The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Goldsmiths’ Hall Foster Lane, London ec2v 6bn
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Front
The Wainwright Diamond Necklace by Tomasz Donocik, 2018, 18ct white gold and diamonds. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commissioned by Michael Wainwright. RICHARD VALENCIA
Title page
Radiance Centrepiece by Miriam Hanid, 2017, Britannia silver. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commissioned by William Parente. RICHARD VALENCIA
Back cover Westwell Livery Pots, probably by John Middleton (I), 1594/5. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. RICHARD
GOLDSMITHS’ THE REVIEW
IF MICHAEL PRIDEAUX’S FAMILY ties to the Goldsmiths’ Company sound like something from a novel, this is entirely appropriate for a Prime Warden who has such an important connection to words and stories.
THE NEW PRIME WARDEN
While Goldsmiths’ Hall was home to some of his forebears, Michael’s childhood was a world away from Foster Lane. He grew up in Ockley in rural Surrey, where animals and sport created happy memories. A love of literature found expression during his years at university when he studied English at Trinity College, Cambridge. His is a very word-based family: his wife, Sue, is an author of fiction and non-fiction books and his daughter and son followed him to Cambridge and read English and History respectively. This interest in communication guided the initial steps of his career. His first job was in publishing, which seemed to be the natural thing for someone with a degree in English – especially if they felt disinclined to join many of their peers in the City. But an interest in business must have been in the blood, and after three years he moved to the advertising division of the Financial Times . This provided a fantastic vantage point from which to observe the City. With 80% of the paper’s revenue at that time coming from advertising, it was also an exciting and dynamic place to work.
“Discussing the work of the Centre brings out Michael’s passion for improving technical education across the uk.”
take public relations seriously, the first person he would suggest was himself.
Prior to Michael, members of the Prideaux family have between them served 163 years as Clerks, Accountants and Prime Wardens and Michael remembers first visiting the Hall as a child for a family party. He recalls the grandeur of the Hall making less of an impression than his great-uncle Humphrey’s sizeable 80th birthday cake.
In 1983 he was headhunted by the pr firm Charles Baker City to become its Chief Executive. The ft was in the midst of frequent strikes and he describes selling advertising for a paper which was not being published as a form of “commercial magical realism”. Work at Charles Baker gave him the opportunity to run an entire organisation and have bottom-line responsibility. The firm employed about 100 people which, Michael says, is “the right number for you to know everyone”. It was struggling when he arrived and he and his team succeeded in turning it around. Clients included businesses such as Price Waterhouse and Rio Tinto, and Michael’s literary background enabled him to take on some creative work himself.
The next stage of his career came through one of these clients – bat Industries. In April 1989 its Chairman asked him for help with finding someone to head up their public relations. Michael replied that if bat really were going to
It was a very wild beginning. Just as he started Sir James Goldsmith made a hostile bid for bat – the largest the London Stock Exchange had seen. It was fascinating to see the battle from the inside, especially as one of his motivations for leaving consultancy was to have the opportunity to shape decisions as they were being made, rather than simply present them to the outside world.
Over the next 23 years he helped to negotiate business in the former Soviet Union after the fall of the Berlin Wall; demerge the company’s insurance and tobacco interests; and develop a new approach to ethical issues (joining the Management Board in the process). He looks back with considerable satisfaction at the way the company moved from a position of “statistical association is not proof of causation” to putting corporate social responsibility and sustainability at the heart of its strategy.
Michael’s experience of ensuring an institution keeps itself relevant will be pertinent for the Goldsmiths’ Company. Although the Goldsmiths’ had been a constant presence throughout his life via family and membership, retirement enabled him to contribute in a more direct way. He joined the Court of Assistants in 2013 and a year later became Chairman of the Marketing and Communications Committee.
In 2014 he became a Trustee of the Goldsmiths’ Centre. His involvement with the Centre came at an exciting stage, when it was establishing its identity. He challenges anyone not to be inspired by a visit and looks forward to helping its progression as Prime Warden. Discussing the work of the Centre brings out Michael’s passion for improving technical education across the uk. He believes there is a real opportunity for the Livery movement as a whole to play a leading role in this nationally important issue. Away from the Hall Michael is able to enjoy his other passions, which include opera, theatre and gardening. Over the years he has been a regular visitor to Glyndebourne, Covent Garden and the Bayreuth Festival (where he was once rescued from an awkward situation by a helpful young politician called Angela Merkel).
An interest in gardening is not just confined to his own, at home in Horsham: Michael is also Chairman of the Trustees of the Chelsea Physic Garden. Here again he has used his experience to make sure this great institution is fit for the future. They will use their 350th anniversary in 2023 as the springboard for restoring their buildings and enabling them to be used as modern teaching spaces.
Michael’s goals for his year as Prime Warden focus on helping the Company rise to the challenge of better communicating its very real contribution to national life, whether through support for the trade; charitable work; or commitment to education. He sees the 700th Anniversary Framework as an important tool for achieving this, and helping the Company survive and stay relevant for a further 700 years.
In the meantime he hopes his children and five grandchildren will become familiar with the Hall over the course of the next year. Their family story might continue to cross paths with the narrative of the Goldsmiths’ Company. ✦
ELENI BIDE
JULIA SKUPNY
The New Museum of London: Becoming a Founding Partner
DAVID REDDAWAY
Those fortunate enough to go behind the locked doors of the abandoned market buildings and subterranean salt stores of West Smithfield will find buildings of an eerie beauty and rich history. The Museum of London’s ambitious plans to create a new home in this challenging but historic site will enable London’s story to be told afresh to a local and a global audience. The Goldsmiths’ Company and Charity are delighted to be able to play a key part in making this extraordinary project possible through our decision to become a Founding Partner, and to pledge a donation of £10m, as part of our 700th anniversary framework of activity. It is a major commitment. But the Company has a track record of supporting such transformative initiatives: Goldsmiths’ College and Imperial College were bold projects backed by 20th century Goldsmiths which continue to make a difference on a national and international scale. Closer to the present, the creation of the Goldsmiths’ Centre in 2012 has demonstrated the Company’s continuing ambition. Working with the Museum of London enables the Company to make a further significant contribution to London’s cultural and educational landscape, and to add an additional dimension to our support for the trade and craft of silversmiths and jewellers. It is a decisive first step on our path towards 2027.
Hoardings at the new Museum of London site showing Goldsmiths’ Company apprentice Hugo Johnson.
I AM VERY PLEASED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO update you on our project to create a new museum for London at West Smithfield, and to thank you once again for your generosity.
We are honoured to have the Company’s support, and are delighted to have celebrated your generosity in the press, in person, and in large letters on the side of our new buildings. Your illustrious history, beautiful collection and ambitious role in education, craft and heritage in contemporary London, make the Company the perfect partner in this project.
As the first Livery Company to join our project, and the first Founding Partners, your leadership and generosity have raised the profile of the project across London and encouraged others to consider extraordinary grants for this extraordinary project. Your pledge as Founding Partners has set a strong foundation and we are truly grateful.
As well as working on our fundraising campaign, a great deal of work has been going on behind the scenes including extensive stabilisation work to shore up the General Market building, and our architects, surveyors, engineers, project managers, curators, academic advisers, conservators and public engagement team have all been hard at work planning for the next stages of this ambitious project.
Our curatorial and exhibitions team has been creating our Interpretation Masterplan, which shapes the visitor experience, and sets out ideas for the galleries and facilities we will create, and how they might fit into the different spaces of the museum –permanent galleries, temporary exhibition spaces, retail and refreshment areas, collections storage, conservation studios, learning facilities for up to 200,000 schoolchildren a year. We were
fortunate to know from the very beginning of the project that the Cheapside Hoard would be one of the stars of the New Museum, and are delighted that it will be in a gallery bearing the name of the Goldsmiths’ Company. We look forward to sharing our latest thinking with you, and discussing with the new Curator and the wider team the ways the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection can support our storytelling.
As we plan the New Museum we consider the role of museums in the world and in the lives of individuals. Historically, museums were visited by reluctant children, dragged by parents and grandparents on rainy Sunday afternoons, or by the coachload on a dull school trip. However, the world has changed, and along with it the interests, the needs and the expectation of museum visitors, so we, the Museum of London, have changed too.
The New Museum, at the heart of London’s historic Smithfield, will finally have the spectacular building to match our collection and our ambition, and enable us to fulfil our role, which is to connect Londoners and visitors to the city’s past, present and future. By combining our unique collections, inspiring narratives, and passionate scholarship the museum can help us all understand the city’s history, find our place in its present, and shape its future.
As designs for how we will achieve this develop, we will look forward to sharing the designs and plans with the Goldsmiths’ Company, and exploring how we can continue to work in partnership to celebrate the museum’s opening, and the Company’s role over the past 700 years, and the next.
Clive Bannister Chairman, Museum of London
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Cup by R.Y. Goodden, 1953, at the new Museum of London site, West Smithfield.
MUSEUM OF LONDON/ COLLECTION: THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF GOLDSMITHS
SUPPORTING IN THE INDUSTRY
In February 2018, Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice silversmith Oscar Saurin swept the board in front of a packed audience at Goldsmiths’ Hall, picking up six awards at the “Oscars of the Jewellery Industry”, the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards. Oscar’s success that evening is not only a reflection of his exceptional silversmithing talent and the dedication of his Master, Richard Fox of Fox Silver Ltd, but is also a sign that the support of the Goldsmiths’ Centre in 2018 is continuing to help rising stars in the industry reach their full potential.
OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS, THE GOLDSMITHS’ Centre has been an active proponent of the next generation of jewellers, silversmiths and allied industry professionals recognising emerging talent and supporting individuals to transition through their training into successful careers. In 2017, the Centre was officially selected as one of 40 organisations, alongside rbs, Barclays and Waitrose, to receive the prestigious Princess Royal Training Award at St James’s Palace from hrh The Princess Royal and the City & Guilds Group. The Princess Royal Training
ISABEL KEIM
Commission – comprised of hrh The Princess Royal as well as seven leading figures in the business, learning and development community – commended the outstanding training conditions for young people and our work to develop opportunities in response to declining numbers of people entering the trade. Indeed, Oscar is just one of 56 young people aged 16 to 19 years who have started their journey with the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s year-long Foundation Programme since 2012, honing their making skills under the guidance of highly experienced craftspeople. On average 82% of the Foundation Programme trainees go on to work in the industry of which 62% secure roles as Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentices. In 2017, silver spinner Stuart Ray acknowledged the high calibre of Foundation Programme talent and was the first Master to take on a Goldsmiths’ Company Silver Spinning Apprentice, Varis Prieditis, since Stuart served his own apprenticeship in 1990.
As part of the Centre’s training programmes, we are also keen to ensure that young people are offered a public stage to demonstrate their exceptional technical skills. In 2017 Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Alexander Wood, another former Foundation Programme trainee (who is today under the tutelage of his Master Nathaniel Groves at Ian Read Diamond Setters) was selected to take part in the 44th World Skills competition in Abu Dhabi. Facing stiff competition, he was chosen to represent the uk and came seventh in the world out of 17 competitors, receiving a Medallion of Excellence. Foundation Programme alumni and current Apprentices Samuel McMahon from Mappin & Webb, Luke Blackie from Mandos Jewellery London and Robert Dean from Garrard & Co also topped the medals table, winning bronze, silver and gold awards in the uk’s largest skills and careers event, The Skills Show 2017, held in Birmingham. Through intensive
Previous Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Alexander Wood taking part at the WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 competition.
specialised training and dedicated support from their Masters, apprentices are equipped to excel under pressure both in competitions and in their future careers.
The Goldsmiths’ Centre does not restrict its support to young people starting their career through vocational training. A key objective is to offer uk-wide support to those attending or graduating from university through tailored business and technical skills courses as well as providing opportunities to showcase work.
Throughout the year the Centre’s Professional Training team attends graduate shows, visits universities and keeps a look out for up-and-coming graduate talent. This activity annually sees 30 graduates from across the uk take part in the free, intensive week-long annual business taster course, Getting Started, which is delivered by industry experts. As part of this, graduates are given the opportunity to showcase their work and network with key industry figures, from press to trade, meeting key influencers and being recognised as talents to watch out for.
In 2017, contemporary silversmith Alex O’Connor was first recognised for her craft and design skills when she was talentspotted by the Centre team at New Designers. She went on to showcase her work in Shine 2017, an annual exhibition held at the Centre of the best new jewellery brands and designer makers, before successfully applying for the Getting Started 2018 course.
Our ability to spot and hone potential talent through the right training is also reflected through the success of our Business Growth Pilot Programme in 2017 and our annual Setting Out course. Funded by the Goldsmiths’ Company, our Business Growth Pilot Programme saw 10 ambitious members of the industry be taken through a vigorous training scheme and given the business skills to become game-changers in the industry. The programme attracted a wide variety of business owners, including award-winning
fine jewellery designer, Tomasz Donocik; Charles Benoliel, Production Director at Design, Build, Cast; and Creative Director Mark Griffin of M A Griffin. Delivered in six modules, the programme helped the participants to shape their brands; understand how to capitalise on the power of marketing; develop leadership behaviours; and improve selling, communication and negotiation skills.
Similarly, the annual Setting Out course saw eight talented designer-makers learn how to take their business to the next stage in 2017 and produce retail-ready collections for their target markets. Lukas Grewenig, Leonid Dementiev and Jessica Pass have all been selected to display their collections at the premier uk showcase for contemporary jewellery and silver, Goldsmiths’ Fair in 2018; where they will receive a free stand, a grant to prepare for the show and tailored mentoring through the Goldsmiths’ Fair Graduate Bursary Scheme. Building on their learning from their time on Setting Out, alumni Vicky Lew, Ana Thompson and Flora Bhattachary have also recognised the power of showcasing their talent collectively and pooling a common customer base. In 2017, they formed their own collective, Decimus, consisting of 10 award-winning jewellers with their inaugural selling event being hosted at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.
As our support for the industry grows, our ambition for 2018 is to ensure that those who have been recognised for their talent continue to receive the training that they need throughout their careers and beyond the walls of our building through effective collaboration. Partnerships with membership bodies, Contemporary British Silversmiths (cbs ) and Bishopsland, are starting to see our charity widen its reach to enable craftspeople to hone their skills at a variety of levels throughout the uk
The cbs Skills Training Programme will offer effective learning routes developed by silversmiths for silversmiths, enabling today’s most eminent craftspeople to pass
“Apprentices are equipped to excel under pressure both in competitions and in their future careers.”
on their knowledge and experience to the next generation. Furthermore, the Goldsmiths’ Centre is building collaborations with universities across the uk to establish geographical hubs of training and support through which we can identify and nurture those with the potential to excel from an earlier stage in their learning. These partnerships will also enable our existing and newly developed programmes to directly reach a wider audience.
When we look back at the past six years, we are proud to see that those we have
supported through our training initiatives are now being recognised in the industry as the next generation of exceptional craftspeople. Our hope is that we continue to create opportunities for these individuals and future generations to excel – evolving our programmes, meeting changing industry needs and promoting our community’s exceptional talent. ✦
Trainees on the Foundation Programme, 2016–17
JULIA SKUPNY, THE GOLDSMITHS’ CENTRE
Apprentice to Freeman:
Castro Smith
SOPHIA TOBIN
VISITING CASTRO SMITH’S WORKSHOP GIVES AN insight into how a Goldsmiths’ Company apprenticeship can underpin the career of a designer-maker. Castro –who was apprenticed under his given name but is known as Castro Smith professionally – operates his jewellery business from a workshop based in the Sarabande Foundation, where his neighbours include a dyer, a taxidermist and a maker of prosthetic limbs. His workshop is lined with tools from both the European and Japanese traditions – some made by him, some passed down from other craftspeople – and on the walls are drawings of animals and nature.
This is the workspace of the 2017 winner of the Goldsmiths’ Company Members’ Charitable Fund Young Apprentice of the Year Award. With a smile he describes the award as “amazing – my mam loved it the most”.
Apprenticed in 2013 as a Hand Engraver at the firm of rh Wilkins under the tutelage of Emmet Smith, Castro was made free in 2017 and now creates jewellery that draws on the long tradition of seal engraving in which he was trained, but also on his own artistic vision.
