original watercolours. It seems likely that they were impressions of what the staircase might look like, rather than being taken from life as a version of the Vulliamy clock is shown on the first landing of the stairs. Although Hardwick intended the clock for that niche, it was instead delivered to the upper landing where it remains today. At the Hall’s opening, the staircase niche was already occupied by Chantrey’s bust of William IV.

Another possibility is that the unicorns were inherited from the second Hall, as the 17th century minutes make mention of unicorn newel posts on its staircase. It would, therefore, have been natural for them to have been included in the prospective views of the Staircase Hall. But whether made for the third Hall, or inherited from the second, they were not fated to take their place on the grand staircase. Instead, Hardwick commissioned Samuel Nixon to create sculptural work.

Nixon’s origins and education are obscure, but he exhibited at the Royal Academy and is best known for his statue of William IV, created for King William Street in the City and later moved to Greenwich. At the opening of the Hall in 1835, TheTimes described the grand staircase as ‘one of the finest compositions of modern art’ and noted that Nixon’s statues were ‘four graceful and spirited figures of boys…at present those striking figures are only modelled in clay: it is to be hoped they will soon appear in marble’. In the event it would be nine more years before the FourSeasonswere completed and placed where they remain today. Their installation was important enough to be noted in TheTimes on 2 January 1844: ‘the staircase…to the rooms of the Goldsmiths’ Company, have lately been enriched by the addition of four statues in marble, emblematical of the seasons, by Mr S. Nixon. The last of these, that of Autumn, was raised upon its pedestal a few days since’. The resulting group was worth waiting for: considered to be of the ‘highest merit’ it was even mentioned in Nixon’s obituary in the Gentleman’s Magazine, a decade later.

Goldsmiths’ Hall is a developing story rather than a fixed text, a place which is constantly evolving according to changes in function and taste. Today, its listed status requires research into its story before any change is made. Such research ensures that there are fewer gaps in the narrative of its history, and uncovers the vision of Hardwick and others, to which Goldsmiths’ Hall remains a monument.

A model of a unicorn, unknown date, painted wood and metal. Image: Richard Valencia

“We make

Graff temptation here.”

by Joanna Hardy

Entering the world of Graff is a privilege. As I wound my way down the stairs beneath the pavements of Albemarle Street I was aware that I was about to be introduced to some of the UK’s most talented craftsmen, who are making history every day by creating incredible treasures that will grace the windows in one of Graff’s 50 stores around the world.

The extraordinary Graff legacy is down to one man: Mr Laurence Graff. It is very rare to meet a person who is not only born with an exceptional eye for detail, proportion and craftsmanship, but who also has an inbuilt capacity to understand how to transform a diamond crystal into a magnificent spectacle of perfection. To quote Suzy Menkes, “The greatest jewellers, it seems to me, are born, not trained,” and I could not agree more.

Laurence Graff was not born into the jewellery world. His humble beginnings in the unforgiving environment of the East End of London during the war years taught him how to be street-smart and savvy. It was a question of survival, and the young Graff had wonderful role models in both his grandparents and parents. His Orthodox Jewish paternal grandparents were from Russia and they ran a kosher butcher’s shop in Stepney; they gave his father a newsagent-cum-sweetshop to start him off in business. His grandmother, Katie Graff, was the business brains of the family and greatly influenced the young Laurence. His maternal grandparents were emigrants from Bucharest in Romania and his grandfather was a bootmaker who had a shoe shop in Brick Lane. The East End of London, tough as it was, gave Laurence the invaluable education of how to read people; winning was about trying to anticipate and be one step ahead of the others.

Graff was introduced to the world of jewellery at the age of 15 when he became an apprentice to a jeweller in Hatton Garden. His ambition was thwarted when, after only three months of scrubbing floors and fetching sandwiches, he was told “you’ll never make the grade”, and lost his job. His determination meant that he got a job with another jeweller while studying at the Sir John Cass College of Arts and later at the Central School (now Central Saint Martins).

But that job ended too and at the age of 17 he joined forces with another jeweller, repairing and making Victorianinspired jewellery, which was the fashion at the time because of the high luxury purchase tax imposed on all new jewellery. At the age of 22 Graff took over the running of the company, including an accrued debt of £3,000, and turned the business around.

In 1960 Graff Diamonds was established and his first shop in Hatton Garden opened two years later. At the age of 28 he won the prestigious Diamond International Award with a diamond and amethyst bracelet. Fuelled by this success he travelled extensively to Asia and the Middle East, always on the look-out for opportunities and aiming to be one step ahead of his contemporaries. All the time, his incredible affinity with diamonds was growing.

“I truly believe that working with diamonds is what I was born to do.”

One example of Graff being a crucial step ahead was in his use of coloured diamonds. Fifty years ago, to be of maximum value, a diamond had to be white: few people appreciated diamonds that were blue, pink or yellow.

“No one wanted them,” remembers Graff. One day in the early 1970s a diamond-cutter in New York showed him a 31ct yellow diamond he had polished as a radiant-cut. “It was a beautiful stone,” Graff recalls. He instantly saw the potential in these yellow diamonds; not only would he be able to improve the cutting to maximize the fire and life but there were more yellow crystals that came in larger sizes. Graff knew that these stones could make an impact and he began to seek them out. The turning point came in 1974 when he had the opportunity to buy an old, poorlypolished yellow stone from an aristocratic Indian family. Graff re-cut the stone: the 47.39ct StarofBombay was born and from then on yellow diamonds saw a dramatic surge in popularity.

Graff has always been fascinated by diamonds. “I truly believe that working with diamonds is what I was born to do,” he says, and this passion means he has handled more important diamonds than any other dealer of our time. I recently showed him the newly-printed timeline of all the important diamonds that he has handled which amounted to a total of 76 significant stones including TheIdols’sEye, TheWittlesbach-Graff,TheGraffPink as well as cutting some of the world’s largest rough, the 603ct Lesotho Promise,the 493ct LetsengLegacy and the 550ct Letseng Star.As Graff proudly looked along the line-up, pausing at a few of the images, you could sense he was remembering the stories attached to each stone. Then he quietly said he thought there were a few missing.

Laurence Graff has always relied on his wits and his sixth sense. I asked him when he developed his confidence and he looked at me with his steely eyes and quietly replied, “I was born confident”. Growing up surrounded by his family’s solid work ethic and values has undoubtedly helped mould him into the shrewd businessman that he is today. His zest for life is enviable, “Every day I wake up with anticipation and an excitement at what the day may bring, maybe I will get that phone call saying that a large piece of rough has been found and then there is the excitement of deciding what you’re going to get out of it.” Being a perfectionist, he only works with the best cutters in the business, and on special stones Graff will sit with the polishers discussing, assessing and analyzing what may be achievable from a piece of rough. Even though there are scanners and computerized machines to help, initially the rough is still assessed by the naked eye. It is not often that Graff is surprised at an outcome. Many of the diamonds sold by Graff have been cut by Safdico, one of the world’s leading diamond manufacturing and trading companies, part of the Graff group of businesses.

Graff is a truly British brand as every piece of jewellery that is made for the global business is manufactured in their workshops in Albemarle Street, London. Raymond Graff, Laurence’s brother, has been production manager for more than 50 years. He has the same insatiable Graff quest for only producing the finest jewellery that will showcase the Graff stones to maximum benefit. In his words, “We make temptation here and there is only one chance to make it special.”

The pristine workshop is the pride of Raymond Graff. It employs approximately 70 craftsmen, including the few lucky apprentices who sit next to their masters to learn the skills that will one day allow them to become masters of the industry. The days of watching over the shoulder of your master are long gone, for Graff’s ‘state of the art’ workshops have overhead plasma screens where the apprentice can watch his or her master in real time and see how a particular technique is applied. The company wants to make only the best, but its exacting standards cannot be achieved unless there is investment in the next generation of the UK’s craftsmen. Raymond Graff is always looking for aspiring young craftsmen to join his specialized team and at the time of writing three apprentices have come from The Goldsmiths’ Centre, two for diamond mounting and one for gemstone setting.

Some of the world’s most important stones will be set in Albemarle Street before they are presented to the world

Graff’s values are rooted in family traditions which are reflected in all aspects of his empire; in the workshop there are three generations of craftsmen from the same family and one craftsman has worked there for 39 years. The apprentices who begin training as diamond mounters must be committed to Graff for five years; diamond setters for four years; while polishing apprentices are indentured for three. More importantly they must have a real passion for their craft.

Some of the world’s most important stones will be set in Albemarle Street before they are presented to the world. Modern technology mingles with the traditional skills of the craftsmen. Such is the attention to detail, there is a team of seven diamond mounters who only make the Graff single stone engagement ring, with its unique angles on the shanks and the setting. Proportion is central to Graff’s enterprise. As Laurence Graff says, “If the angles are not right it immediately hurts my eyes and I don’t feel comfortable.” He will have no qualms about sending a piece back to be re-made or the diamond re-cut if it is not perfect. “I am always trying to teach people to look hard and understand what they are looking at. So many people don’t really look and listen.”

Graff is a hugely important export brand for the UK, and this was recognized when Laurence Graff was presented with a prestigious Queen’s Award for International Trade in 1973, 1977, 1994, 2006 and 2014. A pioneering collaboration between Graff and the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Assay Office has meant that from November last year a London hallmark, so important for this British brand, has been applied within the Graff workshop itself.

The assay office within the Albemarle Street workshop is the first hallmarking facility located within a retail jeweller and Raymond Graff very proudly showed me the sealed-off area which only a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office can enter. It is equipped with the latest X-ray and laser machines and can even be remotely accessed by the laboratory chemist within Goldsmiths’ Hall if required. About 30–40 pieces are hallmarked per day and each will receive the GD sponsor mark representing Graff Diamonds, along with the metal fineness mark, the Common Control mark and the town mark (the leopard’s head for London) all combining to form a convention mark. The UK convention mark is recognised by 19 European countries, which benefits Graff’s cross-border trade. Today with the help of modern technology it is no longer necessary to take physical samples of the metal to check the quality as XRF machines can assess the metal through X-rays and the hallmarks are lasered, as opposed to being struck, which means that all of Graff’s pieces can be tested and hallmarked in their finished state.

