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So far Maggie has created 66 blog entries.

Meeting – 24 October at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, Clerkenwell, London

Adi Toch,  in conversation with Jessica Eddie, gave a fascinating insight into her working processes during the commissioning, designing and making of the gold piece, Place to Place, made for the Gilbert Collection at the V&A, in response to the return to Turkey, in 2021, of an Anatolian gold ewer.

Meeting – 24 October at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, Clerkenwell, London2024-09-25T11:18:28+01:00

French Silver In The J. Paul Getty Museum

CHARISSA BREMER-DAVID, JESSICA CHASEN, ARLEN HEGINBOTHAM, JULIE WOLFE Published by Getty Publications and Yale University Press, paperback, ISBN: 9781606068281 216 pp, 277 colour illustrations and 4 tables Publication date: April 2023 Members of the Silver Society have been offered a generous discount of 20% on the publication price on the above publication, the first complete study of the French seventeenth- and eighteenth-century silver at the J. Paul Getty Museum, to be published in April 2023. With the generous number of images each piece in the collection will be brought into focus in extraordinary detail including makers’ marks, inscriptions and armorials.  The entries catalogue a total of thirty-three pieces and give descriptions, provenance, exhibition history and technical information and the publication also discusses the formation of the collection.  There are biographies of the makers and a full bibliography. Copies may be ordered using the following codes and links: US and Canada: GPFS23 https://shop.getty.edu/ The offer is available from I January to 30 April 2023 Rest [Read More]

French Silver In The J. Paul Getty Museum2023-02-08T10:02:52+00:00

Exhibition Catalogue of Prediger Museum

Museum im Prediger, Schwäbisch Gmünd 23 October 2022 – 10 April 2023 (Catalogue in German and English, Euros 39, editor Max Tillmann ISBN 978-3936988-39-0) The exhibition celebrates the centenary of the Research Institute for Precious Metals & Metal Chemistry (Forschungsinstitut Edelmetalle & Metallchemie) (FEM) in Schwäbische Gmünd in 1922 and its successful collaboration with the city’s kunstgewerbermuseum (now the Prediger Museum), founded in 1876 to collect models for the city’s thriving goldsmiths’ trade, and the regional gewerbeschule or trade school, specialising in precious metals, in 1860. Over 80 works of art are displayed in different contexts. There are masterpieces from the Prediger’s own permanent and long-term loan collection (including the 6ft high Immaculate Conception by Franz Anton Lang (Augsburg, 1755) from the Holy Cross Minster) as well as productions by Gmund craftsmen. Thematic displays follow, with juxtapositions illustrating forms, techniques, decoration, and finishes, discussed in aesthetic and technical contexts. Effects of colour, light and shade are all explored. The work of FEM in developing [Read More]

Exhibition Catalogue of Prediger Museum2023-02-08T13:28:53+00:00

How did our Garden grow? The History of Hatton Garden.

The great and the good of London’s jewellery trade gathered last month in the Crypt of St Etheldreda’s Church in Ely Place for the launch of a brand-new book on the history of Hatton Garden. It is very rare for so many people representing every aspect of the industry to be in one place: The Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Sir David Reddaway, the Treasurer of the London Diamond Bourse, David Roffe, Alan Hart, CEO of Gem-A, and other prominent representatives from De Beers, Goldsmiths Centre, Society of Jewellery Historians, Institute of Professional Goldsmiths, National Association of Jewellers among others. In all there were over 70 guests. Moreover, among the distinguished guests was Kurt Eichner, a survivor of the ‘Kinder Transport’ children who escaped Nazi Europe during the war, whose story is told in the book. St Etheldreda’s was completed in 1290 and was a very appropriate setting for such an event. It was originally part of the Palace of the Bishops [Read More]

How did our Garden grow? The History of Hatton Garden.2023-02-06T09:53:51+00:00

Great Irish Households

GREAT IRISH HOUSEHOLDS Inventories from the Long Eighteenth Century The value of inventories in charting how houses were arranged, furnished and used is now widely appreciated. Typically, the listings and valuations were occasioned by the death of an owner and the consequent need to deal with testamentary dispositions. That was not always so. The inventory for Castlecomer House, Co. Kilkenny, for example, was drawn up to make a claim following the house’s devastation in the 1798 uprising. Mostly hitherto unpublished, the inventories show the evolving collecting habits and tastes of eighteenth-century patrons across Ireland and how the interiors of great town and country houses were arranged or responded to new materials and new ideas. Among the houses where silver is listed are Baronscourt, Castlecomer House, Dublin Castle (2nd Duke of Ormonde’s plate), Mount Stewart and Newbridge House. A comprehensive index facilitates access to the myriad items, including the silver, within the inventories. A foreword, together with preambles to the inventories, sets the households in their [Read More]