For Castro, engraving was not a calling. The firm he was apprenticed to specialised in traditional seal engraving of family crests, and he admits that the first two years of his apprenticeship were difficult, but that he decided to think of it as “like exercise – not necessarily fun, but good for me”. This will to succeed led him to continually hone his drawing skills, spending Friday evenings after work at the British Museum, studying Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient seals. It rooted his practice in a long tradition, and his sense of his craft as a truly durable art. “The jewellery that survives is seal engraving,” he says, “because it is
protected by its form”. Drawing was always key, because “when you’re engraving, you have to be sure of your mark”. This self direction and dedication to his craft led Castro to enter the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Competitions, winning prizes in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The awards he received included The Podolsky Award for outstanding potential and the Theo Fennell Apprentice/ Master Award, which led to further commissions. “It’s not that I’m any better than the others,” he says, modestly, “but prizes give you confidence.” That confidence encouraged him to engrave his own subjects and, after completing his apprenticeship in 2017, he applied to the Winston Churchill Trust, which funded a trip to Japan. It was down to him to define the project and, initially, he was pushing on closed doors. But with the assistance of Hiroshi Suzuki, he gained access to Japanese workshops and forged enduring links with craftsmen there. His time in Japan allowed Castro to train in different techniques, such as nunome zogan inlay, and has also shaped the philosophy behind his work. It was there he learnt about alternatives to the “shiny jewellery” of European tradition, such as different forms of patination. The work Castro makes nods to its lineage and the long hours he has spent refining his art, but is also exciting and modern. His seal engraving is a decorative feature, and not confined to the traditional part of the ring; instead he “wraps it around” the whole piece. His work is often personalised for the wearer, and he accepts commissions. Pieces often bear hidden messages and gemstones.
“His time in Japan allowed Castro to train in different techniques, and has shaped the philosophy behind his work.”
Castro admits that although he misses the camaraderie of a big firm, working for himself allows him to be experimental, even if it results in seven-day working weeks. He has a strong relationship with Emmet, who trained him (and who will stock Castro’s work in his new Rebus shop on Leather Lane), and he also teaches youngsters from Hatton Garden and the Goldsmiths’ Centre. He would like to take on an apprentice in the future, but would seek someone who would equal the commitment he showed his own apprenticeship. It’s a big ask.
In the future, Castro’s goal is to continue to experiment and learn. He is about to embark upon a collaboration with an Irish glassmaking company – in exchange, they will teach him about glass carving, which he then will apply to stone carving, a skill he has long wanted to learn. One thing is certain: this Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company has no intention of standing still. ✦
Castro Smith in his workshop at the Sarabande Foundation. JULIA SKUPNY
‘FOR THE USE AND BENEFIT OF ALL THE COMPANY’:
The Medieval Register of Deeds of the Goldsmiths’ Mistery at 600 years
SIX HUNDRED YEARS AGO, DURING THEIR TERM OF office 1417–18, the four wardens of the Goldsmiths’ Mistery of London, William FitzHugh, John Hilles, Richard Withihale, and John Walsh, ordered 400 folios of parchment to form an official record book, and eight further folios to serve as guard leaves: for the use and the benefit of all the Company. And because in former times various documents have been embezzled and taken away, the aforesaid wardens have had all their documents copied up into the aforesaid book in order to have a better record. And the aforesaid documents have been placed in various chests and boxes each according to which tenement they belong, and the said boxes have been labelled to say that they refer to such tenements, and each box contains as many written documents as are specified in the book, both copies and in other cases sealed charters.
Or, in the English of that day:
Doyng ƺow to wyte þat in this book bene cccc levys ynounbrid with reed ynk, and þat þe dedis of every tenement is cofynd by hymself & wrytyn above on the lyd acordyng with the kalender & þe entree of this same book.
The boxes and the sealed charters have disappeared, how and when we do not know, but the Register of Deeds remains and contains a wealth of information.
It is prefaced with an ornately written title page, giving the names of the four wardens who first commissioned the Register, and the later four wardens who ensured in 1473 its continuation and its importance.
On turning the pages one finds that first and foremost it contains the royal charters granted to the Company, and the title deeds to each property which they owned then in 1417–18. As more properties came into their hands, further documents were copied into the Register, and throughout the 15th century this record book was kept up to date. Further entries were made later, during the 16th century and even into the 17th century, but by then other documentation was also being used.
DR LISA JEFFERSON
The majority of the documents are in Latin, with a large number also in Anglo-French, as French was an official language of record during the Middle Ages, and was indeed well-known and used by many people, the kings and nobility, merchants, tradesmen, craftsmen (including of course goldsmiths), lawyers, scribes, notaries, and many literary authors. For the past couple of years I have been working my way through this Register and producing a translation into modern English, which will reveal to those who are no longer familiar with those medieval languages the full riches of information contained here about the Goldsmiths’ Company and much else.
Apart from very detailed information about all the properties they held in London, one learns the previous history of these houses, shops, gardens, cellars, and of the rents and profits coming from them. Since many came to them by legacies, and the full will of that donor is copied up here, one hears also about the sometimes tangled family history of these donors and of their other testamentary gifts: of tools of the trade to their apprentices; of chalices and other precious silver and gold objects left to churches; of financial provision made for wives and children and in some cases for disabled children.
In a sideline arising from one document here concerning Queens’ College in Cambridge, I discovered three documents sealed with the common seal of the Goldsmiths’ Mistery dating from 1491–92, earlier than any common seal of the Company previously known. It is of red wax, and measures 56–58mm in diameter. It shows St Dunstan, patron saint of goldsmiths, enthroned as bishop. The inscription around the outer edge reads ‘sigillum commune fraternitatis sancti dunstani in civitate London’, which translates as ‘the common seal of the fraternity of St Dunstan in the city of London’.
Much further work is still needed before an indexed transcription and translation of these remarkable documents can be fully published. But in this 600th anniversary year we must celebrate and praise the wardens of that year 1417–18 who had the foresight to save these records for future generations of the Goldsmiths’ Company. ✦
The title page of the Register of Deeds, 15th century. RICHARD VALENCIA
REDECORATING THE LIVERY HALL
NICK COX
THE EXISTING GOLDSMITHS’ HALL WAS DESIGNED BY Philip Hardwick and officially opened in 1835; it is the third Goldsmiths’ Hall on the site. Built above Roman remains, it is a fine example of a mid-19th century Livery Hall and is designated a Scheduled Monument. This high level of statutory protection required a well informed and carefully reasoned approach to the recent redecoration of the Livery Hall. Research and analysis informed proposals that were subsequently executed over two summer recesses by a team of skilled craftspeople and decorators.
The initial vision for the Livery Hall, illustrated in a drawing by Hardwick, had a rather different architectural treatment to that which was built.
The Livery Hall as it was actually built is illustrated in a contemporary watercolour currently hanging in the Binding Room. This shows a stone-coloured ceiling with some picking out in gold leaf and the impressive scagliola columns of sienna colour above the plinth painted to imitate granite. The curtains and hangings to the niche are of a red, not dissimilar to that which hangs in the Livery Hall today.
To help inform the recent work, detailed paint analysis was carried out. Several dozen flakes of paint were taken and examined in cross section at high resolution under different light sources. The study identified numerous mid-19th century decorative schemes. In-depth archive research (encompassing Hardwick’s original specifications, newspaper articles, Committee minutes and historic photographs) helped to corroborate findings from the paint analysis.
These mid-19th century schemes were over-painted in 1892 by George Aitchison. His rich polychromatic ceiling and dark colouring to column bases and capitals imprinted a particular character which has influenced the appearance of the Hall ever since, albeit a very different one to Hardwick’s vision.
The Aitchison scheme was modified by jg Crace in 1909. Crace changed the arcade fields from salmon pink to a deeper red and applied gold bands to the arcade pilasters and spandrels. This scheme was modified again in the 1960s, following advice from Sir Albert Richardson, when the lettered frieze was removed, and in the late 1980s under the direction of Donald Insall. The Insall scheme used a large amount of ochre colour.
The new scheme was devised to work with the Aitchison ceiling, which was taken as fixed, and to bring about an improved reading of the architectural elements as envisaged by Hardwick. Above the plinth the scagliola columns were repolished and are
punctuated top and bottom by capitals and bases in stone white with gilded highlights similar to Hardwick’s original scheme. The red fields were repainted and the lettered frieze was reinstated. Subtle changes to the pilasters’ colour and removal of their gilt borders has let the scagliola columns come to the fore.
One of the challenges in composing the new scheme was how to be sympathetic to Hardwick’s idea of showing off the scagliola columns given the richly decorated ceiling. The visual strength of the plinth, providing a base for the columns, was seen to be very important. Changing the plinth colour from ochre to a green granite has given definition to this horizontal element, reflecting Hardwick’s vision and creating a relationship with the ceiling. This green was also used in the reinstatement of the lettered frieze. By emphasising the horizontals of the plinth and frieze, previously lost in the homogenous ochre scheme, the architectural framework for the columns has been returned to the composition of the Livery Hall.
The project also presented the opportunity to make technological improvements. A new lighting system has been introduced which illuminates the full length portraits, niche buffet and gallery. At the top of the central chandelier a support structure and additional row of glass drops, fabricated by the Chair of the House Committee, now accommodates four remote controlled spotlights.
The heating system has been updated with new radiators set below bespoke bronze grilles, allowing removal of the raised floor between the column bays. The external grilles have been fitted with electrically operated louvres so they can provide natural ventilation. The sound system has been modernised, and now incorporates a hearing loop.
While the scope and impact of the works carried out might not be obvious at first glance, the harmonious end result draws on Hardwick’s ideas and modifies them to complement the Aitchison celling, establishing an appropriate grandeur for the Livery Hall. ✦
Top The Livery Hall after redecoration.
Bottom The restored capitals. JULIA SKUPNY
On the bbc Antiques Roadshow I am shown copious amounts of Victorian black beads and brooches with the same question: “Is this jet?” I have always been a bit nervous about answering with a definitive reply as it is not necessarily easy to separate the real from the imposter. Therefore I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about this material, which has been worn for thousands of years, and which is still used by jewellers today. As I was to discover, jet is about more than Victorian mourning jewellery.
ON A VERY COLD AND SNOWY WEEKEND, I travelled to the home of jet: Whitby in Yorkshire. On the train journey I read about the seaport’s illustrious history: it was home to Captain Cook and the construction docks of the ships The Endeavour and The Resolution. Bram Stoker was inspired to write his novel Dracula by the ruins of Whitby Abbey. After journeying across the moors, and through thick mist, I eventually arrived to find that even the bitter cold was not enough to deter Whitby’s tourists. This prosperous town remains unspoilt, with quaint shops and tearooms lining the narrow, cobbled streets, including 12 shops that predominantly sell jet jewellery. ☛
JOANNA HARDY
Black Beauty: Whitby Jet
Opposite
Jet jewellery,
FASHION MUSEUM BATH / GIFT OF MRS HULL GRUNDY AND MR GIFFARD / BRIDGEMAN IMAGES
I was here to meet jet jeweller Chris Sellors. As a key figure in the Whitby jet jewellery industry, he is as passionate about the material now as he was when he first began working with it more than 40 years ago, and is currently restoring an Art Nouveau building to accommodate the W Hamond Museum of Whitby Jet. When looking at the collection of antique jet jewellery that will be displayed in the museum, one is transported back in time. Whitby jet derives from the remains of an ancient tree; until very recently, gemmologists and archaeologists believed this tree was similar to the Araucaria or the Monkey Puzzle tree, which was prolific in the Jurassic period about 180–200 million years ago. Yale University, usa, is currently undertaking new research into jet which suggests that the gem substance derives from six or more different tree species, none of these the Araucaria. Having died, these trees would gradually decay, shedding parts into water, with remnants sinking to the bottom to be covered by mud and detritus. Over millions of years, the wood was starved of oxygen and subjected to great pressure, fossilizing it. It is a complex material: there is hard (seawater) jet and soft (freshwater) jet, and some examples contain impressions of ammonite and bivalve shellfish that became trapped in the layers of sediment. Whitby jet is so dense that a tree trunk ends up being no greater in width than 5cm. Chris proudly showed
me his most prized example: the longest piece of tree trunk jet in existence. When you look closely at its surface, you can see the 200 million-year-old impressions of jurassic fish and ammonites, an experience which is beyond thrilling.
The material has been used for centuries: there is evidence of jet mining from around 1400 bc and it has been found in prehistoric burial mounds. After their invasion of the British Isles, the Romans sent jet artefacts and jewellery across the Empire. In the first century ad, Pliny the Elder called jet ‘Gagates’ in his study Natural History, because it was found near the town of Gages, now in southwestern Turkey, describing it as ‘black, smooth, light and porous’. Like most other gemstones, jet was considered a medicinal cure: it was thought that, when powdered and added to liquid, it would release its medicinal powers, curing conditions including epilepsy and toothache. When burnt, its fumes were thought to keep serpents at bay and dispel any hysterical affectations. Jet’s blackness is so intense that the expression ‘jet black’ was coined and the saying has been part of the English language since the 12th century.
Jet is, however, most strongly associated with the Victorian period. Following the death of William iv and the ascension of Queen Victoria, it was decreed that all mourning clothes and jewellery were to be black. This encouraged the Whitby jet industry and, coupled with the Victorians’ introduction of the annual holiday and the railways, the town became a seaside resort, complete with the obligatory souvenir trade – in jet jewellery.
The early Victorian jet jewellery was big and bold, but lightweight and relatively inexpensive, complementing the voluminous dresses that were fashionable during this period. As fashions changed and dresses became less full, so the size of
jet jewellery decreased, therefore it is the design and the size of the piece that indicates its date of manufacture. Shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851, Whitby jet was at the forefront of fashion both in Britain and overseas; a pair of bracelets was ordered for the Empress of France. But it was the death of Prince Albert in 1861 which turned Whitby into a hive of activity. The country was plunged into mourning and it was declared that ‘the jewellery shall be jet’. In 1832, there were only two shops selling jet in Whitby employing 25 people; by 1872 there were more than 200 employing 1,500 people. Jet carvers took up residence in the town in nearly every nook and cranny, producing beautifully hand-carved jewels. Certain jet carvers made a name for themselves: The Worshipful Company of Turners offered prizes for the best stoneturners and in 1873 Edward Heselton Greenbury, famous for his jet carving, received the Freedom of the Turners’ Company and of the City of London. The Victorians were well versed in the protocol attached to mourning. A widow mourned her husband for two and half years and during the first year she was expected to be reclusive so as not to offend propriety. In strict mourning, even the jet jewellery worn was not supposed to have a high polish (even though its ability to achieve a high polish is one of its distinguishing features). It is worth noting that if a husband was widowed, he was only expected to mourn for three months and if he married again in the meantime, which would have been encouraged, his future wife would continue the mourning process for her predecessor on his behalf. The hidden messages conveyed in the design of some Victorian jet jewellery implies to me that the jewellery was being made to adorn and express an underlying
Previous Hand cut Whitby jet faceted cuff with asymmetric panels of black diamonds by Jacqueline Cullen, 2015, jet, black diamonds, 18ct gold. LYDIA WHITMORE
English School, 19th century.
sense of joie de vivre , regardless of the mourning process. The sentiments conveyed through flowers during the Victorian period were rather like the emojis used in social media today, for it was not easy to openly show emotion. The combinations of different flowers could be read like a language: lily of the valley would represent the return of happiness; rose was for enduring love; forget-me-knot for true love; ivy for tenacity and marriage; the use of a hand motif for friendship and affection; and bows and knots for “the tighter the bow the greater the bond”. Anything and everything was depicted in jet jewellery and public figures were sometimes carved – although surprisingly no one has yet found a carving of Dracula.
In the period 1860 to 1870, such was the popularity of the material that Austrian painted porcelain plaques, Florentine micro-mosaics, and lava cameos would be sent to Whitby to be set in jet frames. Religious motifs were very popular, often incorporating the monograms imo , ‘in memory of’; ihs, the first three letters of the name ‘Jesus’ in Greek; and aei for ‘amity, eternity and infinity’. Beads were popular and one can tell when the beads were fashioned by noticing if they are uniform and/or perfectly round; greater uniformity could be achieved following the introduction of the lathe in the 1900s. It is very rare for antique jet jewellery to feature precious metals and often the fittings would be of base metal glued on (screwed-in fittings are a tell-tale sign that it is not jet, as jet will split).
Of course, with the success of Whitby jet, there was the temptation to find cheaper materials which could be used as substitutes. Nineteenth-century alternatives included bog oak (a semi-fossilised wood dug out of the peat bogs of Ireland), compressed horn, black glass and vulcanite. Vulcanite is a man-made material that combines the sap
of the ficus tree from Malaysia with sulphur. Even though vulcanite was jet’s main competitor it is easy to tell the difference: rubbed vulcanite will give off a very distasteful smell of burning rubber and, like the plastic replicas later used, was moulded, not carved. Though some of the earliest jet jewellery has been found in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Scotland, a material called cannel coal is also found in these areas and is often mistaken for jet. Like jet, it is fossilised organic material, but is a type of oil shale and comes in larger sizes. It can still be found washed up on the beach today and can fool many. A simple test is to rub both the materials on sandstone: jet will leave a brown streak, whereas cannel coal will leave a black stripe while also showing no visible signs of a woody structure.