This exciting venture is an important landmark for the British jewellery industry: Graff, the world’s most prestigious retail jeweller, is sending a strong message that it is proud to be British. The fact that so much of Graff’s production is carried out in London is to be celebrated, but this is becoming a luxury, as most workshops can no longer compete with the Far East. It is therefore of paramount importance that British craftsmanship is supported through funding and apprenticeship schemes which the Goldsmiths’ Centre and Graff both support. Our workshops need to pass on the skills of the goldsmith to future generations so that the British jewellery industry can flourish. But this will not happen without educating the consumer about the importance of good craftsmanship. It is the responsibility of us all to make sure that these skills are appreciated and understood so they do not become a chapter in the history books, for we would all be the poorer for it.

The young Laurence Graff studies a jewel (1970s) Image: Graff

Setting a diamond within its mount. Image: Graff

Carissanecklace, Sapphires (68.79cts) and diamonds (49.96cts) set in platinum. Image: Graff

Spoon of the Maker Skills

by Eleni Bide

Silver spoons may not be the most dramatic examples of the silversmiths’ craft, but they have an importance which belies their small size. To be ‘born with a silver spoon’ in one’s mouth is still shorthand for privilege; and for centuries spoons were often the first item of silver purchased by those who had a little spare money and wanted to show their prosperity.

If silver spoons were the entry point to having plate on your sideboard, then spoon making was a significant branch of the industry. In the 18th and 19th centuries a number of specialist firms rose to prominence to supply a thriving market. Their success was not to last: changing tastes in the 20th century led to the demise of these large-scale businesses and the fragmentation of their highly skilled workforce and remarkable tools. Today there are only two UK silversmithing firms making hand-forged flatware in the traditional way: Wakely & Wheeler Ltd and Fletcher Robinson Ltd. They provide a link with the last generation of craftsmen who can offer us a glimpse of what life in the old workshops was like.

Alan Kelsey is perhaps the oldest living spoon maker to have been apprenticed at Goldsmiths’ Hall, and spoke to me about his many years of experience. He worked at C.J. Vander in Hatton Garden for nearly 50 years, using tools which the firm had acquired from other historic specialists such as Francis Higgins & Sons Ltd and Holland, Aldwinckle & Slater. Alan knew he wanted to make things from an early age. His father was a dock manager, but his uncles were engineers and pattern makers and as a child he played with their tools. When he was 13 his headmaster asked if any of the boys wanted to take a two-year pre-apprentice course at the Central School of Arts and Crafts. He went for an interview and was offered a place on the silversmithing course in 1946, where he was taught by Frank Beck, Leslie Durrant and Francis Adams. He remembers his fellow East End classmates having to ask what a serviette ring was when tasked with making one. In 1948 Henry Vander came to the Central School to recruit boys for spoon making and Alan was offered an apprenticeship.

In the difficult years immediately after the war the spoon making team at C.J. Vander was small. When Alan arrived, there were just two other people in the workshop. They were soon joined by Jenkin Thomas, from Francis Higgins, who oversaw most of Alan’s training.

It took Alan at least a year to learn how to forge a spoon properly, and the work was hard; more like blacksmithing than silversmithing. Alan notes that making a spoon might seem easy, but handforging (rather than simply soldering a bowl on to a handle) requires expertise. The process is important as a forged spoon has greater strength and durability. After forging, the spoon was placed in a press where the pattern was stamped on by a die, before being filed and finished. As the years passed his experience and expertise grew, and for the last 30 years of his career he was a foreman. He remembers making some exceptional services, including one for the government of Vietnam made up of 2,808 pieces of flatware. The team also occasionally produced gold flatware for firms like Bulgari.

Alan’s thorough Central School training meant that he could also make other types of silverware in his shed at home. This became useful when dropping demand in the 1980s made life particularly hard for the spoon makers, leading to a three-day week and a need to supplement his income. In 1997 C.J. Vander was sold to an American firm and the London spoon making department was wound up. Much of their amazing collection of tools, some of which may have come from firms established in the 18th century like Chawner & Co, was acquired by Wakely & Wheeler. Alan, who worked with Wakely & Wheeler until he was 75, remembers that although using historic tools sounds romantic, in practice they could be difficult to handle.

Today there are only two UK silversmithing firms making handforged flatware in the traditional way

The Goldsmiths’ Company Library is fortunate to have acquired some archival material relating to the golden age of the large flatware producers, including workshop photographs, a rule book for the Silver Spoon and Fork Makers’ Trade Society and a book of dies dating back to circa 1880 (a gift from Alan, who used it during his time at C.J. Vander). The most important legacy, however, is the continuing tradition of hand-forged flatware at places such as Wakely & Wheeler. Andrew Mason, the firm’s current specialist, was apprenticed to Jeff Francis, who in turn was trained by Alan. This chain of craftsmen stretches far back into the past. It can only be hoped that their skills do not vanish in the future.

Richard Valencia

dies,

Goldsmiths’ Company Library by Alan Kelsey.

Image: Richard Valencia

The rule book of the Silver Spoon and Fork Makers’ Trade Society. Image: Richard Valencia

Seeing Silverthrough

by Susan La Niece & Robert Organ

Uncovering the history of antique silver has always involved fascinating detective work. Traditionally, the investigative process relied solely on the judgement of connoisseurs, but today experts can call upon a range of scientific techniques to help them uncover the truth about objects. Two institutions which have developed particular expertise in this field are the British Museum and the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Assay Office. Robert Organ, Deputy Warden of the Assay Office and Susan La Niece, Scientist at the British Museum, each offer a glimpse behind the scenes to show how two of these new techniques work.

Discovering fakes at the Assay Office using radiographic testing

The detection of a fake antique silver plate article can draw upon a number of disciplines: scientific testing, comparison of hallmarks and connoisseurship. The Antique Plate Committee (APC), run by the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office, is regarded as the leading body that helps adjudicate on the authenticity of spurious antique plate. Founded in 1939, it has examined tens of thousands of articles, basing its outcomes on the application of the disciplines listed above. This case study relates to a goblet submitted to the APC which came from a collection in a notable public building.

The APC met to consider the object. There were concerns that the maker’s mark and the rest of the hallmark on the goblet did not appear consistent with the style of the object, and could have been transposed from another article. A more objective scientific method was required to confirm these suspicions. The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office suggested radiographic testing, a technique that it had recently developed for use on antique plate in conjunction with the Test House at the internationally renowned research institution, The Welding Institute (TWI), in Cambridge.

The principle of the technique is similar to the use of X-ray for determining fractured bones in humans: the article to be tested is placed between an X-ray source and a sheet of photographic film. The X-rays pass through the object but any imperfections are highlighted. In the case of antique plate, a very high power X-ray source is required because silver is much more dense than human flesh and bone. Indeed, for safety reasons the process is carried out in a lead-lined room at the Test House. The flaws picked up on the film are any welded regions in the area tested.

While to the naked eye there are no indications of any welds, the radiograph of the same area clearly shows that a patch had been welded into the surface. The hypothesis that the hallmark had been transposed was confirmed and the goblet was deemed to be a fake. Radiographic testing is one of a plethora of scientific methodologies currently available to the APC and developed by the Assay Office. It has the great benefit that it is totally non-destructive.

RO

Like the Assay Office, the British Museum has a number of scientists who examine and analyse objects made of precious metals; key areas of research into metals are alloy composition and manufacturing techniques. The range of scientific instruments housed in the Department of Scientific Research allows objects of all types and materials to be studied without them having to travel out of the building. The opening of the new Waddesdon Gallery of objects bequeathed to the Museum by Baron Ferdinand Rothschild provided an opportunity to examine a number of the many treasures on display. Amongst these is a mid-16th century silver bell attributed to the master goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer of Nuremberg. The bell (13.3 cm high) is cast, decorated with applied flowers, insects, snails and lizards in high relief, and topped by Caritas (Charity) nursing two infants.

The bell has no marks and it was analysed to better understand how it was made. As is the case with much of the collection, taking a sample from the bell for analysis was considered too damaging. Instead, the method of analysis chosen was X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), which collects element information by focussing a fine beam of X-rays at the surface of a material without the equipment touching it. XRF is fast, accurate and does no damage, although it is not sensitive enough to measure very low concentrations such as trace elements (i.e., those present at levels below about 0.1%). In addition, only a thin layer (less than 0.1 mm) is actually analysed, which could give misleading results on corroded or plated metals and on uneven surfaces.

Nevertheless, the XRF analyses of the silver alloy of the bell, combined with microscopic examination, produced interesting results. Alterations to the piece were detected – possibly the removal of a coat of arms at some point in the bell’s history. More importantly, the testing confirmed that the decoration was not added after casting. The manufacturing technique used is thought to originate from the 15th century Italian workshop tradition of moulding the casting cope around actual creatures and plants arranged on a wax shell. The wax and organic material were burnt out, leaving detailed and accurate impressions of the once living things on the interior of the mould, hence the term for this method – ‘life casting’.

Frozen in silver? Scientific examination of Renaissance treasures at the British Museum

Cast silver bell by Wenzel Jamnitzer, c.1550, silver.