Great Irish Households2023-02-06T09:52:32+00:00

Nutmeg: Graters, Pomanders and Spice Boxes

John Reckless has held a long-standing interest in antique kitchenalia. His fascination with nutmeg paraphernalia was spurred by the discovery of a cast iron mechanical grater about three decades ago. Collecting and researching nutmeg and graters has given Reckless the opportunity to delve deeper into areas of social and historical interest. Nutmeg: Graters, Pomanders and Spice Boxes Luxury and utility from the 16th century to the present day John Reckless ISBN Publisher Binding Territory Size Pages Price 9781788841450 ACC Art Books Hardback World 300 mm x 237 mm 312 Pages £50.00 Nutmeg_ Graters, Pomanders and Spice Boxes – 9781788841450 copy

Nutmeg: Graters, Pomanders and Spice Boxes2023-02-06T09:50:19+00:00

Elements: 28 – 30 October – Silversmiths by Kier Mulholland

For this year’s edition of Elements we were delighted to welcome back, in conjunction with the Incorporation of Goldsmiths, silversmiths and jewellers from all over the country in person from as far north as Shetland to Cornwall. Now in its 8th year, the saleroom in Edinburgh teamed recent Scottish college graduates with industry stalwarts all able to discuss their making processes and to sell their products. Traditional working practices are still a key element within many silversmiths’ making processes. Annabel Hood and Katie Watson include hand engraving to create visually appealing surface decorations: Watson uses engraving to create imaginative illustrations of lively creatures and scenes from nature whilst Hood uses the technique to engage the mind of the viewer and allude to her inspiration from climate change. Echoes from nature also combine with tradition in Scott Smith’s work; he uses carving, raising and casting of wood chips found in his studio, in a meditative way to create his silverware, which is inspired by the wild [Read More]

Elements: 28 – 30 October – Silversmiths by Kier Mulholland2024-09-25T11:36:26+01:00

The Annual General Meeting – 21 November 2022

We enjoyed a wonderful evening in the splendid surroundings of Goldsmiths’ Hall. Thirty  members attended and there were a number of apologies and proxy votes. The formal part of the meeting included the Chairman’s review of a very busy and successful year for the society and the announcement of an exciting programme planned for 2023. Our finances are in good heart and our membership remains reasonably stable. Draft Minutes will be available on the Silver Society website. Following the AGM Dora Thornton gave a fascinating talk about the Goldsmiths’ Company’s collection which was richly illustrated with slides.  With the help of the curatorial team those attending also had the  opportunity to see some of the items Dora had discussed. As ever thanks are due to the unsung heroes, Luke Schrager and Chris Blackler, for their work sorting out our name badges and for manning the wine bar – including Christmas nibbles on this occasion.  The Society is very grateful to the Wardens of the [Read More]

The Annual General Meeting – 21 November 20222024-09-25T11:41:18+01:00

Lyon & Turnbull auction report

Taking a retrospective look at the past year of sales, gives a great opportunity to view many of our highlights. Click on the underlined items to see the item. As the market leaders of silver in Scotland, we are able to uncover some especially rare pieces.  At Lyon & Turnbull, our year begins in August with the annual Scottish sale. One discovery, a pair of Scottish provincial salvers presents the high standard of work by John Baillie of Inverness, and are in fact the only salvers documented by an Inverness maker. Scarcity is key to the popularity of Provincial silver and with only three masking spoons of this unusual design known from Tain, it is not hard to see why there was such interest, especially with the intricate stem. Provincial silver illustrates the far-reaching centres of commerce predominantly between the second quarter of the 18th century to the early 19th century, around Scotland from Forres and Banff in the North to the West with Greenock to name just a few. [Read More]

Lyon & Turnbull auction report2023-01-23T12:48:27+00:00

Contemporary Bristish Silver Designers

Authors: John L. Davis & Gordon Hamme This book brings together two expansive collections of silver objects, the ‘Lion’ collection and the ‘Hamme’ collection. The ‘Lion’ collection provides a broad overview of beautiful silver objects made by a great variety of British contemporary silversmiths. It is divided between holloware, caddy spoons and napkin rings. Part of the collection revolves around the theme of lions, because the lion image bears a resemblance to the collector’s family history. The Hamme collection is a spectacular array of ‘hero’ pieces and commissions that demonstrate some of the best of each silversmith’s work. With more than 500 images, Contemporary British Silver Designers shares some of the finest work crafted by 21st- century silversmiths. Over 500 illustrated examples of the best of modern silver design Contains interviews with several top contemporary silver designers Foreword by Alastair Dickenson, Introduction by John Andrews. The publisher has offered 35% discount off the RRP (making it £29.25 to Silver Society members). There is a charge [Read More]

Contemporary Bristish Silver Designers2022-09-09T11:49:07+01:00
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