Despite experiencing the worst snowstorm the town had seen for more than six years, the ‘jetters’ (the self-given name for those who look for jet) were in their element during my visit, as the storm would either expose more jet from the cliffs or wash it up on shore. Some jetters will even abseil down the cliff in pursuit of it, but the storm quickly made me retreat to the comfort of a Whitby tearoom instead.
While I was avidly learning about jet’s heritage, I could not help thinking why I had not seen more contemporary jewellery made with this material; it clearly has the ability to catch the imagination. One contemporary designer who has made a successful career out of making jewellery from this material is Jacqueline Cullen, who had a eureka moment when she discovered jet while studying at Central St Martins. She saw its beauty and potential and has transformed it into bold and dynamic jewellery, complemented with cascades of gold and black diamonds. Such is jet’s farreaching appeal to the discerning jewellery collector that Anna Sui, the contemporary fashion designer, has designed her range of
Hand-built, double-sided Whitby jet Pyramid earrings with asymmetric panels of black diamonds by Jacqueline Cullen, 2016, jet, black diamonds, 18ct gold. LYDIA WHITMORE
“She saw its beauty and potential and has transformed it into bold dynamic jewellery.”
plastic cosmetic packaging to look like her favourite carved jet vintage jewellery. My visit to Whitby was for me an awakening to a material and a heritage that I had not fully appreciated; the richness and diversity of the hand-carved designs can only whet the appetite for any jewellery collector. With the passion of Chris Sellors, his team at W Hamond and their new museum, jet is going to be in the forefront of people’s minds, hopefully inspiring the next generation of jewellers. I can assure you the next time I am on the bbc’s Antiques Roadshow I will be taking more note when someone asks me, “Is this jet?” ✦
MADE FOR THE TABLE
GEORGIA POWELL
‘Absolutely beautiful masterpieces which have inspired me and are sure to inspire future generations.’ This comment was left in the visitors’ book at The Harley Gallery as a response to Made For The Table, the Goldsmiths’ Company’s most recent touring exhibition. Focussed on the theme of dining, it has united contemporary silver and other crafts with historic items from the Company’s Collection. By the time this Review is published, more than 40,000 people will have visited the exhibition – contributing to the Company’s mission to promote contemporary silver to a wider and more varied audience – and it is only halfway through its tour around the United Kingdom.
THE VISION TO EXHIBIT MODERN
silver alongside work from other craft disciplines came from the Company’s former Curator, Rosemary Ransome Wallis. The exhibition evolved significantly over the year leading to its first showing at The Harley Gallery, opening on 4 November 2017, but this original intention remained at the heart of the show.
The Company’s Curatorial Department worked closely with both The Harley Gallery and Ruthin Craft Centre, and both partner institutions played a hugely important role in developing and realising this concept. The focal point of the display is a curated dining table (the table itself made by the son of renowned jeweller Charlotte De Syllas) laid with silver commissioned by the Company for the exhibition. For the first time, the Company’s Collection is presented on open display, with the work of other leading UK artisans in ceramics, glass, furniture design and textiles. Responses to the show have focussed on this original way of presenting precious objects, which are usually limited to the confines of showcases in museums.
The table display includes the innovative work of Nan Nan Liu. Nan Nan first works
with paper to create the flowing, organic shapes of these sculptural works, before realising her vision in many silver wires soldered together. Nan Nan’s work, and the work of the other craftspeople, are brought to life in a series of photographs commissioned to complement the table display. Devised by Food Historian, Tasha
Previous The Silverware Still Lives (2017) featuring Bread Basket by Nan Nan Liu, 2016, sterling silver.
Top The Silverware Still Lives (2017) featuring Candlesticks by Angus McFadyen, 2017, sterling silver, alongside Pinch of salt, 2010 and Pinch of pepper, 2017, both by Adi Toch, Britannia silver with finishes.
Bottom The Silverware Still Lives (2017) featuring Beaker by Malcolm Appleby, 2004, Britannia silver, parcel-gilt. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
ROSALIND
ATKINSON & TASHA MARKS
“The exhibition has united contemporary silver and other crafts with historic items from the Company’s Collection.”
Marks, the images use the aesthetic of the still life to showcase silver in a more intimate and domestic setting. Domesticity and ‘liveability’ is further emphasised through the specially commissioned wall textile by Ptolemy Mann which hangs nearby. Tasha Marks was also inspired by the Collection to compose a soundscape of silver being made, which accompanies the table display. The exhibition illustrates the variety of the Collection, and the continued patronage of the Goldsmiths’ Company through objects dating from the 16th century to the present day. The table display is contextualised by other works in the Company’s Collection, all of which were also made for use at the table. These objects are separated into four engaging themes:
light; dine; drink; and flavour. It was the flavour showcase which inspired the idea of connecting the highly contemporary table display to historic objects. Vessels for salt have appeared on the Company’s tables for hundreds of years and there is a dialogue between the Company’s highly ornate 16th century salt cellars, which speak of the value of salt in earlier times, and Adi Toch’s cutting-edge Pinch of Salt (displayed on the table), which comments on the ‘preciousness’ of salt through its containment and presentation. Examining and combining the old with the new for the first time also proved to be an inspirational concept for presenting the
Collection. Philip Hughes, Director of Ruthin Craft Centre, the exhibition’s second venue, describes the success of this approach: “It superbly presents contemporary works and explains historical perspectives with eloquent authority.”
This sense of continuity is emphasised by one of the films commissioned specifically for the exhibition. It features Rebecca de Quin, whose cutlery set is part of the table display, explaining her approach to making a spoon. Hand-forging, the process used by Rebecca to move metal through a series of hammer blows, has changed very little over the centuries. The technique connects her work to the 17th
century spoons in the exhibition, which were made in much the same way.
Made For The Table will be the Company’s first exhibition shown at The Goldsmiths’ Centre’s purpose-built exhibition room from 12 July to 31 August 2018. This display will be enhanced by an exciting public programme, in partnership with Sipsmith Gin, as well as a selling exhibition in the atrium showcases. After this, the exhibition will travel to Osterley Park and House from November 2018 to February 2019, continuing the Company’s relationship with the National Trust. Further details can be found on the Company’s website. ✦
Made for the table installation at The Harley Gallery, 2017. MARK FEAR PHOTOGRAPHY
Grant Macdonald
International Silversmith
A celebration of the extraordinary silversmithing career of a Past Prime Warden of the Company was realised in this year’s exhibition at the Hall, Grant Macdonald – International Silversmith. The glittering display consisted of a series of wide-ranging narratives, illustrated by stunning silver and gold work. These elegant modern pieces gave a glimpse into the exceptional entrepreneurial spirit and achievement of Grant Macdonald over a period of five decades.
THE FORGING OF CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS with new markets overseas by providing foreign, mostly royal, clients with custom-made, high-quality silver and gold objects led to Grant being awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade in 2006. His reputation led to numerous commissions in the uk from the City of London, other institutions and the Church. Not surprisingly he was granted a Royal Warrant as Goldsmiths and Silversmiths to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 2016.
A master of innovative modern craftmanship, Grant Macdonald incorporates the latest technology, such as Computer Aided Design and rapid prototyping, with traditional silversmithing skills, such as handchasing and hand-engraving. At his London design studio and workshop he has developed an in-house support team of expert silversmiths and other
ROSEMARY RANSOME WALLIS
professionals. This team of 18 staff, together with Grant’s extensive outside trade contacts, enables him to meet the challenges of the many orders and commissions he receives each year.
Barbers’ Company. It was commissioned by his father, Past Master in 1958, in memory of his father, Past Master, 1948.
In 1969, working from a basement workshop in his home, Grant created his company Silverform. Developing an exclusive silver-texturing decoration, he undertook commissions such as the Baltic Exchange cigar box presented to the Prime Minister of Australia, as well as supplying silverware to retailers. In 1970 Grant moved to a bigger workshop in Clerkenwell, London. Then in 1976 he was invited by Algernon Asprey to show work on the lavish Goldsmiths’ stand at the Luxury Fair in Dubai. This was Grant’s introduction to the Arabian Peninsular market.
The Silver Jubilee year, 1977, saw Grant expand his business when he bought Gerald Benney’s Bear Lane studio and workshop in Southwark. Over the next 40 years Grant developed his export business in the Arabian oil-rich Gulf States of Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia. In 2003, George, Grant’s son, joined his father, helping to expand this market. In 2013 Grant Macdonald, as a company, acquired its concession in Qatariowned Harrods; in 2017, 96% of the company’s output was for export.
Grant’s understanding of today’s Arabian culture is a key element in his work. Arabian desire for modernity is balanced by a desire to identify with traditional Arabian ways of life and embrace Islamic art. Grant’s contemporary designs, expressed in silver and gold and made to the highest standard of craftmanship, are now sought after by a number of Arabian royal families. Important to their culture are the virtues of honour and hospitality, expressed through gifts. Traditional ceremonial scimitars and daggers (khanjars) have modern stylish interpretations by Grant; a fine 18-carat gold presentation scimitar embellished with rubies and diamonds featured in the exhibition. Other exhibits demonstrated how Grant evokes the desert way of life through silver models
of Arabian horses, camels and oryx made into elegant ornaments and clocks. The Arabian passion for falconry was illustrated too in the magnificent Wings of Arabia Saker
falcon sculpture which took more than 350 hours of silversmithing to achieve.
Arabian dining hospitality reveals another facet of Grant’s versatility. Whether for 600 guests in a palace or 36 guests in a private home, he designs all the silverware, bone china, lead crystal glass and linen.
Specialist companies in the uk and Europe are commissioned to make the non-silver items to his exacting standards.
Grant’s high regard for the City of London has resulted in numerous commissions over the years. He has made 34 Shrieval Chains and badges of Office and 29 City of London Scroll Holders
presented to important City visitors such as the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Candelabra, lecterns, loving cups and goblets from City Livery Companies were shown in the exhibition as well as other commissions from the Church and the Silver Trust for 10 Downing Street.
The diversity of the stories told by the exhibition reveal Grant’s willingness to always take on challenges, which he continues to do today. He can be truly described as a modern international silversmith. ✦
Master of the Barbers’ Company in 2000 and Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company from 2008–09, Grant Macdonald’s early years were also explored in the exhibition. Inspired by his school’s
metalwork master to follow a silversmithing career, Grant attended the Central School of Arts and Crafts before going to Sir John Cass College. Aged just 19, he designed and made a silver ceremonial mace for the
Previous Left Detail of The leopard reclines, 2017. Sterling silver with hand painted lacquer spots on a driftwood and silver base. RICHARD VALENCIA
Opposite Sheriff’s badge for Dame Fiona Woolf cbe, 2010, 18ct yellow, white and rose gold, diamonds, rubies.
GEORGE MACDONALD
Previous Right Khanjar, 1989, 18 ct gold with malachite stones and hand engraved details, Ivorine handle, Sheffield-made stainless steel blade.
RICHARD VALENCIA
Detail of Wings of Arabia, 2018, silver and silver-gilt. RICHARD VALENCIA
Interpreting Mokume Gane
CATRIN JONES
Mokume Gane translates from Japanese as ‘wood-grain metal’. This refers to its distinctive coloured patterning, combining different metals to visually striking effect. The art of the silversmith involves the transformation of metals to create extraordinary works of art, but Mokume Gane has been surrounded with an air of reverence and mystique due to the traditions and craftsmanship involved in the process of making it. The uk silversmiths and jewellers often associated with Mokume Gane in fact reveal a variety of different approaches and attitudes to exploring its methods and aesthetics. Though inspired by a centuries old tradition, their work takes the art of metalwork in new directions.
TO CREATE MOKUME GANE, THE silversmith must first create a ‘sandwich’ of metals fused together. Traditionally, sheets of fine silver, copper, silver and copper alloy and shakudo (an alloy of copper and gold) are layered. The artistry lies in selecting the order in which the metals are layered, which determines the colour and tone of the resulting pattern. The layers of metal are laminated (or diffusion bonded) together: the traditional approach calls for the maker to anneal and clean each layer of sheet metal (copper, shakudo, silver), build up until there are 32 layers (although there can be as many as 128) and press into a steel tray. The tray is then bound with wire and placed in acid to clean it before forging over a charcoal fire. It is closely watched for several hours until the metals fuse to form a billet, which is then forged and hammered to create a flat disk.
The true nature of the material is revealed by chiselling or punching through the metal to reveal the different coloured layers in carefully considered patterns. The sheet is again hammered flat and then goes through the process of shibori or handraising, to create the finished object. Mokume Gane traditionally uses chased and complex forms to explore the balance between form and pattern. A patina, rokusho, is applied, which enhances the distinct colours of each metal.
In the uk, the 1970s saw a rediscovery of the ancient Japanese process, but with different philosophies. Modern alternatives to the traditional approach include soldering rather than fusing the layers (the layer of solder alloys into the metal immediately surrounding it, requiring speed, accuracy and cleanliness); using kilns rather than forging in a fire; and rolling the sheet metal in a mill instead of hammering. Makers experimented; a “Mokume Gane machine” was created by Ian Ferguson at the Royal College of Art (rca) to allow exploration of lamination and pattern. The seminal 1982 publication, The Colouring,
Bronzing and Patination of Metals by Richard Hughes and Michael Rowe, opened up the possibilities of exploring the chemistry of colour.
Two practitioners associated with Mokume Gane have taken different routes to making it. Not wishing simply to recreate, Alistair McCallum explains, “I developed my own interpretation of the technique. I wished to innovate rather than emulate traditional Japanese work.” For Wayne Meeten, understanding tradition and its philosophical and cultural context was key: the only Western craftsman to study Mokume Gane with master craftsman Hirotoshi Itoh, followed by training in the traditional processes with official ‘National Living Treasure’ Norio Tawagama, he argues, “As soon as you let machinery in, your connection with the metal is void.”
For Meeten, using the technique is both about being part of an extraordinary tradition, and exploring the infinite randomness of the surface. “The patterns of Mokume Gane are as unique as a fingerprint; the rhythm of the tools create the signature of the individual maker.” The process requires great skill and an understanding of the chemical formulae and “a dialogue with the material and its tiny nuances”.
Craig Stuart also emphasises the great precision required: Mokume Gane is “not for the impatient. It cannot be rushed”. The risk of splitting the laminate or creating faults in the fusing of these costly materials is too great. Superficial observation suggests the patterns are random, or perhaps printed on the surface.
For Stuart, the connection to natural wood grain is clear: it has a “considered randomness, not actual randomness, in the way that a piece of wood is formed from the rings of the tree, reflecting the life of each tree. The way a tree sits can change the direction of a river. Mokume Gane gives me an organic form to work with within the confines of a solid shape.” Although Stuart’s approach is
Previous Mokume Gane
Discus Brooch by Craig Stuart, 2015. 18ct white gold and silver Mokume Gane with 22ct gold, sterling silver and diamond details.
SALLY BROUGHTON
embedded in the Japanese traditional processes, he appreciates that what appeals to him is, “both the historic aspect of tradition, and the continuation of a process. I am not attached to the idea of it only being done one way.”
There are technical distinctions between the different Mokume Gane techniques: an important property of Mokume Gane made using the traditional Japanese process, used today by Wayne Meeten and Craig Stuart, is that the pattern is not just on the surface but built into the structure of the metal all the way through. Other makers, like Alistair McCallum have, through experimentation rather than by design, adapted the processes of traditional Mokume Gane to suit the demands of their work: larger scale; the creation of functional objects which can be used; or the pursuit of new patterns, colours and textures which both draw from traditional Japanese Mokume Gane while being visually and technically distinct from this complex process.
Loss of sight means that McCallum no longer produces his distinctive work, but he is clear that he wants to share his process: he takes a strip of silver “20mm by 120mm and 1.5mm thick, layered with a sheet of gilding metal and sheet of copper. It is filed so it is flat and clean, with a bevelled edge along one side. Borax both sides, clean, reBorax. Use iron binding wire 0.8mm, tie every inch along the length, twist. Sit at bevelled angle on hearth. Heat to dull red. Concentrate flame on centre. Stick feed solder into the centre and heat from the other side until solder is coming through, avoiding going to the edges. Once you’ve stuck two layers together, pickle, then do the next layer, combining gilding metal,
Star Burst by Wayne Meeten, 2003, copper and silver Mokume Gane. GAVIN COTTRELL
copper and silver sheets. The layers are then put through the rolling mill, doubled in length, and the layers built up, up to 128 layers, in strip form, which is then rolled to 1.6mm thick.”