Image: British Museum

Radiograph clearly shows a ‘let in’ patch (transposed mark)

Image: Goldsmiths’ Company

Area of the goblet around the hallmark shows no evidence of a transposed mark. Image: Goldsmiths’ Company

In the eight or so years since she launched her debut collection, Ornella Iannuzzi has evolved from a designer maker into an artist jeweller. The change is surely part of the spirit of metamorphosis that underpins her creative process and runs like a leitmotif through her work. The result of this transformation is her ring, TheUprising, a masterpiece of sculptural, narrative goldsmithing, that won two of last year’s prestigious Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards: the Goldsmiths’ Company Award and the Precious Jewellery in Gold Award. It was, explains Iannuzzi proudly, the first time a ring had won these coveted prizes. Centred on an Arabian baroque pearl, TheUprising swells

with rose gold waves, holding the pearl aloft, swirling around it in finely-modelled dynamic lines that rise and fall, tumbling into thick, bubbling gold foam that glints with diamonds and trails softly-coloured pearls along the sides of the ring. While the use of matt rose gold highlights the silky lustre of the pearl, it also shows Iannuzzi’s superb modelling to perfection, emphasising the ebb and flow of the Hokusai-like waves, the surging energy of both design and craftsmanship that come together seamlessly to create a true art-jewel.

Iannuzzi:

A Kind of Alchemy

by Vivienne Becker

This sense of surging organic energy is the signature of Ornella Iannuzzi’s jewels. Her metalwork, with its frothing masses of gold or silver granules, craggy crystalline structures, and gemstones seeming to grow out of the metal, conjures the dynamism of nature and the primal chaos of the planet. Iannuzzi believes passionately in the preciousness of nature. Most of all, she explains, she is entranced by the process of the crystallisation of minerals, deep in the earth, through aeons of time.

Half French, half Italian, the daughter of a watchmaker, Iannuzzi grew up in the French Alps near Grenoble, and spent time hiking in the mountains, where she came across rocks and minerals, particularly the iron pyrites that became the core of her first collection, Nature’sTreasures “I’ve collected minerals since I was a child and now I have a huge collection,” she explains. These days, she’s more likely to hunt for gemstones at mineral shows in Europe, including St Marieaux-Mines in France and Mineralientag in Munich, Germany.

Her young heart set on a career as a jeweller, Iannuzzi took a “very technical” jewellery-making course in France, followed by a stint as a designer at Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris. Here she learnt about superlative craftsmanship, technical perfection and refined details, achieved through spending hundreds of hours on a single creation. “My experience at Van Cleef & Arpels has had a major influence on me; I learnt to always look closely at details.” Yet she says the discipline of the maison’s style stimulated her own drive for creative freedom. At the suggestion of a colleague, Iannuzzi applied to the Royal College of Art, and graduated in 2007 with a Master’s degree.

She launched her first two collections at Goldsmiths’ Fair in 2008: Nature’sTreasures, mimicking the formation of pyrites collected from her native French Alps; and Abyss, more baroque in style, showcasing Iannuzzi’s fascination with the sea, coral reefs and the mysterious landscape of the ocean bed. Huge rings were carved from seashells, while freshwater, South Sea and Tahitian pearls embedded in metalwork seemed to sway amongst coral and seaweed. Here too Iannuzzi introduced her beloved opal, which, she explains, is connected to the sea through its watery composition, and its shifting light and colours, like sunlight on water. Both collections have evolved alongside new collections, one launched every year since. In the 2009 collection, Intothe Woods, Iannuzzi presented another facet to her style, more romantic in spirit, with a touch of art nouveau. She wrapped wood in silverwork replicating the growth patterns of roots and branches, highlighted with green topaz and tsavorites.

She is entranced by the process of the crystallisation of minerals, deep in the earth, through aeons of time

It was an intriguing Ethiopian opal discovered at a mineral show that gave birth to Ornella Iannuzzi’s next, and most theatrical collection. LucyinWonderland,launched in 2010, revolves around this particular opal and Iannuzzi’s journey to Ethiopia to find its source. She explains, “I was amazed at the diversity of base colour in the Ethiopian opal. But I was worried about ethical sourcing. I talked to the dealer who sold me the stone and he invited me to visit the mine, in the Wollo Valley.” There she was pleased to find the opals mined by local farmers, without child labour, under the control of the government, and the opals sold in the market in Addis Ababa. Iannuzzi, already passionate about the stone, fell in love with the country, its mix of cultures and rich heritage, the legends of Abyssinia, the Queen of Sheba, the Ark of the Covenant. For LucyinWonderland, she selected different specimens of opal, including the rare fire opal, set into drop earrings which she named Wouldyoulikeadrop ofTejMadame?, referring to the honey wine drunk in Ethiopia, the same colour as the honey-toned opals. The surmounts of the earrings, designed as diamond-scattered gold honeycombs, echo the natural shape of the opals, heralding a bold geometry that finds fullest expression in the powerful, architectural gold Axumring, set with a handcarved 7 carat opal, and inspired by the famous 1700 year old stelae in the ancient city of Axum.

Ornella

BlueNileFallsnecklace, 2011, Wollo opal, 18ct gold, diamonds and rough diamonds. Image: Simon Armitt

OntheRockring, 2008, pyrite mineral in its own matrix set in 22ct gold vermeil. Image: Simon Armitt

The showpiece of the collection, however, demonstrates the increasing sophistication of Iannuzzi’s signature style. The BlueNileFalls pendant was inspired by the dramatic Blue Nile Waterfalls downstream of Lake Tana. It centred on a 20 carat opal, hand-carved by Iannuzzi herself, framed in molten gold from which escapes a single diamond, set on the opal.

LucyinWonderland proved to be a turning point for Ornella Iannuzzi. “The collection almost sold out at Goldsmiths’ Fair and put me on the map for fine, precious jewellery.” Part two followed in 2011, and Iannuzzi became known as ‘the opal lady’. Part three is planned, she says, but will take time, as she makes each piece by hand, easily spending 200 hours on a jewel.

Gaining confidence and moving increasingly towards precious gems, in 2012 Iannuzzi launched LesExceptionelles,an ongoing, evolving series of one-of-a-kind fine art-jewels each conceived and crafted around exceptional gems in their natural forms, such as a gold cuff, embedded with emerald crystals, its edges as if eroded by time. “When I make a jewel, the design just happens,” Iannuzzi explains. “The gold is never there just to hold the gemstone, but to enhance it. The metalwork never takes over. There has to be a perfect balance between gem and metalwork.” The collection features a variety of gems: demantoid garnets from the Italian Alps, rough diamonds, aquamarines, deep lapis-blue blue azurites, all in crystallised form, telling of their origins in the earth’s core through millions or billions of years. It is a new jewel from this collection –a tanzanite crystal set in white gold with diamond accents – which won this year’s Brown & Newirth Gold Award at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ornella Iannuzzi regularly shows ready-to-wear collections of accessible, repeatable jewels at London Fashion Week, and as part of Rock Vault, the initiative started by designer jeweller Stephen Webster with the British Fashion Council. The first of these fashionfocussed collections, LesCorallines,replicates the forms and textures of coral, in silver, vermeil, and black rhodiumplated, set with freshwater and South Sea pearls. Bringing the two aspects of her work together, Iannuzzi followed this with LesPrecieusesCorallines,a series of everyday gold jewels, incorporating opals as well as pearls. For these collections, Iannuzzi makes the prototypes herself by hand, from which the pieces are then cast and hand-finished. Last year’s RockItcollection showed her following her geometric style, through the motif of the mystical dodecahedron. “The dodecahedron is a very powerful symbol in alchemy”, she muses. “It’s linked to the ether, to the essence of life”. In some designs, the dodecahedron is light and airy, forming an open cage, inside which rolls a gemstone; in others it is transformed into a solid gold crystalline motif, oozing from the pavé of a ring or dangling on long drop earrings.

Launched this year, Kristallik is based on the very specific crystallisation pattern of the beryl mineral, a concept that – excuse the pun – grew out of the design for the emerald ring in LesExceptionelles.Fusing gemstone and metalwork, in a near-alchemical process, this supremely sophisticated collection showcases the ‘soul’ of Iannuzzi’s artistry: her fascination with minerals, crystallisation and alchemy, and the preciousness of nature. She sums it up, “My idea is to extend the stone with and through metalwork, as if the stone is found like this in nature…alchemy after all is the science of perfecting nature. My aim is to continue the artwork started by nature.”

Company News

TheUprising ring, 2015, pearls, diamonds and 18ct rose gold.

Image: Richard Valencia

A detail from the Goldsmiths’ Company’s grant of arms, 1571. Image: Richard Valencia

The Clerk(s)

Whilst the past months have once again been both hectic and immensely satisfying, my decision to retire in January 2016 means that this particular report represents an opportunity to reflect upon my 10 years as the Clerk of this great Company. However, it is appropriate first to comment on matters pertaining to the Court. On 7 September 2015, David Peake (Prime Warden 2003– 2004) died peacefully at home after a battle with cancer. David was a highly respected and diligent member of the Court and, whilst he had stood down from active consideration of the Company’s affairs as recently as March 2015, his influence was considerable, and he will be much missed. More positively, elections over the summer led to four further individuals being invited to join the Court: Edward Harley, Thomas Fattorini, Richard Reid and Arthur Drysdale (the latter two delayed by a few months).

My decade ‘at the helm’ has been dominated by three main issues: the recession; the Goldsmiths’ Centre; and membership reform.

The recession bit in 2008 and had an immediate impact upon the Company. The number of articles presented for hallmarking across the UK collapsed from 35 million in 2005 to fewer than 10 million in 2008; this led to inevitable retrenchment across the industry including, very unfortunately, successive rounds of redundancies. It was also necessary to cut back on expenditure, leading to reductions in the level of charitable giving and, in due course, a need to curtail corporate expenditure with associated reorganisation of the Hall staff.

The project to establish the Goldsmiths’ Centre started in 2005 and culminated with the final contract payment made in October 2015. At a cost of £17.5 million, this represented the Company’s single largest investment in its trade in living memory. Whilst the Centre’s opening was delayed until April 2012, when Princess Alexandra cut the ribbon, it was delivered within budget and to a quality which has attracted much favourable comment – and a number of awards. The challenge now is to build on the initial success to develop further the educational and training offers.

The various membership reform initiatives are potentially far-reaching:

• The Court. A corporate trustee was introduced in 2010 for the Company’s four charities; this limited personal liability and also introduced a requirement for each Assistant to stand down as a Director of the corporate trustee on attaining the age of 80. Shortly afterwards, the Court took the significant decision that Assistants would stand down from attendance at Court meetings in the March following their 80th birthday.

