The Company in Numbers 2024-2025
From Medieval England to the Modern World
The Goldsmiths’ Company is one of the Great XII livery companies of the City of London and received its first Royal Charter from Edward III in 1327. This medieval document, issued by the King, outlined our powers and responsibilities as the guild for those working with precious metals within the walls of the City. It paved the way for regulations which governed the way that our trade operated, set expectations for training and education, and guided our philanthropic responsibilities to the people and communities around us.
Over the last seven centuries, the City, the Company, and the Trade have evolved, yet, as we approach our 700th year, our purpose remains the same.
Through the London Assay Office, we test and assure the quality of precious metals and the nation’s coinage. Through the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme and our support for The Goldsmiths’ Centre, we provide education, training and mentorship to the next generation of master craftspeople. And through the Goldsmiths’ Foundation we are helping to advance creative, technical, and vocational skills in the craft and trade of goldsmithing, silversmithing and jewellery, and the wider creative industries.
None of this would be possible without our members. They provide governance and direction, advice and support, and ensure that we stay true to our values and relevant in the modern world.
Out of our 1600 active members, 55% work in our trade and 45% in other professions, from law and finance to technology, hospitality and the creative sector. Together they bring expert knowledge and experience that is essential to running the Company today and securing its future for generations to come, just as our founding members did in 1327.
Our Home in the City
Twelve years after we received our first Royal Charter, nineteen goldsmiths bought a merchant’s house in the heart of the medieval goldsmithery as a “common place” for the newly founded Company to meet and conduct business. This was the first Goldsmiths’ Hall. Like the City around it, the Hall has been torn down, rebuilt and repaired across the centuries, due to wear and tear, the changing needs of the Company, the Great Fire and, most recently, the Blitz. The building which sits at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London is the third Goldsmiths’ Hall. Opened in 1835, it is the contemporary home of the Goldsmiths’ Company: a convening place for our members, the hub for our philanthropic and commercial activities, the repository of our history and heritage, and the home of the London Assay Office.
The London Assay Office
The London Assay Office protects consumers by assaying (testing) and hallmarking objects made from precious metal, and ensuring the quality and accuracy of the nation’s coinage. The term ‘hallmarking’ takes its name from Goldsmiths’ Hall, the home of the London Assay Office since 1478. In 2024 more than 1.7 million items were hallmarked by laser or punch.
Library & Archive
Our Library and Archive contain more than 8,000 books and over 15,000 images, magazines, journals, films and special research collections focused on jewellery, silver, the allied trades, and hallmarking. It's also home to Company documents, accounts, and minutes spanning almost 700 years. The library is open to the public and plays a key role in research, education, and ongoing professional development in our industry.
Goldsmiths’ Fair
Since 1983, Goldsmiths’ Fair has been the place to see, try, and buy the UKs best independently made contemporary fine jewellery and silver, and meet the craftspeople who designed and created it. In 2024, the Fair welcomed more than 9,000 visitors to Goldsmiths’ Hall, served them 5,000 glasses of sparkling English wine, and saw them spend in excess of £3million with the 136 small British businesses exhibiting.
Events
Our Hall offers a stunning location for events, welcoming tens of thousands of guests and visitors every year for weddings, dinners, parties, presentations, exhibitions and seminars. It regularly provides a stage for film and television productions and has played host to some of the biggest names in Hollywood and Bollywood!
Collection
There are more than 11,000 objects in our world class Collection of art medals, studio jewellery, and antique and contemporary British silver. They are used for research and teaching, feature in exhibitions, and are loaned to cultural institutions. The silver is put to work at lunches and dinners, and the jewellery is worn to showcase the skills and creativity that run through our trade and craft.
Seven Centuries of Consumer Protection
The Goldsmiths’ Company ensures the quality of precious metals through assaying and hallmarking at the London Assay Office and tests the nations coinage for quality, accuracy and composition at the Trial of The Pyx. Instigated in the 13th and 14th centuries, they are two of the oldest forms of consumer protection still in use today.
Hallmarking
Hallmarking can trace its origins to the reign of Henry II, more than 840 years ago. It offers customers, retailers and the trade assurance that objects made from precious metals have been independently scientifically tested (assayed), and through the marks that are applied (the hallmark), tells them what and object is made from, when it was made, who sent it to be hallmarked (the sponsor), and which of the four independent UK Assay Offices tested and marked it in line with the Hallmarking Act (1973).
In 2024, the London Assay Office tested and hallmarked more than 1.7 million articles.