In place of using sulphides to patinate the metal, McCallum began using ammonia vapour. Ammonia doesn’t affect silver, and allows for precise and targeted
“A patina, rokusho, is applied, which enhances the distinct colours of each metal.”
patination. McCallum’s patterns are created using various techniques, including punching from the front with a shaped steel tool, for example a triangular form, creating clearly defined patterns. Changing the form of an object will also distort and change the pattern.
McCallum’s methods have influenced a new generation of makers. Hazel Thorn and Patrick Davison take Mokume Gane as a starting point to create materials which allow them to explore colour and texture in new ways. Hazel Thorn’s method involves constructing sheet metal by fusing rods of silver and gilding metal, which are then rolled flat and formed into vessels: a practice she refers to as “sideways Mokume, or Mokume’s cousin”. There is always an intuitive relationship between form and surface: “In my work the pattern is less dense, so I can make more complex forms.” Thorn also exploits the possibilities of colour using ammonia vapour, which has a different reaction with each metal used. “Silver remains white, gilding metal turns black and the areas where these two metals are alloyed create a turquoise-blue.”
Patrick Davison’s approach is to build up a material from a physical standpoint, “creating the building blocks for your work”. During his time working at the rca , Davison has encountered the “Mokume Gane machine”, signifying the plural approaches the technique has inspired. Many of his experiments look to Mokume processes but are inherently about exploring mixed metal techniques. He rejects the “idea in the air” that soldering is not as “good nor as strong as fusing”, and while traditionally made Mokume Gane has “an aura” new techniques can sit alongside it. A recent piece uses the unusual combination of sterling and fine silver alloys, to create a “Mokume with white gold and silver like white noise”. Visitors to the 2018 collect art fair encountered both the traditional and modern takes on Mokume Gane: Japanese traditionalism with Norio Tawagama, a modern take on tradition by Ryuhei Sako, and Patrick Davison’s more experimental approach inspired by Mokume Gane’s aesthetics. The mixture of metals used in the Mokume Gane process has precluded British users of the technique from marking their work (although 2007 changes to hallmarking regulations allow the marking of mixed metals where each metal is distinguishable by colour), so makers tend towards a maker’s mark or signature instead. However with Mokume Gane, and its descendants, the hand of the maker is more visible than you might expect: it is captured in the colours, the pattern, and the very fabric of the object itself. ✦
Opposite Vase by Alistair McCallum, 2002, silver, copper and gilding metal. Mokume Gane on the outside surface, matt finished silver on interior surface. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. CLARISSA BRUCE
Top Box 2017 by Patrick Davison, 2017, fine silver, 18ct red gold, 18ct green gold. PATRICK DAVISON
Bottom Fractured bowls by Hazel Thorn, 2015, Britannia silver and gilding-metal. SHANNON TOFTS
THOUGH THE COIN BE FAIR: HALLMARKING AND LANGUAGE
SOPHIA TOBIN
PRECIOUS METAL HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF FASCINATION for human beings since earliest times, and assaying is mentioned in the Bible as far back as the book of Isaiah (8th century bce). It is little wonder that references to assaying have been absorbed into our language, becoming subject to semantic change and acquiring wider cultural significance.
The explanation of the phrase the ‘acid test’ is a popular part of tours of the Hall and visitors are often surprised to learn that it has its roots in assaying. When a piece of gold is tested in this way, it is drawn across a touchstone, leaving a coloured line. A touchneedle of the correct carat is then drawn across the stone next to the original mark. A drop of nitric acid is applied to each line, and the colours are compared by eye. According to conservator and author Andrew W Oddy the first mention of the use of acid in a touchstone test is in the account of the Mint in Moslem, Egypt, in the 13th century. Skip forward four centuries and the Oxford English Dictionary (oed) identifies the first reference to the set phrase ‘the acid test’ as dating to 1759. By 1854 it had come to be used to signify ‘a crucial or definitive test’ whether of character, business or any other quality; and by 1925 it was being used in a business phrase: the ‘acid test ratio’ refers to a business’s ability to meet its obligations: ‘usually calculated as the ratio of liquid assets to current liabilities’ oed).
For Britain’s poets and playwrights, the assaying process has provided an analogy for test of character over the centuries. In her study of Chaucer’s literary use of gold, Valerie Allen cites the following lines from the Clerk’s Tale to indicate the way in which Chaucer often used the metal to indicate someone’s true nature (in this case, two women):
For if that they were put to swiche assayes, The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes With bras, that thogh the coyne be fair at ye It wolde rather brest a-two than plye
(If they were put to the assay, the gold is so badly alloyed with brass, that though the coin looks fair, it would sooner break in two than bend).
Shakespeare similarly employed the touchstone for literary effect. The fool in As You Like It, who ‘tests’ characters, was called Touchstone (and was first played by Robert Armin, a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company). Now, the word used to describe this black, finely-grained stone is also used to generally define ‘a reference point by which something is assessed or judged’. The Goldsmiths’ Company’s practices aren’t the only things which have found their way into language: its building has too. The oed’s entry for the word ‘hall-mark’ explains the word’s origins lying in ‘hall – the name of the London Assay Office at Goldsmiths’ Hall’ with its first reference identified in 1721 in the London Gazette . As marking at Goldsmiths’ Hall commenced in 1478, this seems a rather late development, and perhaps earlier references will be found. As with the acid test, the meaning has evolved over time to be used in other contexts – it is also defined as ‘a distinctive mark or token of genuineness, good breeding, or excellence.’
To the modern English speaker, a masterpiece is a piece of outstanding skill, often associated with high artistry. Originally from the Dutch word ‘ meesterstik ’, in English this became ‘masterstick’, evolving to masterpiece by 1600. Unlike the assaying examples, it is not specific to goldsmithing – the term is used by other guilds and companies. It signifies a piece made by someone to prove that they are worthy of joining a guild, and Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices present their masterpieces to the wardens to earn their freedoms today, as they have over many centuries. Finally, when we talk of something being ‘up to standard’, we are using hallmarking terminology to indicate the meeting of expectations, but other phrases are less clear-cut. According to official sources, the phrase ‘up to scratch’ refers to sporting terminology (particularly boxing or cricket), but within the assay office it has long been associated with the lines of colour left on the touchstone during the acid test, and the idea of a piece being up to standard. The door is open for challenges to the official definition. ✦
The acid test being carried out at the London Assay Office.
MARTIN STEWART
Recreating Nelson’s Chelengk
MARTYN DOWNER
On the evening of 1 August 1798, a squadron of British warships led by Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson swept into Aboukir Bay on the coast of Egypt near Alexandria and destroyed the French fleet anchored there. It was an astonishing feat which at a stroke cut off the invasion force, commanded by the dashing young general Napoleon Bonaparte, which had occupied Egypt just weeks before. Following his great victory, Nelson was showered with titles and trophies from grateful monarchs and merchants across Europe whose interests had been threatened by French mastery of the Mediterranean.
NONE WAS MORE GRATEFUL, HOWEVER, THAN the Ottoman Emperor Sultan Selim iii whose territory in Egypt had been so violently seized by the French. From his palace in Constantinople, Selim ordered that 2,000 gold coins be sent for distribution among the wounded British crews and that Nelson should be presented with a “fine fur and a superior çelenk”. The fur – a long red robe lined with sable – was a traditional royal gift to a high-ranking Ottoman dignitary but the çelenk, pronounced Chèlenk, was a more mysterious and strange sounding object to western ears. Spencer Smith, the British Minister in Turkey who was summoned to see the çelenk before it was shipped to Nelson, called it a Plume of Triumph awarded to Ottoman soldiers who had shown great bravery in battle. Such awards could be as simple as silver sheet hastily cut out in the shape of a feather or as luxurious as the “blaze of brilliants crowned with a vibrating plumage” selected for Nelson from the Sultan’s personal treasury. The çelenk’s most astonishing feature was a “radiant star in the middle turning upon its center by means of watch work”. Smith sent a sketch of the jewel to the Foreign Office in London, commenting that it was the first of such an award given to a non-Muslim. His drawing showed an oval shaped ornament with the rotating star in its centre, a bow at its base and topped by five diamond set feathers.
The sultan’s sparkling gift generated huge interest in England with the publication of Smith’s sketch sparking a fashion craze for similar ‘Chelengks’ among men and women. The design was used to augment Nelson’s coat of arms with a new heraldic crest, then copied by Paul Storr for the handles on a set of silver dishes (recently displayed at Goldsmiths’ Hall) presented to the admiral by Lloyd’s Coffee House. However, it now appears that this original ‘Chelengk’ had already been superseded by an even more lavish and bizarre jewel made especially for Nelson on the Sultan’s order. According to reports from Sicily, where Nelson was based after the battle of the Nile, this second jewel had ‘13 fingers or sprigs in allusion to the 13 ships taken and destroyed at Alexandria’. Moreover, it was set with rose diamonds not brilliant-cut stones
“Following his great victory, Nelson was showered with titles and trophies from grateful monarchs.”
Previous Selecting the stones in preparation for the remaking the Chelengk. JOANNA HARDY
like the original Chelengk which now disappeared: either sold by Nelson or converted by him into a gift for his mistress.
The two jewels have caused confusion to artists and biographers ever since. On his return to England Nelson changed his coat of arms to show his new, bespoke Chelengk which was also depicted in a portrait of the admiral completed by William Beechey in 1800. The painting showed the 13 plumes cresting the Chelengk but also a lot of other detail apparently lacking when the jewel, now a treasured relic, eventually found its way to the National Maritime Museum in 1936 (from where it was stolen 15 years later and lost forever). So the recent discovery at the College of Arms of a hitherto unknown and highly detailed drawing of the Chelengk, probably completed soon after Nelson’s death at Trafalgar, has transformed our understanding of this famous object. The drawing shows the central diamond star on a red disc surrounded by a dense cluster of enamel flowerheads – now known to have been subsequently stripped away by the family – and a single cabochon ruby: a traditional Turkish talisman to ward off danger.
The recreated Chelengk. SYMBOLIC & CHASE, LONDON
Right Author Martyn Downer shows the recreated Chelengk to hrh The Duke of York and President Erdogan of Turkey at the British-Turkish Tatlidil Forum in May.
Finding this remarkable drawing offered a perfect opportunity to make an exact replica of Nelson’s lost jewel. After specialist dealers Symbolic & Chase agreed to sponsor this exciting project, master goldsmith Philip Denyer, who has some 40 years’ experience at the bench working with antique jewels, was engaged to make a new Chelengk at his Soho workshop. Authenticity was paramount to the success of the daunting task and one of the biggest obstacles was finding sufficient original rose diamonds, some 400 in all, to complete the setting. By extraordinary good fortune, the stones were salvaged from several damaged 18th-century jewels which also provided the four largest diamonds weighing 2.38cts, 1.36cts and 1.17cts and all perfect fits to the original design. Likewise, Philip was keen to know the metal content of the silver used by his 18th century forebears, sending a period sample to the Assay Office for examination. The sample revealed an alloy of silver 698.9 ppt; copper 266.2 ppt; lead 5.5 ppt; zinc 27.8 ppt and, surprisingly, gold 1.9 ppt. Below even 800 standard, the alloy proved impossible to replicate in workable form.
Like the 13 plumes cresting the jewel, all the flowerheads surrounding the central star were mounted en tremblant with their petals enamelled in a soft antique white by specialists Kempson & Mauger who also decorated the central disc in a rich ‘Ottoman Red’ enamel, a colour notoriously prone to fracture. The clockwork mechanism known to have driven the central star in the original jewel posed particular problems. The jewel was designed to be worn on a turban and the archives revealed that the clockwork was wound from the front using the star itself, which then rotated counter-clockwise in a ‘slow and equable motion’. As this method excluded the use of a separate key, Philip had to rethink his solution. Watching the key slowly unwind as a small musical box played gave him the answer. Using a similar mechanism, he replaced the key with the star crafting a fan regulator to control the movement and piercing out its casing to allow air to circulate and keep it running smoothly.
After six months and hundreds of hours of work by Philip and his small team of specialist outworkers, the finished jewel was unveiled in the Great Cabin of Nelson’s flagship hms Victory on 21 October 2017, Trafalgar Day. This evocative setting was arranged by the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth which had filmed the making of the iconic jewel before exhibiting it in the Nelson Gallery at the Historic Dockyard on a replica dress uniform hat made to Nelson’s original specifications by his hatters, Lock & Co of St James’s. Together they brilliantly evoke the uniqueness of Nelson and celebrate the very best of British craftsmanship. ✦
Left
Discovering Historic Techniques
recreating historic techniques can be very challenging, but Freeman Jennifer Kata decided to produce a piece of jewellery en tremblant to present as her masterpiece at the end of her five-year diamond-mounting apprenticeship. She told The Goldsmiths’Review what happened:
“An apprentice’s masterpiece should be the culmination of all the skills they have learnt during their time served. It should show many different skills and techniques and combine these in a well thought out design. It is the opportunity to spend a good amount of time on one project, something that doesn’t happen very often, and to really push yourself out of your comfort zone and test yourself. With all of this in mind I designed and made a floral spray brooch with an en tremblant flower.
“This included a variety of different skills from backholing every flower and leaf to making a silver bow to hold the spray together. I made everything as traditionally as possible, with every element being in sterling silver with a fine 18ct yellow gold backing.
“When I first moved to London I spent a lot of time visiting museums and art galleries. I loved visiting the Jewellery Gallery in the Victoria and Albert Museum (v&a). I was particularly drawn to the exhibit of Lady Cory’s large en tremblant brooch and loved the way the piece trembled and quivered as I walked past it. After starting my apprenticeship I saw many wonderful styles and types of jewellery but this brooch stuck with me. I wanted to recreate the wonder that I felt at the beginning of my apprenticeship.
“When I began planning and designing my masterpiece I very quickly realised that making a tremble mechanism as I wanted was not going to be easy as there wasn’t a great deal of information available. Initially I looked online to
no avail. Even the images of tremble mechanisms I found seemed rudimentary, ‘crafty’ and often untidy. I wanted to make a piece that was refined and hidden within a box.
“I approached the Goldsmiths’ Centre to see whether they had any relevant teaching materials. Although they had a design showing how to make a butterfly wing tremble, this mechanism wasn’t going to help make my flower dance. They suggested the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Library and Curatorial Department. At the Hall I was able to go into the vault and examine some amazing items of modern, kinetic jewellery, but my search for traditional en tremblant work continued.
“The Library team then referred me to one of their contacts within the v&a – conservator Jo Whalley. You can imagine how excited I was about this prospect as this was where my fascination with en tremblant started. It was a great day having an expert tell me as much as she could about the history of en tremblant and brooches of the era. It was after speaking with her that I decided to make my brooch, traditionally, with a gold back to the piece.
“Next I was put in touch with David Callaghan of Hancock’s & Co, who introduced me to his colleague and friend Peter Payne, who kindly agreed to visit my workshop. After telling him what exactly I was looking for, he explained how he would go about tackling it and together we came up with the final design for my en tremblant mechanism.
“It was quite a journey in pursuit of information on the elusive en tremblant mechanism. Along the way I met many interesting people and the main point I will take with me from this was how willing to help everyone has been. It was wonderful.” ✦
Floral spray brooch with en tremblant flower by Jennifer Kata, 2017, sterling silver and 18ct gold.
RICHARD VALENCIA COURTESY OF THE GOLDSMITHS’ CRAFT & DESIGN COUNCIL.
The reverse of the recreated Chelengk in the hand of Philip Denyer. DAVID BOTWINIK
WORKING CHANCE
CIORSDAN BROWN
“The financial support of the Goldsmiths’ Company allows us to transform more women’s, and their children’s, lives.”
THE GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY RECOGNISES that support for resilient charities working in a very difficult prison system – whether prior to sentencing, during, or post-release – has never been more crucial. Perhaps no single charity can claim to be the sole reason behind preventing a person’s recidivism, however, multiple interventions dealing with employment, housing, education and wellbeing which form a web of support can undoubtedly help people on their way.
Women are an oft-neglected group in prison rehabilitation programmes, despite having very specific needs. The charity Working Chance helped the Company’s charity committee understand that this group needs differently tailored pathways to help them reintegrate into society and rebuild their lives. Jocelyn Hillman, ceo and founder of Working Chance tells the story of Jenny, a woman who benefited from the fantastic support that Working Chance provides.
“Every time I walk into work, I pinch myself”. These are the inspiring words uttered by Jenny, a female ex-offender who works at the House of Commons for an mp.