• The Livery. In 2012, freemen were for the first time asked to apply to join the Livery rather than simply to be invited. The intention was to ensure that future liverymen were both motivated and also engaged in the Company’s affairs. Two rounds of elections have now been held under the new arrangements, with most satisfying results.

• The Freedom. An early change was to amend the patrimony regulations; entry was no longer to be a right, and the earliest age at which an application might be considered was increased to 25. This has resulted in a marked reduction in the number of applications for the Freedom. More recently, and with a number of constraints, it has been possible for non-trade individuals to apply to join the Company, although this is unlikely ever to be more than by exception.

• Members’ Charitable Fund. The Company’s charitable and corporate wealth is built on the altruism of earlier generations of goldsmiths. The decision to introduce a Members’ Charitable Fund was not without controversy, but I am confident that over the years it will build into a useful adjunct to the Company’s support for its trade. A gift-aided sum of £200 is recommended for those on the Livery and on the Court, but many freemen have also contributed to this worthy cause.

The Goldsmiths’ Company rightly has a reputation for understated style, strength of purpose and magnanimous support for its trade; indeed, I often describe the Company to various audiences as being “The Three Bees: the Biggest, the Busiest – and the Best”. It has been a great privilege to be the Clerk over a period of considerable change – and it has been immense fun! I am always conscious of the time and effort that the Assistants and so many members of the Livery and the Freedom freely give to assist with managing the Company’s wide-ranging affairs. Their contributions have been selfless, considerable and, in addition to maintaining and developing the various outputs, have undoubtedly changed lives for the better.

It is also the case that the Company and its charities would not function without the input of the dedicated, resourceful and hard-working staff. I have worked closely with some remarkable individuals – and I have been enriched by the experience.

DickMelly (Clerk2005–2016)

It is right that my first (shared) report in the Review should start with a tribute to Dick Melly’s impressive contribution to the Goldsmiths’ Company. And with personal thanks, too, for all his help and guidance both during our short handover period and since I took over from him in mid-January – including interruption of his Antiguan beach holiday (an unlikely project bearing the ‘Mrs Melly’ hallmark) to get advice on unravelling a series of minor Goldsmiths’ mysteries.

In addition, I am enormously grateful to the Prime Warden, and everyone else at Goldsmiths’ Hall, for their kindness and patience when I arrived moving slowly on crutches after a knee replacement, and moving slowly more generally in a world that was new to me – even if the Hall recalled splendid buildings from the world of diplomacy, and the Goldsmiths’ process for electing a Prime Warden and Wardens evoked memories of byzantine elections witnessed in various overseas postings.

When the Company offered me the job of Clerk I jumped at it because I was fascinated by the Goldsmiths’ history and traditions; could see the value, reach and relevance of the Company’s current activities; admired its commitment to integrity, excellence and making a difference; welcomed the challenges; and liked the look of the people involved. And, fundamentally important, the interviewing panel made it clear that this was a great institution determined not just to make a significant contribution during the stewardship of the present generation, but also to implement evolutionary (as distinct from revolutionary!) change so that future generations would also have their chance to contribute to our national life. They evidently subscribed to the maxim commonly but inaccurately attributed to Charles Darwin that, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent…. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change...”. It was an irresistible prospect.

The first challenge was to get to know the Company’s people, structures and networks, looking with a newcomer’s eyes at our activities and how we went about our business, and listening and learning. It was an impressive panorama.

No wonder the Goldsmiths’ Company stands tall (with becoming modesty, for sure) among the Livery Companies.

The Goldsmiths’ world is sufficiently complex and dynamic to mean that listening and learning will always be required. But I have also started working with the Court and others on a blueprint setting out the ambition and priorities of the Company over the long and short term. The long term comes first because Yogi Berra was right to say (as he really did) that, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” So we have started to pull together ideas on what the Company should aspire to look like and be doing in 2027, when we celebrate the 700th anniversary of our first Royal Charter; on how to commemorate that landmark; and on what we should be doing in the years running up to 2027. The aim is to use this broad framework (which, almost inevitably, will itself evolve) to ensure that our more immediate work is pointing in the right direction; focussed on clear objectives; rigorously prioritised; and draws together the various streams of our activity to best effect. We also need to recruit the right mix of people, and make the best use of talent, as we move towards and beyond 2027.

For at least the next few years, we will be operating in a challenging external environment. We will have to be prudent with our finances. But we can be prudently ambitious. We will continue to give significant support to the trade and craft, most notably through the Goldsmiths’ Centre and the Goldsmiths’ Fair. We are also increasing and refining our wider spending on education and charitable giving. We have invested in transforming the website and are looking at our overall online presence. We are planning some great exhibitions. And we will start refurbishing the Livery Hall. It is an exciting prospect. It is great to be part of it, and I hope that you as a Review reader will contribute your ideas on shaping our future. They will be very welcome.

DavidReddaway

The retired Clerk and Mrs Melly. Image: Julia Skupny

The Clerk, Sir David Reddaway. Image: Julia Skupny

New Assistants

Arthur Drysdale

Having served as a Partner of Cazenove and a Managing Director within its Corporate Finance Department, Arthur Drysdale was for 10 years a Partner at the capital markets advisory firm Makinson Cowell. He graduated from St Andrews University with an MA in History in 1982 and is member of its Campaign Board. His enthusiasm for silver developed in his teens, when he visited Leslie Durbin’s workshop. His charitable interests include Lambeth Palace Library, the Art Fund and SAVE Britain’s Heritage.

Thomas Fattorini

Thomas Fattorini has been Director of the historic manufacturing firm of the same name since 1991. He is the holder of a Royal Warrant granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 as manufacturer of Insignia, Honours and Awards. Aside from his interest in medals, national honours and awards, he also has interest in Islamic art, culture and Middle Eastern politics, having graduated from Exeter University in 1982 with a BA Hons degree in Arabic and Islamic studies.

Edward Harley

Edward Harley is Director (Charities) at Cazenove Capital Management (prior to that he was a Partner). In addition to his work in finance, he has served on boards of numerous charities, including the Tate Gallery, the Samuel Courtauld Trust, Save the Children, the Heritage Conservation Trust and the Royal Foundation. He has a longstanding interest in heritage and historic buildings, and has served as President of the Historic Houses Association. He is Chairman of the Acceptance in Lieu Panel.

Richard Reid

Richard Reid was the Chairman of KPMG London. He joined the firm in 1980, becoming a partner in 1991, and was responsible for KPMG’s relationships with many large international groups such as Rolls Royce. He was also instrumental in assisting Chinese businesses setting up in London. He is Chairman of the National Heart and Lung Institute Foundation and is a Trustee of the Eden Project. He was Chairman of the Safer London Foundation and the East London Business Alliance and sat on the boards of the International Advisory Board of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, British American Business and the British Lung Foundation.

Library

The Library has undergone a number of important changes in the past year. For Company members and researchers alike the most significant is the retirement of David Beasley in January, after over 40 years with the Goldsmiths’ Company. A source of encouragement as well as information for generations of Library visitors, David’s support for a wide variety of research projects into the Company’s own records and on silversmithing and jewellery more generally has added significantly to the understanding of the subject. His work to develop the Library’s collections and foster links with individuals and organisations has been a major factor in making the Library into the ‘information hub’ that it is today.

During his final year David oversaw another important transition – the reallocation of the Library office and the reordering of its mezzanine to create new amenities for the Assistants. This project necessitated closure to the public for several months over the summer, as material was removed and sorted. Through careful reorganisation of the new space only minor disposals were necessary, and the work led to several exciting ‘discoveries’ – not least a collection of drawings by the renowned jewellery designer Suzanne Belperron.

On completion of the building work we were able to reengage with our programme of research and outreach with renewed vigour. In addition to the Library’s specially tailored research sessions for the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Pre-Apprentices, a new run of courses for apprentices has been developed with the Centre’s tutors. We have also seen an increase in group visits from students at other institutions in 2016. Bespoke events have been organised for special interest groups, such as a handling session in partnership with London Craft Week in May. For the general public, Library staff provide the bulk of guided tours on the Hall’s open days. In the coming year we will be working to improve the accessibility of our resources online, taking advantage of the updated Company website.

Research funded by the Company into its own records has uncovered treasures. Dr Lisa Jefferson’s translation of the Register of Deeds has led to the discovery of many fascinating details from the Company’s medieval past, from wagers to determine whether London goldsmiths were more skilled than ‘aliens’, to links with Ireland. Her work on these under-researched documents continues. Meanwhile Dr David Mitchell’s long-term project looking at 17th century goldsmiths is advancing towards the publication stage. The Library has also been involved in efforts to unravel the history of the decoration of the Livery Hall, working with the Company’s surveyor, Nick Cox, and the conservators Hare & Humphries.

Because of the wealth of 20th century archival material uncovered during the summer works, the Company’s paper conservator Liane Owen has had to deal with more recent works alongside documents dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These items, such as a 1962 working plan for planting the Goldsmiths’ Garden repaired with pressure sensitive (‘sticky’) tape, can often be more fragile than older documents made out of more robust material. Even more delicate are the Library’s collection of VHS cassettes. A project to assess and digitise these films has been initiated by Sophia Tobin, with those of the highest priority being recorded as preservation standard Apple ProRes files. This process has already allowed some films to be made more widely available.

The Library has acquired several new groups of interesting archival material over the past year. These include a small selection of letters and cuttings relating to Moshe Oved, jewellery dealer and proprietor of the renowned Cameo Corner; and a group of photographs of silver plate compiled by the late Gerald Taylor, liveryman and Senior Assistant Keeper of the Ashmolean. New books on the Library’s shelves continue to be as varied as ever. Gifts from authors included Stephen Webster’s autobiography Goldstruck and three volumes of Professor Anne Lancashire and David Parkinson’s RecordsofEarlyEnglishDrama:CivicLondon to1558, showing the breadth of subject matter.