Jenny is one of hundreds of female ex-offenders who Working Chance has helped to place in paid employment over the past decade. Working Chance is the uk’s only recruitment consultancy supporting women leaving the criminal justice and care systems into jobs with mainstream employers. Some of the employers we work with include Pret A Manger, Transport for London, Virgin Trains, Mitie and Honest Burgers.
Our aim is to educate employers, change their hiring practices and help them create social value.
We fundamentally believe that women coming out of the criminal justice system should be financially autonomous. Condemning ex-offender women, and often their children, to a life of benefits and social exclusion makes no sense – for them, society or the economy. What is the typical profile of a female offender? Anyone can end up in prison. We are all, as the Governor of hmp Holloway used to say, just three bad decisions away from being in prison.
In Jenny’s case, she left school with few qualifications and fell in with the wrong crowd. Just after turning 18 she was sent to prison for four years for drug trafficking. She made a serious mistake and now has a criminal record for life. The shock of prison was immense for Jenny and her sentence could easily have been the start of a long spiral downwards, but Jenny wanted to recreate her future and fit back into society. Upon release Jenny tried applying for work but as soon as she disclosed her criminal conviction, a job interview would abruptly end or applications would not be answered. Jenny felt hopeless, dejected and lost her confidence.
The stark reality is that most women with convictions feel that, without support on release, the barriers to employment are too great to overcome. As one of our job candidates bleakly observed: “The punishment starts when you leave prison and no one will give you a job.”
It is ironic that in prison we tell offenders to go straight and to be law-abiding citizens. But, when they come out of prison, we do everything to stop them from doing that. We are essentially setting them up to fail once they are released. Fortunately, Jenny heard about one of our Working Chance workshops. We started with a simple registration interview and we discussed her career plan, work experience and what support she might need. In addition, Working Chance worked with Jenny to build her confidence about disclosing her criminal record, applying for work and talking about her conviction at interviews. We helped get her cv into shape and prepared her for interviews. We carefully matched her with a suitable role and employer. We introduced Jenny to the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme, a nine-month work experience scheme aiming to open up careers in Parliament.
Jenny has now worked for two mps carrying out policy research, dealing with constituency enquiries, writing press releases and working on campaigns. Her experience has made her determined to become a Member of Parliament herself.
Female ex-offenders are some of the most hardworking and trustworthy employees that one will come across. They absolutely want to avoid ending up in prison again and are so keen to prove themselves that they will always go the extra mile with their jobs. This is feedback that Working Chance receives again and again from employers we work with. There are two key factors needed for people in Jenny’s position: absolute determination on their part and a helping hand from an organisation such as Working Chance. The financial support of the Goldsmiths’ Company is invaluable to us as it allows us to transform more women’s, and their children’s, lives.
Working Chance is just one of the charities working within prisoner rehabilitation that the Company supports, and there are many more stories like Jenny’s to tell. ✦
Jocelyn Hillman obe founder of Working Chance, at the charity’s central office.
JULIA SKUPNY
Stellar: The Jewellery of Tomasz Donocik
A strikingly designed and beautifully made new piece has just joined the Goldsmiths’ Company’s illustrious permanent Collection, which showcases some of the best ideas and craftsmanship from Britain’s jewellers and silversmiths. This dramatic diamond necklace, which looks almost like shards of ice, was designed and made by Tomasz Donocik, a Polish-born, British-educated jeweller who is a regular exhibitor at Goldsmiths’ Fair and who has grown both his reputation and his business over the past decade into one of Britain’s most innovative jewellery studios.
TOMASZ DESIGNED THE NECKLACE AS HIS entry for the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Ambassador Diamond Necklace competition (which was won by Daphne Krinos), and it so appealed to the Company’s Prime Warden Michael Wainwright, the managing director of sixth-generation jewellery firm Boodles, that he decided to make it his gift to the Collection. “The Prime Warden’s commission is normally a piece of silver,” he explains, “but because my background is entirely in jewellery I naturally wanted my commission to be fine, diamond-set jewellery. I wanted to give an exciting, up-and-coming talent the chance to design and make the piece. Tomasz Donocik is exactly that type of designer so I decided, with the Goldsmiths’ Company’s blessing, to award it to him.” ☛
Opposite The Wainwright Diamond Necklace on Tomasz’s workbench, 2018. JAMES CHAMPION
Above Electric Night Blade Runner Ring, 2014, 18ct rose gold set with emeralds, sapphires, iolite, amethyst, blue topaz and tanzanite.
RICHARD VALENCIA
The pieces in the Collection are used for their original purpose or loaned to exhibitions worldwide, to inspire future generations of designers and makers. There is no doubt that Tomasz’s necklace will fulfil the brief. Its innovative stones and construction would impress any fledgling jeweller looking for ideas. It forms the centrepiece of his current collection, based on geometric forms and inspired by influences as disparate as the Art Deco movement and the colourful geometry of Frank Stella’s artwork, and including straight lines and firework-like explosions of slanted cut-offs, set with his favourite baguette gemstones, sparked up with lines of diamond brilliants and contrasted with hardstone slices in anything from milky pink opal to the metallic sheen of haematite. These exciting pieces, with a great sense of life and movement, represent Tomasz’s take on the modern, urban design style currently enthralling many young jewellery designers – a mood which looks more to the man-made, built environment than the natural world which influenced so many previous eras, and yet also has echoes of both 1930s and 1960s style. Tomasz was an early adopter – he is naturally drawn to the unconventional in jewellery design and announced his presence on the London scene with the Chesterfield: a slightly surreal leather cuff, its tiny padded ovals interspersed with little diamonds instead of buttons.
“I came to the uk to study art and didn’t really intend to be a jeweller,” he tells me when we meet at the café attached to the Goldsmiths’ Centre in Farringdon, where he first had a workbench. The son of Polish academics, he was brought up in Vienna and soon showed a talent for painting.
“I loved fine art and my father wanted me to find an art-related job so I came to do a foundation year at Central Saint Martins,” he says. “I tried several aspects and chose jewellery for my ba quite pragmatically, figuring that as I had ideas and could draw, and wanted to learn to make jewellery,
I could get a job designing if I turned out to be bad at making it.”
In the event he loved the making side as much as sketching his ideas. “I love problem-solving and making my ideas wearable,” he says. “I wanted to use magnets (with little safety clips) as easy fasteners, but with handmade jewellery every detail must be perfect and it takes time to get right”. He took his ma at the Royal College of Art where he worked with David Watkins, whom he describes as “an amazing mentor, very open-minded”.
There he first tried basic cad work which, he says, “is really good for repetitive, geometric designs but the make still has to be by hand”. He used it for the Chesterfield, which brought him to the attention of Stephen Webster, who employed him for a year on both his eponymous and Garrard collections, and encouraged Tomasz to show with his Rock Vault young jewellers’ group, at both London Fashion Week and Couture in Las Vegas.
Tomasz soon received bespoke orders, initially in a figurative style to which he always adds a twist, such as mythical birds or gem-backed crocodiles. He moved on to jewels inspired by films and art, creating pieces exploring the aesthetics of baguettecut stones which draw on Frank Stella’s geometric paintings and the Utopian and sci-fi vision from Dune , and also its dystopian reverse in Blade Runner , which inspired multicoloured pieces such as neon tubes. “I love to be unrestrained in my inspiration”, he says. “I didn’t go to csm and the rca to do skulls but I also realise you can’t make a living out of conceptual jewels.” Finding a keen market in Japan, where he has sold successfully for a decade, he has added more accessible items derived from his one-offs, such as smaller baguette pieces and stacking rings, and his well-known Black Star designs based on a star-cut black diamond or its open, white pavé surround.
Starting in business around the time of the 2008 crash, he nimbly looked to under-
Top Tomasz Donocik making The Wainwright Diamond Necklace
Left Stellar Explosion Ring, 2018, 18ct rose gold set with white diamonds, Mozambique rubies, pink opal, white agate and black hematite.
Right Dune Earrings 2018, 18ct rose gold set with white diamonds, Mozambique rubies, pink opal, white agate and black hematite.
JAMES CHAMPION
represented areas such as men’s jewellery, still important, and for which he is his own best advert: when we meet he is wearing a triple twist, black-leather bracelet adorned with black diamonds and blackened gold stars, sleek yet casual with his black velvet jacket. Designs like this are now equally popular with women and come in a wide variety of coloured stones and leather. However, his annual highlight is the Goldsmiths’ Fair, where he can beguile clients with unique pieces like the Hornbill conceptual ring or necklaces similar to the Prime Warden’s gift, which took a year to make, entailing setting 19 carats of diamonds and making 266 hinges to ensure it is flexible and comfortable.
He supports the Fair because he regards the Company “as a really great institution, which helps so many young jewellers”. He is a Freeman of it, as is his wife (Stephen Webster’s managing director) and his father-in-law, and his daughter was christened in the church next to the Hall.
“Mine is a small company but I want to give something back,” he says. He takes paid interns from his old college but has only two full-time employees and has no desire to be a “big faceless brand”. “We need to grow but I can’t imagine being bigger than about 10 people,” he says.
“I love the personal touch – discussing a commission with a client, making them a beautiful drawing of their dream, finally handing them a unique piece of jewellery made by human hand and eye. I think that’s what they like too.” ✦
The Courtship of the Hornbill Ring, 2011, 18ct white gold set with white diamonds, black diamonds, rubies and mammoth tusk fossil from Siberia.
COURTESY OF TOMASZ DONOCIK
COMPANY NEWS
A craftsman applies gold leaf during the redecoration of the Livery Hall. JULIA SKUPNY
A PRIME WARDEN’S YEAR
“Yes, but what do you actually do?” Beyond the square mile and the gilded world of the Great xii that’s probably been the most frequent question of the past 12 months. Generally it comes just after explaining that I’m Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company, and no, I’m not a ‘Wardress’; ‘Wardens’ are different from ‘Warders’, and in fact it’s been quite some time since we last imprisoned anybody.
But in the end, to answer the question, I went through the diary. During the year I ‘did’: 134 meetings, 66 events,
64 working lunches and 74 girth-challenging dinners. Very easy, then, to identify with William Parente’s comment on his year, that “soon, the diary, like the Prime Warden, is full to bursting”. Or as Arthur Drysdale said, catching sight of the schedule, “That looks pole-axing!” But from all that, how to distill what stands out? It has been the most amazing, varied, humbling, fun and exciting 12 months.
The 66 events have ranged from the inspirational to the bizarre. Probably the most awe-inspiring was the Lincoln Heritage Skills Festival weekend. The Dean invited 24 Livery
Companies whose skills created the Cathedral in 1185 to show what their 21st century apprentices do. The whole of the building was stripped out – goldsmiths and carpenters working alongside stonemasons, joiners, tylers, plaisterers, glaziers, broderers; even saddlers, though the horse in the nave, mercifully, was stuffed. The Cathedral rang with chiselling, sawing and hammering on stone, wood and metal. For a brief two days, we felt what it must have been like to be a mediaeval church-builder.
Slightly more bizarre was the Doggett’s Coat and Badge Race in which Thames Watermen compete for the coveted scarlet jacket and silver arm-badge. We livery Masters followed in the rowers’ wake, on the top deck of a large pleasure boat, so high above the water that the competitors below were completely invisible. But we were ordered to remain seated, as otherwise the pilot in the wheelhouse would be unsighted. So not wanting the race to come to a premature and messy end, we did what any self-respecting Masters would do, sat tight and quaffed champagne.
Other memories are fleeting: attending the private launch at St James’ Palace of European Silver in the Queen’s Collection and listening to Tim Schroder describing a 16th century piece in front of him. Watching with Chan Allen, outdoors at London Youth’s Woodrow High House near Amersham, as excited schoolchildren learnt how to make fire on one of the coldest days of the year. Seeing the smile on Dr David Mitchell’s face as his 17-year research project ended and his book on Tudor and Stuart silver was finally launched with a tremendous Symposium at the Hall.
Another stand-out moment was hosting hrh Prince Henry of Wales and Ms Meghan Markle when they visited the Hall to present the Princes’ Endeavour Fund Awards for young disabled ex-service-people. These were powerboat racers, Antarctic explorers, blind skiers, who refused to be defined by their disability. And who were equally keen on sponsored fundraising so that others could share the same experiences. Two servicewomen, one paralysed when a vehicle drove over her in Basra, the other who lost her lower limbs to an ied, told me of their plans to cycle coast-to-coast across America to raise money. It felt really worthwhile to be able to make a donation from Wardens’ funds.
But the greatest privilege was on 1 June, launching the Company’s programme for the decade leading up to the 700th anniversary of our first Royal Charter in 2027, and our commitment to give away £70m. Greater generosity in our giving is something my predecessor Michael Wainwright fought for. So it was very special to be
able to announce immediately a £10m pledge to the Museum of London to create a Goldsmiths’ Gallery, when the Museum moves to Smithfield. This means that the magnificent 17th century Cheapside Hoard can come out of storage and onto public display where it belongs, surrounded by a number of treasures from the Company Collection. The Museum will also be providing silversmiths and jewellers with space to demonstrate and sell their work. Those are the dream moments. But some of the happiest memories are of doing what Goldsmiths’ does best –running the day-to-day business of a 21st century working Livery Company. This other 9/10ths of the iceberg just wouldn’t have been possible without tremendous support from Michael Prideaux, Richard Fox and David Reddaway, as well as some of the 146 people who quietly go about their work unseen, like the Beadle’s team and our incredible library staff.
One thing this year has taught me is that we should never underestimate the value of our close links to our trade. Other Great xii Masters are amazed when I say that I’m never more than a door away from a working Assay Office. But this slight ‘credibility-envy’ apart, we have been a fun-loving and cohesive group of twelve, even daring once to have a private luncheon without our Clerks. (It helps of course when a fellow-Master owns the restaurant.) And Annie Wainwright has done an amazing job of running the Great xii spouses’ programme for the Company.
Lastly, in the years running up to 2012, I spent so much time on the construction site that was the Goldsmiths’ Centre that it’s been tremendous going back there during the past 12 months, watching the work of graduates, Foundation students and apprentices. Then welcoming them to the Hall with their Masters and families, cradling their breathtaking ‘Masterpieces’, so that we Wardens can make them Free of their bonds. They make it easy, as Prime Warden, to be so proud of everything Peter Taylor and his team at the Centre do, consistently and uncompromisingly targeting excellence. And if you’ve not been to the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Competition Awards, go this year. It reminds you what our company is really about.
So Michael and Sue Prideaux have a lot to look forward to. Who needs sleep anyway? ✦
JUDITH COBHAM-LOWE
LOOKING BACK AT THE YEAR
Goldsmiths’ Fair 2017
The 2017 Goldsmiths’ Fair took place between 26 September – 8 October 2017, with 126 makers taking part. Jeweller Jonathan Boyd won the Fair’s Best New Design Award (week one) for his conceptual brooches Weeds, depicting the life cycle of a flower. The week two Award was won by jeweller Sonia Cheadle for her Four Seasons Brooches inspired by the seasonal changes in trees. Visitors could also view exhibitions, including The New Abstraction: Sculptural Silver, curated by Christina Jansen, Managing Director of the Scottish Gallery.
WorldSkills / Skills Show
Alexander Wood of the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme received a Medallion of Excellence at the 44th WorldSkills Competition, held in Abu Dhabi from 15–18 October 2017. He was chosen to represent the uk and came seventh in the world out of 17 competitors. At the Skills Show, held in Birmingham on 16–18 November, Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentices topped the medals table in the Fine Jewellery Category, with Samuel McMahon of Mappin and Webb taking gold, Luke Blackie of Mandos Jewellery of London taking silver, and Robert Dean of Garrard & Co awarded bronze.
Make Your Mark 2017
More than 700 visitors came to the fourth annual Make Your Mark event on 31 October and 1 November 2017 at Goldsmiths’ Hall. This free event, aimed at anyone studying on a uk-based precious-metal-related course or apprentice programme, saw 25 companies from across the trade exhibiting, and a variety of advice sessions and lectures. The Make Your Mark Awards were announced on the first evening: the winner of the Jewellery category was Charelle Smith for her Unlock the Hallmark pendant. There was no winner of the Silversmithing category, however a special Deputy Warden’s prize was awarded to Rebecca Neil for her Take Your Pick cocktail stick set.
New Designers 2017
“Technically outstanding,” was how the judges described Miki Asai’s brooch Preserved Moments, which won the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Prize for Jewellery at New Designers 2017. A modern interpretation of en tremblant, the brooch incorporated nearly 200 hand-wound 18-carat gold springs and discs which vibrated to catch the light. In the Silversmithing category, Andrew Fleming won for his silverware collection Construct, which was inspired by architecture and the process of building. His work was described as “whimsical, precise and beautiful” by the judges. Both winners were from the Glasgow School of Art.
Symposium on Elizabethan and Stuart Goldsmiths
On 19 January 2018, the symposium Commerce with all the world: being a goldsmith in the 16th and 17th centuries was held at Goldsmiths’ Hall. Featuring leading scholars in the silver world, the symposium was held to celebrate the publication of the book Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London: Their Lives and Their Marks, by Dr David Mitchell, the culmination of a 17 year research project into the Company’s records. Archival documents and pieces from the Company’s Collection were also on display.
Judge Harriet Kelsall with Make Your Mark Jewellery award winner Charelle Smith (l) and Catherine McGinty (r) who was Highly Commended.
JULIA SKUPNY
The New Abstraction: Sculptural Silver exhibition at Goldsmiths’ Fair 2017. JENNIFER BALCOMBE
The annual trial of the nation’s coinage was opened by the Queen’s Remembrancer on 30 January 2018, when approximately 25,000 coins were counted and scrutinised by a jury at Goldsmiths’ Hall before samples were sent for analysis at the London Assay Office. Commemorative coins included those celebrating Jane Austen and Sir Isaac Newton, the latter being a former Master of the Mint. The Delivery of the Verdicts was given on 27 April 2017.
Nelson’s Chelengk
On 5 March, jewellery expert Joanna Hardy chaired a lecture and discussion on the subject of Nelson’s Chelengk, a jewel given to the Admiral by Sultan Selim iii after the Battle of the Nile. Historian Martyn Downer, author of Nelson’s Lost Jewel, outlined the history of the piece, which was stolen some decades ago and has now been recreated by jeweller Philip Denyer. The replica was displayed at the Hall from 12–23 March 2018.
Grant Macdonald –International Silversmith
The exhibition Grant Macdonald – International Silversmith opened at Goldsmiths’ Hall on 25 April. It celebrates the creativity and innovation of this London-based silversmith over the past five decades, and his contribution to the silversmith’s art both at home and abroad. It will run until 25 July 2018.
Top Prime Warden Judith CobhamLowe at the Trial of the Pyx.
RICHARD LEA-HAIR
Left Martyn Downer speaking at the Nelson’s Chelengk lecture.
JENNIFER
BALCOMBE
Made for the Table
The exhibition Made for the Table focussed on the inspirational nature of domestic silver, balancing tradition and innovation. Featuring historic pieces from the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Collection, its central display was of a contemporary table setting which displayed innovative modern silver tablewares alongside contemporary textiles, furniture and ceramics. Now touring, it initially ran at The Harley Gallery from 4 November 2017 to 7 January 2018.
Goldsmiths’ Lecture
On 2 May Dr Tristram Hunt gave the second annual Goldsmiths’ Lecture on the decorative arts and their place in modern culture. Entitled ‘v&a: Preserving the Past, Curating the Future’, Dr Hunt discussed the mission of the v&a from its Victorian beginnings, and how its founding commitment to the “artisan in design”continues to define its mission today.
Grant Macdonald with Baroness Fairhead at the opening of Grant Macdonald–International Silversmith RICHARD LEA-HAIR
Above Dr Tristram Hunt giving the Goldsmiths’ Lecture. TOM GILFILLAN Left Nan Nan Liu takes a photograph of the Made for the Table installation at The Harley Gallery.
The Clerk at the Made for the Table exhibition opening.
PHOTOGRAPHY
THE CLERK’S REPORT NEW ASSISTANTS
When Thomas de Barkyn became Prime Warden in 1327, the year of the Company’s first Royal Charter, it probably never entered his mind that a woman would ever occupy that office. And I doubt that George Adams Davis, 500 years down the line of successors in 1827, thought differently.
But the 690 years of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s history have been a story of continual change – with some changes coming faster than others. And 2017, the first year of the decade leading up to the Company’s celebration of its 700th anniversary in 2027, will always be noteworthy for the election of our first female Prime Warden, Judith CobhamLowe; and also for an election to the Court that increased the number of female Assistants from two to five. Judith has shown incredible commitment and stamina as Prime Warden, taking an active interest in all aspects of the Company’s work; and the Court can now draw on some tremendous additional expertise.
The year 2017 has also seen us moving ahead on our 700th anniversary framework, designed to ensure that we are ambitious and coordinated in setting our objectives and priorities over the next 10 years. We aren’t spending much time yet on working up our preliminary thinking about events during 2027 itself. But we are fully engaged on a range of projects we want to launch before then. The biggest is still our £10 million Founding Partnership with the new Museum of London opening in Smithfield in 2023; but we also now have a gleam in the eye for another potential
‘Big Idea’. The Westminster Abbey Diamond Jubilee Galleries, to which we made a significant donation, have been completed. Reflecting our 700th anniversary objective of doing more to support the trade and craft outside London, we will be a partner in a Goldsmiths North selling exhibition in Sheffield, launching in 2019. We will also be funding three phds on the science of precious metals in Cambridge. We have made a donation to St Paul’s Cathedral to improve disabled access. We are setting up a Goldsmiths’ Company Award for Schools’ Community Engagement – Judith Cobham-Lowe’s initiative, designed to recognise and encourage schools’ involvement in their local communities. We are paying for the regilding of the ‘gingerbread’ on the Cutty Sark. And we are moving ahead with plans for a multi-volume catalogue of our Collections and a new history of the Company, as well as on digitising the Company’s Archives and Collections. In addition to all that, the Court has again increased the charitable and
educational budgets; and we have changed the way we support the trade and craft by moving the work of the Craft & Industry Committee to the Goldsmiths’ Centre. The Assay Office has introduced a raft of changes to improve efficiency and service. The Fair was another impressive success, generating over £2.3 million in sales and orders for its exhibitors. We have been transforming our it – fundamentally important to the Assay Office and everyone else; refurbished the Livery Hall; reviewed philanthropy inside the Company; restructured our Communications strategy and team; and found successors to Nick Harland (Simon Hutchinson) and Rosemary Ransome Wallis (Dora Thornton), who have left the staff but, happily, not the Livery. So it’s been a busy time on all fronts.
I hope you have seen the Changing Lives report giving a snapshot of our contribution to national life across the range of our agenda. It’s an exciting story. I am sure Thomas de Barkyn would be astonished and proud if he could see the relevance, reach and resilience of today’s Company.
And there’s lots more to come.
DAVID REDDAWAY
Broackes is Senior Curator in the v&a Department of Theatre & Performance. She runs the annual London Design Festival at the v&a and has curated international touring exhibitions on David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Mother of four daughters (and daughter of former Prime Warden, Sir Nigel Broackes), she is a Trustee of Kids in Museums, Handel and Hendrix in London, adviser to the Holocaust Memorial Centre and alumni member of the Court of the Royal College of Art.
Cassandra Goad has been a jeweller and goldsmith all her working career, having been fascinated by jewellery since childhood. After an apprenticeship with Andrew Grima, she set up her jewellery business, Cassandra Goad, nearly 35 years ago. She is a trustee of St Mark’s Foundation; a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; and a member of the Chelsea Arts Club and of the Philanthropy Committee at C. Hoare and Co. She also works closely with a number of charities such as the Endeavour Fund personally and through her business.
Joanna Hardy is an independent fine jewellery specialist with more than 35 years of experience in the jewellery industry. She began her career training as a goldsmith at Sir John Cass College and became one of the first women to be a polished diamond dealer in Antwerp before joining Philips the Auctioneers in London. She was senior jewellery specialist and auctioneer at Sotheby’s
for 14 years and since 2009 has worked independently. Joanna lectures, curates and writes – both as a journalist specialising in jewellery and as an author of books. She is a Fellow of the Gemmological Association, Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts, a Trustee Board member of Gem-A and is a regular jewellery specialist on the bbc Antiques Roadshow
Richard Madeley
After 30 years in private client wealth management, latterly as Managing Director at jp Morgan and Edmond de Rothschild, Richard Madeley now works independently, helping family investment offices raise and invest their capital. He began his City career in the 1980s after serving 12 years in the Royal Marines. Richard was educated at Eton College and beyond his commitment to the Goldsmiths’ Company, is actively involved in Special Forces charities.
Victoria
The Deputy Warden presenting Andy Hills with his long service award. TRIONA ISHOLA
ASSAY OFFICE
ACTIVITY
It was the worst of times, it was the best of times (to misquote Dickens). The malaise in hallmarking in the United Kingdom continued in 2017. The total number of articles hallmarked fell by 4.3% to 9,335,729. Gold hallmarking fell by 16.7%; platinum by 2.1%; palladium by 20.9%; and only silver increased, by 9.2%. London hallmarked 2,474,059 articles, 10.1% down on the previous year. But London’s market share was robust; and for several months during the year, London was the largest office. The four sub-offices continued to provide excellent tailored services for their respective customer bases. In January, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Heathrow sub-office. In terms of the number of articles hallmarked, Heathrow was the largest of all the offices run by the Company, including the Hall.
And the quest to improve customer service and efficiency continued. A new team to process small packets was set up on the ground floor of the Assay Office. On the third floor, one team was set up to process larger packets while another team was established for packets that required special attention, e.g. display laser marks, numbering and bespoke logo marking. We were rightly proud when customers told the Assay Office in a survey that they valued the service provided by the staff. The survey also gave many good suggestions as to customer needs for the future and many of these are now being implemented. A culture of continuous improvement prevails to ensure that quality of the mark, quality of service and quality of support can be maintained at the highest levels. As part of this drive, the Assay Office retained its accreditation to international standards iso 17025:2005 and gained certification to iso 9001:2015, the latest version of the iso 9001 standard. At the end of the financial year all these efforts resulted in the Assay Office providing a significant surplus, in sharp contrast to the losses of only a few years ago.
An exciting programme of marketing activities and events took place led by another well attended Make Your Mark held at Goldsmiths’ Hall, with the associated Make Your Mark Awards. There were the usual seminars and events as well as bespoke events for particular customers. The Assay Office also took part in the Heritage Skills event at Lincoln Cathedral. Channel 4 filmed an episode of Food Unwrapped, in which
the use of precious metals in food was investigated. The gold dust used on chocolates at formal events in the Hall went missing, along with the rest of the chocolates.
ANTIQUE PLATE COMMITTEE
The Antique Plate Committee, which was set up in 1939, is the internationally renowned body for adjudicating spurious silver articles using a unique combination of connoisseurship, results from scientific testing and comparative hallmark examination. A total of 96 pieces were examined, of which 35 conformed to the Hallmarking Act. The remainder comprised 25 with alterations and additions, nine with transposed marks, 26 with counterfeit marks and one was outside the Committee’s jurisdiction. Members of the Committee were very active in surveying the market for potential fakes, which in turn increased the number of submissions this year. A new information leaflet on how to spot fakes in antique silver will be launched later in 2018. Timothy Schroder has succeeded Richard Fox as Chairman.
SUSPECTED OFFENCES
A total of five suspected offences against the Hallmarking Act were reported to the Office by Local Authority Trading Standards Officers, which resulted in five prosecutions. The Assay Office plays a leading role in supporting the Touchstone Award which is given annually to the Trading Standards Authority with the best contribution in enforcement of the Hallmarking Act.
STANDARDS COMMITTEES
Chris Walne, the Laboratory Manager, sat on the committee which looks at
the modification and introduction of iso standards relating to the testing of precious metal jewellery. The committee is very active at present.
STAFF
Andy Waker and Andy Hills celebrated 40 years with the Company, and Adam Phillips received his 20-year service award.
The Deputy Warden came back from a visit to Memphis wearing dark glasses and singing Jailhouse Rock. There were many suspicious minds in the staff when Elvis was seen on Cheapside. Doubts were quickly resolved among those near enough to hear the singing.
ROBERT ORGAN
CHARITY
Following a review of its grant-making strategy in 2016, the charity continues to play a central and evolving role in the Company’s contribution to national life. Within the new defined priority areas of prisoner rehabilitation, ageing population and youth, we have refined our approach even further. Within the youth category, particularly vulnerable groups of people were identified, enabling them to be prioritised for charitable support. These included: young people leaving the care system; young people with mental health issues; homeless young people; and young carers. One example of a project supported by the Company which encompassed a number of the issues highlighted above was Resilient 1, which is being run in conjunction with Pathway, the charity which aims to transform health outcomes for homeless people. It aims to provide a cross-sectoral and joined-up service for adolescents with severe mental health issues, in order to disrupt the cycle of homelessness which often occurs following treatment. This is particularly difficult for adolescents as they transition to adult mental health services where they are no longer deemed a priority.
The scope of the grants stream for the ageing population category was widened to include charities working regionally as well as those working nationally. We hope that this will allow smaller voluntary groups working specifically on the issues of isolation and loneliness in elderly people to apply to us. We were delighted to award a grant of £20,000 to Meal Makers, part of the Scottish charity Food Train. Meal Makers is a project which matches local elderly people with volunteers, who bring an extra portion of their dinner to an elderly person in their own home. This provides not only a tasty and nutritious meal but also company and friendship for elderly people with limited mobility who may have few opportunities to meet people.
Prisoner rehabilitation has long been an area supported by the Goldsmiths’ Company, previously through numerous small grants to charities working at all stages of the criminal justice system. There are hundreds of resilient charities working in the very tumultuous prison environment, which is at crisis point. This makes it all the more meaningful to be involved in supporting such a crucial area of need. During the year we supported several fantastic charities
including: the Prison Radio Association, which is listened to by 76 per cent of prisoners; the Shannon Trust which runs a peer-led reading plan where prisoners who can read teach those who cannot; and Bounce Back, a charity and social enterprise which offers skills and employment training in construction to prisoners nearing release.
The Company awarded grants of £100,000 over two years to both Calderdale and Two Ridings Community Foundations in Yorkshire. The grants are helping to bolster the foundations’ capacity to find new sources of funding which will help build their long-term sustainability and expand their reach.
Support for charities working in the categories of culture, medical/disabled, general welfare and youth continues with small grants, which are now managed by our Grants & Research Officer. A full list of grants the Charity awarded can be found on the Company’s website.
CIORSDAN BROWN
Switchback café: offering catering training to ex-offenders. SWITCHBACK
EDUCATION
The programmes determined in our strategic review of 2016 continue to play out, with many of the initiatives entering their final phase. This will necessitate a fresh look at our priorities for next year. Our two flagship initiatives continue to gain support from the Primary school sector. The National Theatre’s On Demand online service now has 708 schools signed up, 439 of them from the state sector. Previous to this, only 42 Primary schools in London had access to this kind of top theatre/literacy experience, which is an example of the reach and impact we are trying to generate.
The second programme, called Reach Out Reporter, sets out to make emerging science stories which are relevant to the national curriculum available to Primary
school children. It is continuing to build its audience strongly and has won the prize for ‘Best Free Education Resource’ at the Education Resources Awards in its first year. In the last year, the programme has been launched in the usa to test whether it can be marketed there in an effort to make this a worldwide teaching resource, which could then make it self-sustaining.
Last year we were in the process of setting up a new initiative to provide funding for a Multi-Academy Trust of three Gravesend Primary schools for a specialist maths teacher. While it is still early days in this four-year programme (at £50,000 pa), the specialist teacher has now had almost an academic year in post and has been having a positive effect in raising the standards of maths
teaching across the schools. This has already been commented upon very favourably in a recent Ofsted report for one of the schools and the specialist teacher is in demand for his advice from a number of quarters interested in the programme. A warm relationship is being cemented between the schools and the Company, with parties of children visiting the Hall and regular engagement with the schools’ leadership teams.
Linked to the Charity’s Gravesend connection, additional funding of £20,000 was given to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme to reach out to State schools in the same area to enable those schools which cannot afford the start-up costs or to train teachers to lead expeditions. This is particularly needed after the withdrawal of support by local authorities for this activity. This initiative builds on the marked success of our support for the Scheme across the Midlands in the previous year. Separately, the Wardens made a further donation of £10,000 to the Scheme in Northern Ireland, where the long term political impasse has had an impact on support for students in this situation.
Going forwards, on the initiative of the Prime Warden, a pilot project is being launched shortly called the Goldsmiths’ Company Schools’ Award for Community Engagement. The aim of this is to recognise and reward schools for what they do within their communities, encouraging a focus on more than just exam results. If successful in the coming year, the aim is to extend it more widely. And finally, it has been decided to increase the budget in the next financial year to £440,000; a rise of 10%.