During this busy period the Library has gained some new members of staff, and welcomed back some old ones. Eleni Bide returned from maternity leave in June 2015, and succeeded David as Librarian on his retirement. Sophia Tobin is now Assistant Librarian and Amy Bulger has become a permanent appointment as Library Administrator. The team have been ably assisted on a part-time basis by two jewellers: Chloé Herrero and latterly Emily Kidson.

Eleni Bide

Design drawing by Suzanne Belperron. Image: Richard Valencia

Image: Julia Skupny

Image: Julia Skupny

Assay Office

Activity

The number of articles sent for hallmarking to all UK Assay Offices in 2015 increased by 5.8% on the previous year, to a total of 10,495,354. Gold, platinum and palladium increased by 14.5%, 40.2% and 25.8% respectively but silver fell by 3.5%. Despite the welcome growth in hallmarking numbers over the year as a whole, submission of items remained patchy with large fluctuations on a month by month basis. There remains little optimism about a sustained period of growth, especially with worldwide economic uncertainties.

The rate of growth in the number of articles marked by London was ahead of the UK as a whole with the number of articles hallmarked rising by 12.3% to 3,135,312 in 2015. The growth was attributable to an increase in gold and platinum articles because less silver and palladium were marked. London market share continued to grow and was an encouraging 30% for the year.

The sub-offices at Heathrow and Greville Street continued their success during 2015. The Heathrow sub-office hallmarked 1.82 million articles and Greville Street 198,566 articles. Heathrow remained the largest of the Assay Office’s manufacturing sites in terms of articles hallmarked. The sub-office at Allied Gold continued to function well and an agreement to continue the operation for a further period of time was signed. A sub-office with state-of-the-art equipment was opened during the year in the manufacturing premises of the luxury retail jeweller Graff Diamonds. The Assay Office can proudly boast an unrivalled service for all sectors of the market – large multinational companies sending in bulk quantities for hallmarking; smaller businesses; students; hobbyists; importers; exporters; and luxury, high-end manufacturers/retailers.

A strategic review of the Assay Office took place during 2015, the principal conclusion of which was that the main part of the Assay Office should remain at Goldsmiths’ Hall and that it should be run along the lines of a more conventional, commercial business. The Assay Office Management Committee was replaced by a new Assay Office Management Board to reflect this change. One of the first acts was to introduce the simplest pricing structure for hallmarking available today. This demystified hallmarking pricing for the customer and facilitated substantial operational efficiency improvements. More improvements are planned over 2016 with an emphasis on customer service and quality. The Assay Office retained its accreditation to international standards ISO 17025:2005 and its certification to ISO 9001:2008.

A full marketing and events programme was organised including ‘Fakes and Forgeries’ seminars, Valuation Days, Hallmarking Information Days, Buying Precious Metal and other specialist training courses. The Assay Office had stands at New Designers and Goldsmiths’ Fair. The highlight of the events calendar was again Make Your Mark held at Goldsmiths’ Hall. This is fast becoming the premier event for provision of information for prospective students and current students looking to build their career. This year it was held over two days and over 700 students attended. During the past year training was also provided for the Pakistan and Sri Lanka Assay Offices.

The Assay Office was instrumental in setting up the International Hallmarking Convention and the International Association of Assay Offices. It was thus appropriate that the meeting and celebrations associated with the 40th anniversary of the Convention were held at Goldsmiths’ Hall. The gala dinner included a guard of honour provided by the Pikemen and Musketeers and a concert by the Ogmore Vale Welsh Male Voice Choir. A visit to the Goldsmiths’ Centre was included in the celebrations. The Deputy Warden (who is Welsh himself) was caught singing the anthems with the choir. While he was completely tuneless, there was no shortage of effort. He is being encouraged to audition for the XFactor next year.

Antique Plate Committee

A total of 93 pieces were examined, of which 39 conformed to the Hallmarking Act. The remainder comprised 34 with alterations and additions, three with transposed marks, 15 with counterfeit marks and two were outside the Committee’s jurisdiction.

Suspected Offences

A total of nine suspected offences against the Hallmarking Act were reported to the Office by Local Authority Trading Standards Officers, which resulted in one prosecution.

Standards Committees

Chris Walne, the new Laboratory Manager, sat on the committee which looks at the modification and introduction of ISO standards relating to the testing of precious metal jewellery. New standards are being developed for 999.9 purity precious metals. Modifications regarding the interpretation of results for ISO Standard EN1811:2001 –Nickel Release were published.

International Hallmarking Convention and International Association of Assay Offices

The 2015 meeting of these organisations was probably the largest gathering of Assay Offices in history. The Convention elected a new Chairman, Dahlia Yarom from Israel. No new members signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the IAAO.

Staff

Ian Raymond (Deputy Superintendent), Brent Jones (Laboratory Manager), and Lyn Mills (Deputy Warden’s Secretary), retired during the year.

Julie Ann Bull, the Assay Office Laser Consultant, won a bronze in the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards. Candice Devine also won two bronzes in the same competition for her masterpiece. This was created as part of her apprenticeship which she duly completed, receiving her Freedom in March. This was a very proud moment for her Master, Dave Merry, who himself was given the rarely awarded status of Honorary Member of the Chartered Trading Standing Institute for his huge contribution to hallmarking enforcement. Dave’s head has grown three inches in a year, the same as Will Evans’ beard.

RobertOrgan

Flowerfairyplaying cards and box, masterpiece by Candice Devine, 2016, silver with slate plinth. Image: Julia Skupny

The Ogmore Vale Welsh Male Voice Choir sing at the International Hallmarking Convention anniversary meeting. Image: Julia Skupny

Education

2015 has been a year of transition as the strategic review of our education priorities has concluded with many significant changes being made as a result.

After 12 years, we are winding up our literacy and numeracy support for London primary schools. Over this time the standards in London and other urban schools have improved dramatically. Meanwhile, the performance of rural and coastal schools has slipped a long way behind, and we are now looking for ways to remedy this. Likewise, we concluded that our very successful and popular Science for Society courses had reached the end of their natural life. They were becoming too time-consuming and costly to administer, and we were finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new teachers, so we have stopped offering them. We have, however, embarked on two new initiatives. The first is a marriage of the National Theatre’s Live Theatre experience with their Primary Classics programme. The latter, which we supported for years, only benefitted 42 London primaries. But through technological innovation these plays and the associated learning resources to support the curriculum will now be available to all the 16,700 primary schools in England (and more in the rest of the UK) and 4.5 million pupils. The Goldsmiths’ Company will be paying for all the data streaming, at a cost of £31,000 p.a. for three years. While data streaming may sound a little boring, it is exciting to think that we will be providing the means for the programme to reach across the whole country to improve literacy standards.

The second project is somewhat similar in that we are collaborating with Imperial College and a commercial provider to initiate a completely new programme to energise and inform primary science teachers (most of whom have no formal science education above GCSE), students, and their parents through the medium of a new Science News Service. Again, this is a nationwide initiative bringing

breaking science stories to a huge audience along with the explanation of the science behind them. We will be providing £100,000 p.a. for three years, roughly what we were spending on our Science for Society Courses.

Other new ideas include: an access programme run by Pembroke College, Oxford to introduce students from disadvantaged backgrounds to the opportunities of, and to prepare them for, an Oxbridge education (£10,000); support for the Museum of London to run experiential classes for children with severe special educational needs (£10,000); an initiative to run a course in further maths for teachers by King’s College Maths School (£15,000); support for a boy from a very disadvantaged background at a boarding school through the Royal National Children’s Foundation; and a project developed with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme (60 years old in 2016) to give teachers expedition training and qualifications (£20,000).

Our continuing support to bursars at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama has been increased to £25,000 for five students, while we continue to provide 12 medical students, studying medicine as a second degree, with £3,000 p.a. for their final three years. We also continue to give £6,000 to St Paul’s Cathedral School for a chorister’s bursary.

These changes have transformed the help we are able to give educational projects and causes, enabling us to extend enormously the reach of our educational work. It is an exciting prospect.

Nick Harland

Charity

The Charity Committee has spent a great deal of time over the last year reviewing how it does its business, and has come up with a new model. While we will continue to give some small grants of £3,000 to £5,000 (to be named Chairman’s Grants), our emphasis in future will be to have greater impact through the awarding of larger, proactive grants. There are three areas in particular on which we will be focussing: the issues surrounding youth; the challenges facing an ageing population; and rehabilitation of prisoners and ex-service personnel. We also hope to improve our efficiency through the use of a new database, which will enable charities to apply online, and to involve our membership in acting as volunteer ambassadors liaising with charities on behalf of the Company – already we have a number of willing members. We will also reduce the number of Committee meetings, which will free up time for further research and collaboration with other grant-making trusts, and allow for more due diligence in the grant-making process. These changes will take effect from April 2016, and a period of transition will follow while the new system beds in.

In 2015 the Charity budget was increased from £700,000 to £750,000. From April 2016, it increased to £900,000, marking an important rise towards the £1 million the Charity used to give before the financial crisis.

Our support of Community Foundations continued in 2015 with a grant of £50,000 to Dorset Community Foundation. Part of this was to create a pilot scheme to provide business mentors in a low-achieving secondary school in Dorset, the aim being to inspire greater aspiration among the students. The other part was to support their fundraising efforts to build an educational endowment to provide bursaries for disadvantaged students

A grant of £25,000 was again awarded to R.L. Glasspool Charity and School-Home Support (SHS) respectively, under the ‘Poor Londoners’ programmes. These two charities provide small grants which produce a big impact.

Averaging £250, the sums allow individuals in need to purchase essential items such as furniture, washing machines and school uniforms. They affect not just the quality of life of those most in need, but also – in the case of SHS – supply vital educational support for children.