NICK HARLAND
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
The Communications & Marketing Department is responsible for communicating the broad array of activities the Company pursues. This means ‘getting the word out’ about our charity and education initiatives; exhibitions; the annual Trial of the Pyx; occasional lectures and special events; major philanthropic partnerships; and of course Goldsmiths’ Fair. There are a range of strands to the work of the Company and that means a range of audiences to be communicated with. Journalists, trade, academics, collectors, heritage buffs, students, City of London officials, and the public are just some of the varying audiences we speak to depending on what we’re promoting and of course we use a variety of methods to do so including traditional editorial, social media, e-newsletter, podcasts and advertising.
At our best, we’re storytellers –providing a continuing narrative about the work of the Company and providing an insight into our trade. In 2017, for the first time, we produced Changing Lives, a selected review of the Company’s philanthropic activities in education, the trade and through the Goldsmiths’ Company charity. With compelling descriptions of the important organisations we’re supporting and the recent collaborations we’ve undertaken, it demonstrated how the Company is impacting national life in several areas. You can see a full listing of our charity contributions on our website: thegoldsmiths.co.uk
Of course, if you follow the Company on Twitter or Instagram you’ll get regular
updates on Company activities along with imagery from our archives, Collection and associated makers.
You can also now listen in on some of the talks and lectures given at the Hall over the past 12 months on our iTunes podcast channel.
The Communications & Marketing department is also responsible for Goldsmiths’ Fair. The year 2017 saw another successful Fair, with 126 exhibitors over two weeks. In keeping with the last few years, we introduced new makers into the mix and rotated some of the familiar faces into new locations to keep things fresh and exciting. We also mounted two special exhibitions. Timeless Innovation was a selection of contemporary jewellery curated by Joanna Hardy and featuring pieces from the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection alongside other masterworks.
aimed to challenge traditional perceptions of silver for the home, including what it can look like and how it can be displayed.
In addition, we were happy to be able to display the Contemporary Buffet Plate in the Livery Hall for the duration of the Fair. These exhibitions and our talks programme help to bolster the Fair’s profile as not just a destination to purchase the latest work in precious metal, but an important educational event that helps the public to learn about our craft and trade. Other notable activities of the past year include the second Goldsmiths’ Lecture given by Dr Tristram Hunt; an exhibition of Admiral Lord Nelson’s historic Chelengk jewel and fascinating lecture and discussion with historian and Freeman Martyn Downer, jeweller Philip Denyer, and hatter Roger Stephenson; and the Goldsmiths’ Fair at Collect (a showcase of a selection of Fair
Gravesend schools visit the Hall. ELLA STERN
Customer trying on a bracelet at Goldsmiths’ Fair 2017. JENNIFER BALCOMBE
The New Abstraction was curated by Christina Jansen of the Scottish Gallery. This exhibition
makers at the Craft Council’s annual international selling fair).
In this time of great change, it’s more important than ever that the Company opens up and shares its work with the wider community. With another ambitious year
in front of us, you can expect even more creative, interesting and effective communication out of the Communications & Marketing team this year and beyond.
DAVID MILLS
CRAFT & INDUSTRY
The year 2017 was very special for the Goldsmiths’ Centre as it celebrated its fifth birthday, having opened in April 2012. It is incredible to think about what has been achieved in this relatively short period.
As a snapshot, 44 youngsters have been through our Foundation Programme and 36 have gone on to apprenticeships in the industry. Nearly 400 people have attended short courses; we’ve hosted 34 public
exhibitions; and 34,000 delegates have attended commercial events here at the Centre. We have a membership of over 1,400 and our training courses regularly sell out. The progress since 2012 has been remarkable.
The first alumni of the Foundation Programme, who began their apprenticeships in 2013, are now completing their time as apprentices, with the first two being made free in November 2017. Their masterpieces are
a testament to the quality of training they have received from their Masters, and also the head start they gained from their time with us at Foundation level. The impact of access to high-quality technical training is also illustrated by the continued success of our young craftspeople and trainees who won major awards including Best Junior at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council; Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Skills Show in Birmingham; and took seventh place and a Medallion of Excellence at the WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi. Our ability to offer high quality ‘off the job’ training here at the Centre, and the dedication of the competition team, managed by Steven Jinks, means that our young people are better prepared to take on the challenges of competitions. To round off a super year in this area, we won a Princess Royal Training Award that recognised the excellence of our vocational training and our work with young people and employers on apprenticeships.
But what of the future? As the Centre enters its sixth year of operation, our Trustees have set a challenging agenda for expansion of our charity work, both in London and further afield. They have recognised that, while we are reaching capacity in our Farringdon site, opportunities remain to extend our impact through collaborations and partnerships. They have been assisted in this strategy by the Goldsmiths’ Company’s decision to channel the majority of its support for the craft, trade and industry through the Centre and its Trustees. For the first time, the Centre has assumed responsibility for programmes related to education and training that were
historically operated by the Curator’s Department; and money was also made available to support collaborative activities with partner organisations. Examples have included grants to Bishopsland Educational Trust, to support its graduate programme, and to Contemporary British Silversmiths to provide access to skills based training for mid-career silversmiths. Both of these interventions indicate a shift in policy away from simple grant giving to a more collaborative approach that helps the Centre to meet its charitable objectives while also supporting partners across the sector. While work with partner organisations is seen to be essential, we are also turning our attention to how we can more effectively support our colleagues in the Higher Education Sector. It has been agreed that the Centre should work
to establish a series of ‘academic hubs’ centred around universities that offer our subject. These hubs will provide us with an opportunity to deliver high-quality training and development opportunities for staff and students. By ‘training the trainer’ we hope to maximise the impact of the support we provide by introducing new skills and techniques as well as providing ‘refresher’ courses that will support the tutors’ teaching practice and impact upon their students’ learning and access to skills training.
None of the above would be possible without the hard work and commitment of our Trustees, the staff (current and former), and all the people from the Goldsmiths’ Company, the craft, trade and industry who have supported our work in this important year – a big thank you to everyone.
PETER TAYLOR
MEMBERSHIP
It has been another busy year for the Goldsmiths’ members with a full programme of events, including the major Inter-Livery competitions. As is now customary, in January 2018, Team Goldsmiths packed their skis and headed off to Morzine for the ninth Inter-Livery Skiing event. We were joint winners of the Shipwrights’ Ark Trophy and Richard Madeley and Aurea Connolly were both first in their Giant Slalom group. The Goldsmiths’ Company Golf Team played in the Great xii Inter-Livery competition at the New Zealand Golf Club in April 2017, where they came third overall. In June, the Goldsmiths’ Company assembled its largest ever team of 44 members for the Great xii
Inter-Livery Regatta at Seaview on the Isle of Wight. We came a very narrow second in the cruiser class, but were marginally less successful with our two teams in the very competitive Mermaid keel boat category. A hand-picked team of Goldsmiths stormed to a third place finish in this year’s Great xii quiz, interrupting our close relationship with the (gilded) wooden spoon. We paid a visit in May 2017, to our affiliated Royal Navy ship, hms Prince of Wales, which is still being built. In June 2017, Goldsmiths went dragon hunting on a walking tour of the City and a group of members met for lunch at the Ironmongers’ Monday Lunch. Staying with the epicurean theme, a tutored wine
tasting took place at Bedales Wine Bar in Borough Market in March 2018. Five lucky members were given an exclusive tour of the Fox Silver workshops earlier in the month. This year’s Goldsmiths’ Quiz night, which took place in November 2017, had Goldsmiths on their feet doing exercises, much to their surprise. Never say we don’t have your health at heart! The victorious team was aptly named Going for Gold and won a bottle of champagne. And also in November, the Goldsmiths’ barge, crewed by members of the Company, once again accompanied the new Lord Mayor in his flotilla from Westminster to Tower Bridge prior to the Lord Mayor’s Show. Many of these events were organised by the Membership Events Sub-Committee. Their major event for the year is of course the black-tie dinner for freemen, now a fixture in the calendar in May. It is proving a wonderful opportunity for freemen to get to know each other and find out about life on the other side of the bench.
The Company has been conducting a philanthropy study into giving by members, and, once this has reported,
Prime Warden Judith Cobham-Lowe at the Great xii Quiz. KATIE HOLYOAK
we will bring recommendations to the Court on changes to the way we try to encourage philanthropic giving. In the meantime, we are very grateful for the donations members have made. The funds have allowed us to develop a programme of outreach with schools in London, bringing young people to the Goldsmiths’ Centre who would not otherwise have the opportunity. We have continued to award the Members’ Apprentice of the Year medal, which went to James Handyside (Castro Smith) in 2017. The young Centre Foundation Course trainees continue to receive a
comprehensive toolbox funded via our members’ generosity and wear their Goldsmiths’ tunics with pride. Outside London, we have agreed a grant to Ruskin Mill Trust to create the Cornerstone Academy in Birmingham, a specialist workshop for people with a variety of disabilities, who will be trained in jewellery-related skills in order to improve their life chances. We have been assisted in this by Cooksongold and intend to build upon this collaborative approach in the future.
JAKE EMMETT
LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
2017 was a significant year for the Company’s Library & Archives, as it heralded the publication of Dr David Mitchell’s book Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London,Their Lives and Their Marks. Jointly published by the Goldsmiths’ Company and Boydell and Brewer in November, this landmark volume was 17 years in the making and has been recognised as an essential resource for silver scholars of this period. It also highlights the extraordinary potential of the archives for understanding the wider context in which craftsmen of the past lived their lives – a theme which recurred during the symposium held at Goldsmiths’ Hall in January 2018 to celebrate the book. The Library team worked hard to support Dr Mitchell in the run-up to publication, and this experience will be useful as we begin the process of coordinating the first complete history of the Company. Research by the Library team featured in lectures and events surrounding Made
for the Table, Goldsmiths’ Fair and Make Your Mark. It was exciting to see documents from the archives go on display for the first time at the Goldsmiths’ Centre as part of the exhibition ApprenticeshiptoMasterpiece Behind the scenes, Library staff have been researching changes to decorative schemes within the Hall over the past 180 years in partnership with the Company’s Architect. Engaging with the general public continues to be an important part of the Library’s work; alongside regular events with students and educational groups, individual researchers are also welcomed and we provide information to many people via telephone or email.
The Goldsmiths’ Company’s History Group, which is open to all members, enjoyed another year of varied and interesting lectures. Members were able to hear David Palfreyman speak about the 1884 Royal Commission on the Livery Companies; Dr Lisa Jefferson reveal some treasures from the Register of
Deeds; and Timothy Schroder unravel the mysteries of the origins of the Great xii. This last lecture is available on the Company’s podcast channel.
The year closed with an exciting acquisition: a selection of design drawings by the renowned silversmith Louis Osman was purchased at auction in March 2018. The group includes drawings which relate to objects in the Company’s Collection (see page 70).
Visitors to the Library reading room often comment on its peace and air of timelessness, but behind the scenes the past year has been one of significant change to our governance. Following recommendations made by Timothy Schroder and Martin Drury, the Collections & Library Committee met for the last time in November 2017. This was the final meeting overseen by Professor Himsworth, who has guided the work of the Library as Chairman of the c&lc since 2012. His advice and experience have been enormously valuable in encouraging us to think imaginatively about the future of the Company’s Library & Archive in a rapidly changing scholarly and technological landscape. He has also been hugely supportive of the research projects discussed in these reports. We are indebted to him, as we are to all those who gave us the benefit of their experience on the c&lc
From May 2018 our work has been overseen by the new Library & Archives Committee, chaired by Dame Lynne Brindley. Our new constitution is explicit about prioritising access and engagement through an improved digital presence, and we continue to work towards this in collaboration with the Curatorial Department.
ELENI BIDE
CURATORIAL DEPARTMENT
April 2017 saw the retirement of the former Curator, Rosemary Ransome Wallis, whose 43 years of service to the Company culminated in her guest curation of the exhibition Grant Macdonald – International Silversmith, which opened at the Hall on 25 April 2018. I arrived as Curator in March 2018, after 28 years as a Renaissance specialist at the British Museum. I have been warmly welcomed everywhere and have especially enjoyed meeting many of the makers represented in the Collection. Working with the Library in my first month here, we were able to acquire the original design drawings by Louis Osman for a series of treasures which this artist made for the Company. The drawings blend modernist architectural rigour with a medieval imagination, seen most vividly on the astonishing Unicorn Horn Balance commissioned by Sir Stephen Runciman in 1966. We will use Osman’s drawings to illuminate his design process in future exhibitions and publications. The Company’s touring exhibition, Made For The Table, blends silver from the Collection with the work of leading uk ceramicists, glassmakers, furniture makers and textile artists. It is our first display in the purpose-built exhibition room at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, with an innovative public programme and selling exhibition. New work included Miriam Hanid’s Radiance dish, commissioned on behalf of the Company by Mr William Parente to commemorate his year as Prime Warden, in 2014–15. Hanid’s outstanding chased design of swirling wave forms is absolutely contemporary in feeling, while recalling the design and
technical finesse of ancient metalwork, such as the Iron Age Battersea Shield in the British Museum. The dish won her several of the major awards at the annual Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards Ceremony. Another commission was Abigail Burt’s medal to commemorate the leadership of the Company’s first female Prime Warden, Judith Cobham-Lowe, and the retirement of Rosemary Ransome Wallis. The oval form of the medal evokes the lozenge shape of the widow’s hallmark, while the motif of a river hollowing out a new direction celebrates in symbolic form women’s contribution to the craft of the goldsmith. Nature is also the inspiration for a further addition to the Collection: a delicate gold necklace by Kayo Saito, inspired by petal blossom, which we commissioned after having seen her submission to the Ambassador Diamond
Necklace Competition in 2016 (won by Daphne Krinos). An exciting loan from the Company builds new links between our collection and the British Museum. The Royal Clock Salt, made in Paris around 1530 by Pierre Mangot, goldsmith to Francis I, is one of a handful of treasures surviving from the renowned Jewel House of King Henry viii, but has rarely been seen by the public. Its display in the Waddesdon Bequest Gallery in the British Museum, for one year from January 2018, will enable up to six million visitors to see it for free. The loan, which includes a research programme, scholarly conference and publication, represents an exciting collaboration between the Company, the British Museum, the Rothschild Foundation and Waddesdon Manor.
The publication of David Mitchell’s
Blossom necklace by Kayo Saito, 2016, 18ct gold. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. RICHARD VALENCIA
Edward Ford Cigar Box by Louis Osman, 1985. Britannia silver, enamel, silver gilt metal, cedar wood, rock crystal, together with its original design, acquired at auction in 2018. Collection: The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
RICHARD VALENCIA
fundamental study, Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London: Their Lives and Their Marks was celebrated with a display of 12 pieces, such as one of the Westwell Livery Pots, whose makers can now be identified. The book helps to bring the Archive and Collections together and it is a milestone in the move towards the collaborative research necessary for digitisation and cataloguing the Collections. The display of key pieces from the Collection alongside the Cheapside Hoard in the Goldsmiths’ Gallery in the new Museum of London
at Smithfield will also enable an improved understanding of the Collections, and allow us to reach new audiences.
The newly formed Collections Committee oversees the work of the Collection, while the renamed Contemporary Craft Committee will oversee all additions to the Contemporary Collection. Enhanced resources will allow us to commission the very best in British silversmithing, as well as to encourage and support emerging makers.
DORA THORNTON
MASTERPIECES
The following pieces were submitted by apprentices made free in 2017–18.
All photographs by RICHARD VALENCIA for the Goldsmiths’ Company.
Top Lizard brooch by Lee Myers for Graff Diamonds Ltd, 2018, white gold, diamonds and emeralds.
Left Floral spray brooch with en tremblant flower by Jennifer Smith for Kata Wearable Art, 2017, sterling silver and 18ct gold.
Right Snowdrop watch/bracelet by Ben Kerridge for Dominic Walmsley Jewellery Ltd, 2018, yellow and white gold, silver.
Bracelet by Abigail Buckingham for a r Buckingham, 2017, 18ct yellow gold and sterling silver.
8" Combination Safe by Barney Bowes for Asprey London Ltd, 2017, sterling silver.
Mask of Mystery by Luke Blackie for Mandos Jewellery of London, 2018, sterling silver and wood.
Grace and Luke Web Wedding Portrait by Jack Elliot for Sam James Ltd, 2017, sterling silver and wood.
Butterfly brooch by Oliver Davies for Graff Diamonds Ltd, 2017, platinum and 18ct white gold.
Sopwith Camel Model Plane by Hugo Johnson for rtfj 2018, sterling silver.
Black Swan Pirate Ship by Sam Hunter for s v s. Designs, 2017, sterling silver, 18ct gold, black diamonds, blue agate crystal.
Blossoming Petals Tiara by Sharon Alvarez for ec One, 2018, sterling silver and gold.
LORD SUTHERLAND OF HOUNDWOOD 1941–2018 OBITUARIES
THINK OF LORD SUTHERLAND AND the first thing that comes to mind is that voice – the deep, warm, Scottish burr with a chuckle in the throat. Long before we sat on any committees together, I used to marvel at his ability to make impromptu witty speeches that just seemed to capture the moment, at events like the Binney Awards. Later, as a Livery member of the Education Committee, I saw some of the consummate skill that made him so effective as a University Principal and ViceChancellor. He was good at managing people, and knew how to chair a meeting so that everyone went away thinking they’d got what they wanted. Or as a fellow Court member recalls, “He clearly knew what outcome he wanted from a discussion, but would ensure that everyone else gave their views first, was persuaded that the good ideas had come from them, and agreed to the eloquent summing-up of any topic by Stewart.”
As the voice always reminded us, Lord Sutherland was born and raised in Aberdeen, only moving south to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, to complete a Master’s Degree in Moral Philosophy and the Philosophy of Religion, after he achieved a First in Philosophy from Aberdeen University. But unlike many of his compatriots, Stewart’s career continued to span both countries. Few can claim to have been Vice-Chancellor of both London (1990–94) and Edinburgh (1994–2002) Universities, and respectively a Reader and Professor of Philosophy of Religion at Stirling University and King’s College, London. Equally, in the early 2000s, he was simultaneously Provost of Gresham College, London, and President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Each country awarded him their highest honours for extraordinary service; in London a knighthood in 1994, followed by a life peerage as Lord Sutherland of Houndwood in 2001, one of Tony Blair’s People’s Peers. In Edinburgh, he was presented with the Order of the Thistle in 2002.
Once a parliamentarian, Stewart became an active cross-bencher, chairing the Select Committees on Science and Technology and on Affordable Childcare. He also continued for the next 15 years to contribute cogently and knowledgeably to Lords’ debates, particularly in the field of Education. (I recall a meeting with the Head of one of our supported schools in which he began by asking all the teachers what they felt he should say in an upcoming controversial education debate. “Tell me what’s really going on,” he demanded.)
It is claimed that his first extra-curricular role in 1992, as Head of the newly-created
Ofsted, came about because he and Education Minister Ken Clarke shared a love of jazz. His fellow enthusiast was able to persuade him that this was a role he could easily manage part-time alongside his day job as Vice-Chancellor of London University. This led to his appointment as Chair of the Royal Commission on the long-term care of the elderly. One can’t help feeling that if his wise, if radical, proposals had been enacted in 1999, we would not be having the anguished debates we are today about the funding of such care.
Stewart became a Freeman of the Company in 1987, at the instigation of Dr C E Gordon Smith. He was elected to the Livery in 1991 and joined the Court of Assistants in 2000, serving as Prime Warden in 2012–13. In this capacity, spanning the year the Goldsmiths’ Centre opened, he argued strongly for the value and importance of apprenticeships. He also stressed the philanthropic value of the City of London, believing it was an institution that should inspire trust (by coincidence, the theme of current Lord Mayor Charles Bowman’s year.) He served on the House Committee but will be remembered for his time as Chairman of the Education Committee from 2004 until his death. In recognition of his contribution and personal commitment to the philosophy of religion, the Court of Assistants proposes to establish 10 scholarships in this area, starting in 2018.
Lord Sutherland of Houndwood died in Edinburgh on 29 January 2018, aged 76. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, virologist Sheena Robertson, and his children, Fiona, Kirsty and Duncan. ✦
JUDITH COBHAM-LOWE
STUART DEVLIN 1931–2018
BORN IN GEELONG, AUSTRALIA, in 1931, during a time of economic depression and to a family of modest means, Stuart Devlin showed an early talent for design and metalwork as a scholarship student at the Gordon Institute of Technology. His first job at the bench was as an ecclesiastical metalworker at T Gaunt & Co in Melbourne; he would also work as a teacher in Victoria. In his twenties, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London, where he studied Silversmithing and Jewellery as well as Industrial Design (1958–60). This was followed by a prestigious Harkness Fellowship at Columbia University, New York. A return to Australia and a role as Inspector of Art Schools followed, but he found the role frustrating. In 1963 he designed and carved the plaster master patterns for Australia’s first decimal coinage (which was issued in 1966). Subsequently, he would create coins for more than 30 countries. His last coin designs were designed and carved in 2009: a set of four uk one pound coins.
In 1964 Stuart Devlin returned and
settled in London, where he established his business as a designer goldsmith, and became a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company in 1966. He would eventually have seven workshops in the Clerkenwell area, assembling a loyal team of craftsmen and staff, and garnering devoted patrons both corporate and private. He took numerous apprentices, his first being David Cawte, who recalls the complexity of a centrepiece Stuart asked him to make in 1972; a highly challenging piece, it won David an award which he credits to Stuart’s design. In 1980 Stuart was appointed cmg for service to the art of design, and in 1982 received a Royal Warrant which he held for the rest of his life. A pioneer of technical innovation, he embraced Computer Aided Design long before it was an accepted practice, using early forms of design software alongside his sketch book. Nor did he confine himself to certain forms or disciplines: his design work spanned not just silver, jewellery, medals and objets de vertu such as his ‘surprise’ eggs, but also furniture and architecture. Working with Viners in Sheffield on stainless steel cutlery and goblets allowed him to bring the Devlin idiom to a mass market.
Stuart joined the Court of Assistants in 1986 and served as Prime Warden from 1996–7. During his Prime Warden’s year, he raised the idea of the Goldsmiths’ Company having its own college. When this proved too expensive, it was on his recommendation that a £500,000 grant was given to the Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design to refurbish the workshops there with the goal of creating a ‘centre of excellence’ for London. Robin Buchanan-Dunlop, who was Clerk at the time, remembers it “as an important
major grant for the Company to make…it did initially make a significant difference to the provision of silversmithing and jewellery education in London, and it would not have happened without Stuart Devlin’s impetus behind it”. Restructuring and loss of momentum meant that the project did not live up to its original promise, but from this seed, the idea of the Goldsmiths’ Centre was born. Stuart was one of the driving forces behind the concept of a centre of creativity in Clerkenwell, and worked closely with Peter Taylor to realise the project. The Centre opened in 2012 and, despite his ill health, Stuart was able to teach one course to graduate designers there, assisted by his wife Carole. He was always keen to instruct and support others; Richard Fox remembers “his passion for imparting his educational concepts in very real and practical ways”.
Stuart maintained strong links to his home country, designing many of Australia’s Honours and Awards. In turn, Australia did not forget him: amongst various awards, he received an Honorary Doctorate from rmit University, Australia in 2000.
His wife Carole, alongside Victoria Kate Simkin, edited the eponymous book which forms a lasting record of his career and output, and it was published shortly before his death. Stuart died on 12 April, aged 86, at home, with his wife Carole at his side. He will be remembered not only as a pioneering designer and craftsman, but also as a mentor and teacher, who encouraged the Goldsmiths’ Company to strengthen its role in education, and keep its focus on the factors he understood as fundamental to the goldsmiths’ art: creativity and skill. ✦
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
MEMBERS OF THE COURT OF ASSISTANTS
Mrs J.A. Cobham-Lowe, obe, frsa, Prime Warden until 16 May 2018
Mr M.C.T. Prideaux Prime Warden from 16 May 2018
Mr T.B. Schroder, dlitt, fsa Second Warden from 16 May 2018
Mr R.N. Fox Third Warden from 16 May 2018
Dame Lynne Brindley, dbe, Hon fba, Fourth Warden from 16 May 2018
HRH The Prince of Wales, kg, kt, gcb, om (Honorary Assistant)
*Sir Anthony Touche bt
*Mr S.A. Shepherd
*The Lord Tombs of Brailes
*Sir Paul Girolami
*The Lord Cunliffe
*Mr B.L. Schroder
*Mr R.P.T. Came
*Mr B.E. Toye
Mr M. Dru 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
Mr R.D. Agutter
Mr W.H.M. Parente, cbe
Mr M.J. Wainwright
Mr N.A.P. Carson, obe
The Lord Bridges, cvo
Mr E.C. Braham
Brigadier Edward Butler, cbe, dso
Professor C.G. Mackworth-Young, md, frcp
Mr T.R.B. Fattorini
Mr E.M. Harley, dl
Mr A.P.A. Drysdale
Miss V.R. Broackes
Miss J.F.C. Goad
Miss J. Hardy, frsa
Mr R.R. Madeley
†Mr R. Reid
* Retired status
†Mr Reid will take his seat on the Court on a date to be confirmed
THE LIVERY
The following deaths were reported during the year preceded by the year of admission.
1957 Mr John Newton Butterwick
1978 Mr Edward Peter Payne
1968 Mr Walter Michael Cokayne Prideaux
1983 Mr Joseph Aiden Stevenson
The following Freeman was elected to the Livery and duly clothed during the year.
Mr L.J.M. de Vroomen
NEW FREEMEN
July 2017 to April 2018
By Special Grant
James Martin Chapman Beadle, The Goldsmiths’ Company
Clive Lindsay Painter H R Manager, The Goldsmiths’ Company
By Redemption
Justin Frank Alexander Baring Fund manager
Stephen Edward Herbert Bottomley Senior lecturer
Jonathan Paul Bowman-Perks mbe Leadership coach
Louisa Yvette Carter-Taylor Jewellery consultant, Design & Product Development
Mamandos Demetriou Goldsmith
Tomasz Donocik Designer Jeweller
Helen Elida Jacqueline Forder Company Director, pmc Studio Ltd
Brian Thomas James Fulton Diamond mounter
Adam Michael Godfrey Goldsmith
Rachel Kay Hopkins Creative designer
Rebecca Hayley Joselyn Silversmith
Diane Elizabeth Lees cbe Director General, Imperial War Museum
Stephen Victor Patrick Loughrey Warden, Goldsmiths University of London
Shona Kirstin Marsh Silversmith
David Anthony McCaul Goldsmith
James Charles McVittie Retail Jeweller, George Pragnell Ltd
Susan Margaret Rumfitt Antique jewellery expert
Simon John Surtees Antique Dealer
Humphrey Walter Voelcker Chartered Surveyor
Mark Watson-Gandy ksg Barrister
Nicola Louise Le Clair Wickes Banker
Matthew Winterbottom Curator, Sculpture & Decorative Arts, Ashmolean Museum
By Patrimony
John Anthony Dennis son of Gregory John Dennis, a Freeman
By Service
Sharon Johana Alvarez Hurtado
daughter of Rosalba Del Pilar Hurtado and late apprentice of Jocelyn Robert Skeates (ec One Ltd)
Luke Stephen William Blackie son of Julie Ann Blackie and late apprentice of Mamandos Demetriou (Mandos Jewellery of London)
Barney Jon Bowes son of Susan Carol Bowes and late apprentice of Huw Gerard Richards (Asprey London Ltd)
Samuel James Bowles
son of Kevin Bowles and late apprentice of David Ian Merry (The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office)
Abigail May Buckingham
daughter of Janet Elaine Buckingham and late apprentice of Andrew Robert Buckingham
Oliver George Davies
son of Edward George Davies and late apprentice of Edward George Davies (Graff Diamonds Ltd)
Sam Alexander Hunter son of Charles Rupert Hunter and late apprentice of Stanley Victor Somerford (svs Designs Ltd)
Hugo Luis Johnson son of Judy Susan Johnson and late apprentice of Richard James Talman (rtfj)
Benjamin Paul Kerridge son of Lesley Jane Ballard and late apprentice of Dominic John Walmsley
Lee Raymond Myers son of Sharon Lesley Myers and late apprentice of Andrew Paul Kidd (Graff Diamonds Ltd)
The Binney Award winner for 2017 was Bernard Kenny, who was awarded the medal posthumously.
BINNEY MEDAL WINNERS
COMMITTEES
ANTIQUE PLATE
Mr T.B. Schroder – Chairman
Mr A.J. Butcher
Mr D.E. Cawte
Mr A.J. Dickenson
Mrs K. Jones
Mr T. Martin
Mr P.B. Waldron
Mr H. Williams-Bulkeley
ASSAY OFFICE MANAGEMENT
Mr N.A.P. Carson – Chairman
Mr G.G. Macdonald
Mr R.D. Agutter
Mr R.E. Southall
Mr M.R. Winwood
CHARITY
Mr A. M. J. Galsworthy – Chairman
Mr S.A. Shepherd
Mrs B.B.R. Cluff
Mr W.N.N. Diggle
Mr R.G. Ford
Dr M. Harbord
Miss E.K. Himsworth
Mr J.B.A. Holt
The Hon Dr Elisabeth Martin
The Revd Dr A. McCormack
Professor R. O’Hora
Mr J.M. Polk
COLLECTIONS
Mr T.B. Schroder – Chairman
Mr M.D. Drury
Mr A.P.A. Drysdale
Mr J.P. Andrew
Ms R. Bond
Sir Timothy Clifford
Mr R.A.R. Hayes
Mrs L.M. Morton
Mr J.M.R. Rothwell
Dame Rosalind Savill
Mr M. Winterbottom
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
Mr M.J. Wainwright – Chairman
Mr A. Jacobs
Miss. J.B. Springer
Miss R. van Roojen
Mr R.A.R. Hayes
CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Mr M.D. Drury – Chairman
Mr A.P.A. Drysdale
Miss V.R. Broackes
Miss J. Hardy
Mr C.E. Burr
Mr J.A. Cross
Miss C. Julius
Miss O.D. Krinos
EDUCATION
Dame Lynne Brindley – Chairman
Mr J.D. Buchanan-Dunlop
Dr V.V. Lawrence
Ms A. Nawaz
The Hon Mrs Meg Sanders
Mr R.G. Straker
FOOD AND WINE
Mr E.C. Braham – Chairman
Mr G.G. Macdonald
Mr H.J. Miller
Mrs J.J. Clark
Mr P.J. Michael
Mr E.C. Wakefield
HOUSE
Mr H. J. Miller – Chairman
Mr M. D. Drury
Mrs N. Buchanan-Dunlop
Mr W.J. Fisher
Miss J.F.C. Goad
Mr G.C.D. Harris
Mr A.M. Moss
Mr N. Cox (Consultant Architect)
Mr R. Worthington (Hall Surveyor)
INVESTMENT
Mr R.N. Hambro – Chairman
Mr W.H.M. Parente
Mr R.R. Madeley
Mr U.D. Barnett
Mr W. Hill
Sir Stuart Lipton
Mr E. Wakefield
LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
Dame Lynne Brindley – Chairman
Mr W.H.M. Parente
Mrs J.A. Cobham-Lowe
Brigadier Edward Butler
Miss H. Forsyth
Dr M. Merry
Mr O. Urquhart-Irvine
MEMBERSHIP
Mr R. D. Agutter – Chairman
Mr T.R.B. Fattorini
Mr T.P.R. Came
Mr P.E.M. Fuller
Miss V.E.G. Harper
Mr M.S.A. Magnay
Mr J.R. Skeates
Miss S.C. Trillwood
GOLDSMITHS’ CENTRE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mr E.C. Braham – Chairman
Mr G.G. Macdonald – Vice-Chair
Mr R.D. Agutter
Mr M.C.T. Prideaux
Ms J.L. Clarke
Professor G.J. Crossick
Professor J. Cunningham
Ms H. Norman-Soderlind
To find out about Goldsmiths’ Company events, please visit our website: thegoldsmiths.co.uk
PRINCIPAL OFFICERS
EVENTS PRINCIPAL ADVISERS
Clerk
Sir David Reddaway kcmg mbe
Deputy Clerk
Mr N.J.G. Harland to 30 May 2018
Mr S. Hutchinson mbe from 30 May 2018
Deputy Warden
Dr R.M. Organ
Director, Goldsmiths’ Centre
Mr P.J. Taylor
Director of Finance
Mr R.W.J. Preece
Librarian
Miss E.R. Bide
Grants Manager
Miss C.A. Brown
Superintendent Assayer
Mr W.A.J. Evans
Hallkeeper
Mr R.T. McCrow
hr Manager
Ms H. Marks
Director, Communications and Marketing
Mr D.M. Mills
Curator
Dr D. Thornton
ASSAY OFFICE FIGURES 2017
Consultant Architect
Mr N. Cox
Property Solicitor
Mr M. Swainston
Company Surveyor
Mr P. Agace
Hall Surveyor
Mr R. Worthington
Scorpio design by Louis Osman, acquired by the Goldsmiths’ Company in 2018.