The Company continued the annual block grants of £10,000 to the Refugee Council; £40,000 to the National Churches Trust; and £10,000 to Stepney Episcopal Area Fund, this last grant to be used on the fabric of churches in Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington.

Minor grants totalling £570,000 were distributed under the four category headings: General Welfare; Medical Welfare and Disabled; Youth; and Culture.

The Wardens disbursed more than £160,000 for those appeals outside the purview of the Charity and Education Committees. These included a grant of £21,000 to Contemporary British Silversmiths; welfare grants to the Company’s various military affiliations; and £33,000 to the Silversmiths’ and Jewellers’ Charity. As in previous years, a number of grants were agreed to enable charities to use the Hall for fundraising events.

The Committee was deeply saddened to note the passing of Mr David Peake, who had retired last year having served for 10 years in the Chair. In paying tribute to Mr Peake, the Committee’s Chairman noted the extent to which the Committee was indebted to him for the great skill, knowledge, enthusiasm and humour which had characterised his leadership during his period as Chairman.

Ciorsdan Brown

TheComedyofErrors, performed as part of the National Theatre’s Primary Classics programme. Image: Richard Davenport

The Art of Storytelling at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Image: Dulwich Picture Gallery

Communications & Marketing

The Communications & Marketing Department has gone through substantial changes in the last 12 months while continuing to deliver a host of quality communications activities on behalf of the Company.

New members of staff include Katie Holyoak, Web Development Manager; Martin Macdonald, Communications Manager; and Matilda Sandys-Renton, Communications Assistant. With personnel coming and going in the past year, the department was somewhat unsettled until late October. However, we are pleased to report that we now have a full team and are hard at work getting the word out about the Company and all its activities.

Goldsmiths’ Fair 2015

Once again, Goldsmiths’ Fair was a resounding success. Attendance figures continued to hold steady with between 9,000–10,000 attendees over the two weeks of the Fair and robust sales across jewellery and contemporary silver.

As part of a continuing effort to keep things fresh, the Fair made use of one of the ground floor showcases to introduce an additional exhibition: JohnDonald:PreciousStatements.

This was a stunning display of jewellery by the pioneering British contemporary jeweller. The striking organic forms and abstract shapes for which Donald is known have influenced the generations of jewellers that have followed him. The exhibition and the launch of a retrospective book were fitting tributes to one of the UK’s most important jewellery innovators from the past 40 years.

Our 2015 Guest Curator was Julia Peyton-Jones, Director of Serpentine Galleries. She made an eclectic selection of jewellery and silver that emphasised craftsmanship and ‘wearability’. While each piece offered a different signature style, together the works cohered into a strong statement reflecting Julia’s highly refined aesthetic. It was a thrill to have this contribution from one of the most respected people within the UK and the international art scene.

Numerous talks, private views and receptions augmented the Fair’s programme. But it was the buying and commissioning that took centre stage as collectors and more casual shoppers travelled from near and far to purchase unique gold and silver treasures which are sure to become future heirlooms.

Goldsmiths’ Company Online

The Company’s website www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk is currently undergoing a major overhaul and should be relaunched by the time the Reviewis published. Redesigning a new website as complex as the Company’s is a lengthy project and requires input from staff across the organisation.

Thankfully Katie Holyoak, Web Development Manager, brings with her ample experience dealing with large-scale digital installations. It is our intention to make the refreshed website more user-friendly, dynamic and up-to-date and to provide a more accessible and relevant view of the many facets – from hallmarking to charity work – of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Other Activity

From promoting the Trial of the Pyx to reaching out to emerging designers at New Designers and helping makers sell via the Goldsmiths’ Directory (www.thegoldsmithsdirectory.co.uk), the Communications & Marketing team remains busy throughout the year. The Goldsmiths’ Company enjoys a high profile in the news, reflecting the promotion of its charitable activities and the work it does supporting the trade, in addition to annual events such as the Fair. The Company has a fantastic story to tell. To keep on top of all its activities, follow it on social media. Just type Goldsmiths’ Company into Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to get regular updates about the Company; the work it does; and the impact it continues to make on the lives of so many people.

Craft & Industry

When sitting down to craft my report on the work of the Committee the first challenge is always to choose an angle for approaching the task. This year I thought that it might be useful to look back on the changes and similarities between the programmes the Committee provided in 2005 and those on offer today, and to reflect on how far we have come.

Apprenticeships have always been at the heart of the Company’s work in support of the craft and industry and 2005 was a landmark year, marking the introduction of our City & Guilds Licentiateship Award. For the first time, this gave our apprentices the opportunity to secure a qualification as well as completing their time. Recognising the changes occurring within the Higher Education system, such as the loss of technical and vocational programmes, the Company was in a unique position to be able to pair young people with skilled goldsmiths, allowing them to gain experience in a supportive environment whilst working towards a globally recognised qualification. Perhaps it is no coincidence that 2005 also marked the moment when the concept of the Goldsmiths’ Centre was first articulated, recognising that the Company’s Apprenticeship Programme was something special and the continued need for a practical route into the trade.

In 2015, after a change of qualifications offered by City & Guilds, the apprentices are now working towards their Professional Recognition Awards and, with the creation of the Goldsmiths’ Centre, the scale of our Apprenticeship Programme has changed dramatically. In 2005, eight young people were being trained on the scheme but in 2015 this has grown to 34 across a wide range of disciplines.

A constant element in the Apprenticeship Programme has been the pursuit of excellence. In 2005, despite the smaller number of apprentices on the Company scheme, the trainees were active in both national and international competitions such as WorldSkills, and always ranked highly. This remains the case today and in 2015 Ben Pritchard (a final year apprentice trained by Harvey Sillis at Emson Haig) secured a medal of Excellence at the Sao Paolo, Brazil competition, whilst at the UK Skills Show our apprentices and alumni of the Goldsmiths’ Centre Foundation Programme secured gold, silver, bronze and highly commended.

The year 2005 also marked the publication of Issue 1 of the new TechnicalBulletin, covering a variety of technical and general interest articles which would underpin the programme of technical support on offer. By 2015, the Bulletin had evolved into the TechnicalJournal and is published online as well as in the more traditional hard copy. The ability to merge different forms of print, film, etc. online is certainly something that the Committee intends to continue developing in coming years, building on these solid foundations and extending the reach to an ever-widening audience.

One constant challenge which the Committee has sought to address is the financial difficulties faced both by educational facilities and the students themselves, often due to the lack of emphasis placed on vocational programmes. By offering a broad range of support including grants to partner institutions, students and graduates, the Company is able to help bridge the gap. Whilst the scale of this support has been reduced since 2005, the Committee continues to support a range of initiatives that focus on those studying at undergraduate level and those who have graduated. In 2015 it offered Precious Metal Bursaries, an Undergraduate Summer School and also supported the New Designers graduate show. Getting Started, the replacement for the City University Business Course (CUBs Course) was going strong in 2005 and continues to do so today. Ten years ago the Goldsmiths’ Centre was a spark of an idea; but now the Centre is four years old and delivering a wealth of activity that could only have been dreamt of back in 2005. I cannot conclude this report without mentioning that a number of key people who started the journey with us have left over this period. I would like to highlight in particular the retirement of one of the longest serving members of the team, Mr Mark Grimwade. Known to many as the Company Metallurgist, Mark provided a range of technical inputs into the work of the Company in a consultancy career spanning 25 years. Originally employed by Peter Gainsborough, in later years Mark spent time at the Centre mentoring our young goldsmiths and apprentices as well as offering a consumer complaints service for the Assay Office. Mark was an invaluable member of the team and will be sorely missed. Fortunately, Dr Chris Corti has agreed to step into his sizeable shoes, and we look forward to what the next decade will bring.

PeterTaylor

David Mills

The Livery Hall set up for Goldsmiths’ Fair 2015. Image: Rory Lindsay

Art Director & Curator

Since the Middle Ages, buffets, or sideboards, have been used in grand dining rooms to display and store silver items such as ewers, basins, flagons and dishes. These large items, intended to impress guests, were referred to simply as ‘plate’, from the Spanish word ‘plata’ meaning silver.

Today liverymen are familiar with the formal buffet plate display in the Livery Hall. It consists of fine silver-gilt antique silver, including the Company’s treasured dish and ewer, 1741, by Paul de Lamerie. However, at the 2015 June Livery dinner, a new initiative was showcased for the first time. Five specially commissioned silver pieces, completed in 2015, were placed in a totally modern display of buffet plate. It was a revelation for the guests present. Not only did the display look magnificent, but it highlighted the important role the Company plays as a major patron of contemporary silver.

On the bottom row were three new vases. The vase by Angus McFadyen is hand raised and engraved, with fine silver inlay depicting climbing leaves. This inlay technique, a new direction for Angus, is a direct result of him working with Wally Gilbert on a Master Craftsman Internship Scheme, directed by the Curator. Another vase in the form of a polyhedron is a new direction for Alex Brogden. He has developed highly geometric faceted forms, exploiting his skilled wax carving technique and the process of electroforming. Finally, Wayne Meeten’s first commission for the Company is his StillnessinFlightvase, hand raised and decorated with Japanese hammer chasing.

Two Prime Wardens dedicated their commissions to the new buffet plate scheme. Lord Sutherland (Prime Warden 2012–2013) commissioned Rauni Higson to undertake his MountainBurn rosewater dish. The hammered sections that flow over the body of this dish evoke the cascade of a Scottish burn in the landscape where Lord Sutherland lives. Mr Richard Agutter (Prime Warden 2013–2014) loves sailing and Angela Cork provided a whole sketchbook of drawings based on her observations of the movement of sails. Her resulting rosewater dish, which was press-formed, spun and hand fabricated, abstracts the imagery of sails to produce a subtle architectural piece. Mr Agutter’s year was further commemorated by his Prime Warden’s portrait medal, commissioned from Linda Crook.

The centrepiece of the modern buffet plate display is the DiamondJubileeDish by Rod Kelly, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. This piece was shown to Her Majesty on 9 July 2015, at a private audience in Buckingham Palace, attended by the silversmith Rod Kelly, Assistant Geoffrey Munn and the Curator. Later, in September, this piece formed the visual introduction to the Company’s major exhibition in 2015 TheSilversmith’sArt:MadeinBritainTodayat the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Other commissions and purchases made in 2015 were included in TheSilversmith’sArt.Kyosun Jung’s commission commemorated the overall success of the Young Designer Silversmith Award 1994–2013, a design and workshop scheme aimed at young silversmithing students. Kyosun was the last winner of the award and her original winning piece was gifted to the V&A in 2014. Her commission for the Company is based on the growth of bamboo stems; titled SakeDrinkingSetit is intended to serve Japanese rice wine at Shinto wedding ceremonies. A symbolic piece, the different size drinking bowls represent the sharing of joys and sorrows.

Another young silversmith placed under commission last year was Miriam Hanid. Using raising, chasing and repoussé work, combined with engraving in a particularly fluid manner, Miriam’s jug evokes the swirling movement of water in its linear patterns.

Following Goldsmiths’ Fair 2014, the silversmith Christopher Perry was commissioned to make his Squeezedvase, his first representation in the Collection. Another first in the Collection was the SweetSquamabowl, commissioned following Yusuke Yamamoto’s exhibit at the same Goldsmiths’ Fair. Born in Japan, Yusuke has settled in Scotland and is a visiting lecturer at the Glasgow School of Art. In Japan, he was research associate under Hiroshi Suzuki at Musashino Art University.

The Company was able to acquire a masterpiece by Hiroshi Suzuki from John Higgins’ Contemporary Silver Gallery. Entitled Earth IV, it is a sophisticated example of the physicality that is found throughout Hiroshi’s work, conveying his very spiritual connection to nature and its fundamental elements through his innovative use of raising and chasing. From the same exhibition the Company also purchased a silver and 18ct gold articulated necklace by Daphne Krinos.

The Company’s renowned Collection also contains personal elements. The gift by Mrs Elizabeth Rowe in 2015 of a guest goblet designed and made by Rod Kelly, celebrates the life of Robert Rowe, liveryman, who died in 2009. Former Director of the Leeds City Art Gallery and Temple Newsam House, he acquired a national reputation as a leading authority on silver, as well as being a highly respected figure in the museum world. This piece not only commemorates a distinguished liveryman, but adds to the body of work in the Company’s Collection by Rod Kelly, also a distinguished liveryman. This personal aspect is central to the character of the Company’s Collection; it is special because of the layers of stories it has to tell.

RosemaryRansomeWallis

Water jug by Miriam Hanid, 2015, sterling silver. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Prime Warden’s Portrait Medal of Richard Agutter, by Linda Crook, 2015. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Goblet in memory of Robert Rowe, liveryman, by Rod Kelly, 2015, sterling silver with gilt interior. Image: Clarissa Bruce

Membership

It has been another busy year for the Goldsmiths’ members, with a full programme of events. As always the Inter-Livery events were enthusiastically attended. In January, Team Goldsmiths headed off to Morzine for the 7th Inter-Livery Skiing event and came a very creditable 16th in a field of 28 teams. Our two medallists were Alexandra Madeley, daughter of Richard Madeley, and winner of the visitor’s gold medal, and Vicky Broackes taking silver in the Livery Ladies’ competition. The annual shooting event with 7 Rifles, attended by those Livery Companies with an affiliation, took place again at Sandhurst with our team coming second, our highest finish to date. Another firm fixture, the Great XII Sailing Regatta at Seaview last June, saw Team Goldsmiths bringing its expertise to bear. The ‘young’ and ‘old’ guard in the Mermaid keelboats came in 5th overall but were perilously close to winning at one stage. The first four cruisers home were Goldsmiths’ Company boats but were still beaten by the Mercers’ entry, a 1913 pilot cutter coming in half an hour behind!

For those less sporting minded, in Spring last year, Goldsmiths enjoyed a very informative visit to the Crossrail construction site at Farringdon. A fascinating brief was followed by a visit to the viewing platforms overlooking the excavations for both the East and West Ticket Halls, as well as to a grout shaft, which is used to pump concrete under the nearby buildings to make sure they do not move during tunnelling. A week earlier, members were taken on a tour of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) building and grounds led by Justine Taylor, HAC Archivist, finishing with a look around the museum. We took in the Common Rooms of the Pikemen and Musketeers and also the Light Cavalry. In February this year, there was a wonderful early morning view of the BejewelledTreasures exhibition at the V&A, arranged through a liveryman at Wartski, the sponsors. And as if all this has not been enough, the newly formed Membership Events Sub-Committee has planned events for 2016, including a black-tie dinner for freemen – a first.

Last autumn, Goldsmiths enjoyed an evening view of the ASenseofJewelleryexhibition at the Centre, at which the curators, Amanda Game and Dorothy Hogg, gave a fascinating insight into the process of curating the exhibition. The evening was preceded by a tour of the Goldsmiths’ Institute as a forerunner to launching the next round of fundraising for the Members’ Charitable Fund. Since its autumn launch last year £23,500 has been raised from members’ contributions. As in previous years the focus has been on charitable activities in support of the trade. We continue to support the provision of toolboxes for foundation apprentices, as well as bursaries, mentoring and short courses for graduates. In addition, this year the funds have helped to sponsor an Apprentice of the Year Award and a fine jewellery design apprenticeship, the first in the Company’s history and only possible through members’ generosity.

Another first was an initiative by Goldsmiths’ members to equip St Marylebone CE Bridge School, a secondary school, with work benches for the students to receive craft skills. This has been greeted with much enthusiasm.

This round-up would not be complete without mentioning the Goldsmiths’ Collection, a range of items designed and created exclusively for Company members. The pieces are themed with the leopard’s head hallmark to create a distinctive emblem for all our members. The Collection is now available to purchase online or by telephoning the Toye Kenning Spencer Birmingham office.

Jake Emmett

Committees

Assay Office Management

Mr N.A.P. Carson (Chairman)

Mr R.D. Agutter

Mr G.G. Macdonald

Mr R. Reid

Mr R.E. Southall

Mr M.R. Winwood

Antique Plate

Mr R.N. Fox (Chairman)

Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump

Mr N.V. Bassant

Mr A.J. Butcher

Mr P. Cameron

Mr D.E. Cawte

Mr A.J. Dickenson

Mrs K. Jones

Mr T. Martin

Mrs L.M. Morton

Mr P. B. Waldron

Mr H. Williams-Bulkeley

Mr H. Willis

Goldsmiths’ Review Board

Mr T.B. Schroder (Chairman)

Mr M.J. Wainwright

Sir David Reddaway

Mr N.J.G. Harland

Miss E.R. Bide (Editor)

Mrs S.K. Tobin (Assistant Editor)

House

Mr H.J. Miller (Chairman)

Mr R.P.T. Came

Mr M.D. Drury

Mrs N. Buchanan-Dunlop

Mr W. J. Fisher

Miss J. F. C. Goad

Mr G. Harris

Charity

Mr A.M.J. Galsworthy (Chairman)

Mr S.A. Shepherd

Dr C.G. Mackworth-Young

Mr W.K. Benbow

Mr A.P.A. Drysdale

Mr R.G. Ford

Dr J.W. Hanbury-Tenison

Dr M. Harbord

Miss E.K. Himsworth

Mr J.B.A Holt

The Hon. Dr Elisabeth Martin

The Revd Dr A. McCormack

Mr R. O’Hora

Mr J.R. Polk

Education

The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood (Chairman)

Dame Lynne Brindley

Mr W.K. Benbow

Mr J.D. Buchanan-Dunlop

Miss C.V. Copeland

Mr C.D.J. Holborow

Dr V.V. Lawrence

Dr J.K. Maxton

Dr J.F. Newman

Mr A.C. Peake

Mr R.A. Reddaway

The Hon. Mrs Meg Sanders

Mr R.G. Straker

The Lady Willoughby de Broke

Collection & Library

Professor R.L. Himsworth (Chairman)

Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump

Mr H.J. Miller

Mr M.D. Drury

Mr R.A. Cornelius

Dr K. Jensen

Mr C.H. Truman

Mr A.E. Turner

Communications & Marketing

Mr M.C.T. Prideaux (Chairman)

Mrs J.J. Clark

Mr G. Courtauld

Miss A.M.O. Durnford

Mr A. Jacobs

Miss J.B. Springer

Mr D.S. Twining

Miss R. van Rooijen

Investment

Mr R.N. Hambro (Chairman)

Mr W.H.M. Parente

Mr N.A.P. Carson

Mr U.D. Barnett

Mr W. Hill

Sir Stuart Lipton

Mr R.R. Madeley

Sir John Rose

Mr E. Wakefield

Craft & Industry

Mr R.N. Fox (Chairman)

Mr S.A. Shepherd

Mr A.J. Bedford

Mr T.R.B. Fattorini

Mr B.D. Hill

Miss J.B. Springer

Membership

Mr R.D. Agutter (Chairman)

Mr T.P.R. Came

Mr W.T. Edgerley

Mr T.R.B. Fattorini

Mr P.E.M. Fuller

Miss V.E.G. Harper

Mr M.S.A. Magnay

Mr S. Webster

Modern Committee

Mr M.D. Drury (Chairman)

Mr G.C. Munn

Mr A.P.A. Drysdale

Miss V.R. Broackes

Mr C.E. Burr

Miss O.D. Krinos

Mrs D. Solowiej-Wedderburn

Food & Wine Committee

Mr E.C. Braham (Chairman)

Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump

Mr G.G. Macdonald

Mrs J.J. Clark

Mr G.J. Hambro

Mr T.D. Nalder

Mr E.C. Wakefield

Goldsmiths’ Company members visit the Honourable Artillery Company

The Great XII Sailing Regatta at Seaview

Membership Update

Members of the Court of Assistants

Mr T.B. Schroder, DLitt, FSA PrimeWardenuntil18May2016

Mr M.J. Wainwright PrimeWardenfrom18May2016

Mrs J.A. Cobham-Lowe, OBE, FIL, FRSA, FInstD Second Wardenfrom18May2016

Mr M.C.T. Prideaux ThirdWardenfrom18May2016

Mr G.C. Munn, OBE, FSA, FRSA FourthWardenfrom 18May2016

*Sir Anthony Touche, Bt

*Mr C.R.C. Aston, TD

*Mr S.A. Shepherd

*The Lord Tombs of Brailes

*Sir Paul Girolami

*The Lord Cunliffe

* Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump

*Mr B.L. Schroder

*Mr R.P.T. Came

HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB, OM (HonoraryAssistant)

Mr B.E. Toye

Mr M.D. Drury, CBE, FSA

Professor R.L. Himsworth

Mr G.G. Macdonald

Mr R.N. Hambro, CBE

Mr A.M.J. Galsworthy, CVO, CBE, DL

Mr H.J. Miller

The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, KT, FBA, FRSE

Mr R.D. Agutter

Mr W.H.M. Parente

Mr R.N. Fox

Dame Lynne Brindley, DBE

Mr N.A.P. Carson, FRSA

The Hon Mark Bridges, CVO

Mr E.C. Braham

Dr C.G. Mackworth-Young, MD, FRCP

Brigadier Edward Butler, DSO, MBE

†Mr R. Reid

Mr E.M. Harley

Mr T.R.B. Fattorini

†Mr A.P.A Drysdale

* Retired status

†Mr Reid and Mr Drysdale will take their seats at the Court on dates to be confirmed

The Livery

The following deaths were reported during the year, preceded by the year of admission.

1972 Mr Michael Fitzgerald Heathcoat Amory

1951 Mr Alan Richard Cornelius

1985 Mr John James William Salmon

1978 The Hon. John Peter Twining

The following freemen were elected to the Livery and duly clothed during the year.

Mr D.E. Cawte

Mr G. Courtauld

Mr W.J. Fisher

Miss H. Forsyth

Mrs L.D. Gee Dukes

Miss J.F.C. Goad

Mr G.D. Hamme

Miss V.E.G. Harper

Ms R. Higson

Mr B.D. Hill

Mr R.J. Hopkinson-Woolley

Mr C.A.D. Knight

Mr R.S. Kyte

Mr M.S.A. Magnay

Mrs L.M. Morton

Mr T.D. Nalder

Dr J.F. Newman

Dr R.M. Organ

Mr S.M. Ottewill

Miss K.F. Purcell

Mr A.J. Putland

Mr J.M.R. Rothwell

Mr P.J. Taylor

Mr N.J. Trillwood

Mr D.S. Twining

New Freemen

July 2015 to April 2016

By Special Grant

Henry Joseph Parente Director,WelbeckEstatesCo

By Redemption

David John Bagley ChiefExecutive

Nicola Jane Buchanan-Dunlop Wife&Mother

Timothy Hugh Thomas Fattorini CompanyDirector

Louisa Brigid Guinness GalleryDirector

Zoë Ann Louise Harding JewelleryDesigner

Jude Douglas Huntley Goldsmith

Catherine Elizabeth Lady St Germans ChatelaineofPortEliot,FestivalDirector

John David Lloyd Morgan JewelleryConsultant

Julia (known as Julie) Katharine Maxton ExecutiveDirector,TheRoyalSociety

Alan William McCormack Rector,StVedast’s,FosterLane

Lynne Melly Housewife

Jack Edwin Meyer SeniorCADJewelleryLecturer

Edwin Lee Winters Barrister

Charles John Witts CharteredSurveyor

Heike Juliane Zech SeniorCurator,GilbertCollection,V&A

By Patrimony

Victoria Elizabeth Cornelius

daughterofRichardAlanCornelius,aLiveryman

Elena Louise Harris daughterofElizabethMargaretHarris,aFreeman

Dominic Christopher Ransome Newman sonofRosemaryWinifredRansomeWallis,aLiveryman

Wendy Lucinda Aston Sutcliffe daughterofCharlesRalphCliveAston,anAssistant

By Service

Candice Jane Devine

daughterofPaulDennisDevineandlateapprenticeofDavid IanMerry(TheGoldsmiths’CompanyAssayOffice)

Thomas Stephen Durrant sonofCarolineElizabethDurrantandlateapprenticeof StephenRonaldDurrant(DurrantsLondon)

Ben Nathan Hambling sonofMichaelAnthonyHamblingandlateapprenticeof MichaelAnthonyHambling(Hambling&TrebbleLtd)

James Edward Handyside sonofGraceTiaBonBonandlateapprenticeofEmmet RichardSmith(R.H.WilkinsEngraversLtd)

Robert Russell Lord

sonofRussellJamesLordandlateapprenticeofRussell JamesLord(RussellLord)

Benjamin Lewis Pritchard

sonofWilliamFrederickPritchardandlateapprenticeof HarveyRalphSillis

Associate Members

The following have been enrolled as an Associate of the Goldsmiths’ Company honoriscausa: Ms Ellenor Morris Alcorn

Binney Medal Winners

The Binney Award Winner for 2015 was Taylor Hughes.

David Peake

1934–2015

David Peake, who died in September aged 80, served as Chairman of three Goldsmiths’ committees and was Prime Warden in 2003. His natural gifts and long experience in the City at board level made him a popular and highly respected member of the Court.

His father, Air Commodore Sir Harald Peake, had been a Goldsmith and served as Prime Warden in 1958. David joined the Livery in 1960 and was elected to the Court in 1992. His graceful manner and incisive mind, easy way with words, both in person and on paper, his wit and sense of humour soon established his authority and earned him respect and affection.

David grew up as a countryman. He was at school at Ampleforth, spending half his school holidays with his grandparents in north Yorkshire. He did his National Service in the Royal Scots Greys and went on to Christchurch, Oxford, where he was master of the beagles. After his wife, Suki, inherited Sezincote, a famously exotic country house, built by an 18th century nabob in the Moghul style, he spent much of his time in Gloucestershire where he hunted, ran the Sezincote shoot and involved himself in the social and cultural affairs of the county.

By the time of his election to the Court he was nearing the end of a distinguished career in the City. He joined the investment bank, Kleinwort Benson, in 1962, rising to become Chairman in 1989. From 1997 to 2005 he was Chairman of BNP Paribas UK and he was also a NonExecutive Director of M&G, the unit trust group.

David thought of the Goldsmiths’ Company as his second career. He felt a close affinity with the silversmith’s trade and with the craftsmen and women the Company was founded to support, and he was especially interested in the educational and charitable sides of its work. He was for many years an assiduous chairman of the Charity Committee. From 1999 to 2003 he was Chairman of the Investment Committee and members of the Court remember with pleasure his elegant presentations on the health of the Company’s finances. He also served for a while on the Council of Goldsmiths’ College.

The appointment that probably gave him most fun was his long innings as Chairman of the Wine Committee. This was a subject on which his knowledge was deep and wide and on which he had strong views. He did not buy First-Growth clarets, as other livery companies did, for fear, he said, of being thought mean, but took pride in paying less for wines of better quality. If a member of the Committee disagreed with his opinion of a particular wine, he would say with a characteristic blend of firmness and courtesy: “Well, in that case I think we should taste it again”. For years to come, liverymen and their guests will be the fortunate beneficiaries of his knowledge and foresight in the wines they drink at Livery dinners.

When David became Prime Warden in 2003, the Clerk of the day remembers the immense trouble he took with anything he was involved in. He remembers David’s exacting standards, that he always knew what he wanted to achieve, but was always ready to listen. Others remember his speeches, full of fun and historical allusion; and the combination of firmness, tact and awareness of others that made him such an effective chairman.

The last two years of David’s life were clouded by illness, but, not wanting to impose on others, he made light of the pain and discomfort that cancer of the throat must have caused him and, as soon as he was fit enough after his first operation, he returned to contribute to some critical discussions in the Court. There was a noticeable feeling of gladness and relief in the air when he returned, somehow symbolised by the jaunty way in which he now wore a cravat in place of collar and tie. In the end he slipped away, to use his own words, quickly and quietly with no fuss, and he will be remembered as a wise, generous and brave friend and colleague and for his dedicated service to the Company.

The Trial of the Pyx, 2016. Images: Richard Lea-Hair

Events Principal Officers

2016

24 June

Luncheon Club

27 September – 9 October

Goldsmiths’ Fair

13 October

Freemen’s evening Reception

17 October

Open Day tours of the Hall

19 October

Freemen’s evening Reception

4 November

Luncheon Club

7 November

Open Day tours of the Hall

5 December

Open Day tours of the Hall

16 December

Luncheon Club

2017

16 January

Open Day tours of the Hall

31 January

Trial of the Pyx: Opening Proceedings

13 February

Open Day tours of the Hall

28 February – 3 March

Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council: Exhibition

13 March

Open Day tours of the Hall

17 March

Luncheon Club

28 April

Trial of the Pyx: Delivery of the Verdicts

4 May

The Goldsmiths’ Annual Lecture

Please check our website for news of forthcoming events: www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk

Clerk

Sir David Reddaway KCMG, MBE

DeputyClerk

Mr N.J.G. Harland

DeputyWarden

Dr R.M. Organ

Director,Goldsmiths’Centre

Mr P.J. Taylor

DirectorofFinance

Mr R.W.J. Preece

Librarian

Miss E.R. Bide

GrantsOfficer

Miss C.A. Brown

SuperintendentAssayer

Mr J.B. Love

CommunicationsManager

Mr F.M. Macdonald

Hallkeeper

Mr R.T. McCrow

Director,Communications&Marketing

Mr D.M. Mills

PersonnelManager

Mr C.L. Painter

ArtDirector&Curator

Miss R.W. Ransome Wallis

Principal Advisers

ConsultantArchitect

Mr N. Cox

PropertySolicitor

Mr M. Swainston

Surveyor

Mr J. Witts