1,516,962 were marked using a laser and 246,947 were marked using a punch.
582,625 were silver, 1,065,786 were gold, 115,190 were platinum, and 308 were palladium
The date letter, which tells you when an object was hallmarked, changes every year - with a new typographic alphabet being issued every 25 years. To avoid confusion, we don't use letters that look similar, in the last set this meant the omission of the letter "i" and in the current set of the letter "j". Each set features a new typeface, case, and shield shape to ensure that each letter can only indicate one specific year.
On 1 January 2025, all four UK Assay Offices began using a new uppercase typographic alphabet for their date letters, with the first letter being an uppercase 'A'.
The Trial of The Pyx
Goldsmiths and, latterly, The Goldsmiths’ Company have been responsible for upholding the quality of the nation’s coinage through rigorous independent inspection and testing as part of one of the UKs oldest judicial processes, The Trial of The Pyx, since 1248.
The Trial fulfils a legal requirement under the Coinage Act (1971) to ensure that the coins produced by the Royal Mint are of the correct weight, size and composition. Having reviewed coins in circulation, in 2024 the Treasury decided that no new currency needed to be minted. As a result, for the first time in the Trial’s history, all 6,432 coins submitted in February 2025 for inspection by a jury of Goldsmiths’ Company Members were either collectible or commemorative and largely made from precious metals.
On 15 May 2025, following three months of scientific analysis by the London Assay Office, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves who holds the title Master of the Royal Mint, received a positive verdict on all 6,432 coins from The King’s Remembrancer, Senior Master Cook of the Kings’ Bench Division of the High Court.
Investment in the future of our trade and craft
For almost seven centuries the Goldsmiths’ Company has championed, and invested in, the future of our trade and craft and helped to nurture and develop the skills and creativity of generations of master craftspeople. The four main ways that we do this today are through Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeships; through our annual selling event, Goldsmiths’ Fair; through acquisitions and commissions for, and loans from, the Company Collection; and through charitable grants from our Foundation (which you can learn about in the next section).
Apprenticeships
There are records of more than 31,400 apprentices in our Archives, with the earliest entries in the 14th Century, and the most recent in the spring of 2025. Of our 1600 active members, 261 received their Freedom of the Company by completing an apprenticeship. The modern Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship is delivered by the Goldsmiths’ Centre. It connects Company members and the wider industry with talented young people and provides apprentices with practical hands-on training, unique educational experiences supported by the Company’s Library and Curatorial teams, and a myriad of opportunities to develop their professional skills and relationships, both in and out of the workshop. In their final year apprentices spend around 300 hours producing a Masterpiece which shows the skills they have learned. They present this to the Wardens (senior members of our Board) on completion of their apprenticeship and are awarded their Freedom as members of the Company.
Goldsmiths’ Fair
Established in 1983, the Fair has launched, accelerated, and supported the careers and businesses of the UK’s leading contemporary jewellers and silversmiths and their colleagues in the wider trade. The Emerging Business Bursary, launched in 2024, reimagines the Fair’s longstanding support for early career makers in recognition of the different routes that lead craftspeople into the trade, with no restrictions based on formal education or age. The Bursary forms part of the £500,000 annual investment the Company makes in staging the Fair, with the goal of connecting craftspeople with consumers, collectors and institutions and creating an environment where small businesses can thrive. In 2024, the Fair welcomed more than 9,000 visitors to Goldsmiths’ Hall, who spent over £3million with the 136 exhibiting craftspeople during the two-week event.
The Collection
There are more than 11,000 objects in our world class Collection of art medals, studio jewellery, and antique and contemporary British silver. It is a working collection, and pieces from it are displayed, loaned, put to work and worn, as well as being used to teach the next generation of makers. The oldest object in our Collection is more than 800 years old, and the most recent was hallmarked in 2025. One of the main ways that we show our support for contemporary makers is through commissions and acquisitions, with 72 new pieces joining the Collection in 2024-2025.
£3million in support of people, skills and creativity
In Spring 2025, we reinvigorated our philanthropy with the launch of the Goldsmiths’ Foundation. Focussing on advancing creative, technical, and vocational skills, education and training, the Foundation supports partners in our industry, and the wider creative sector, to achieve personal, cultural and social transformation.
At time of writing, our Trustees are selecting the recipients of the Foundation’s inaugural grants programme. While this continues at pace our commitment to fund existing grants – including our long-term commitment to the Goldsmiths’ Centre and to recipients of our multi-year Landmark programme – remains, with fantastic results being delivered by all our charity partners across the UK.
The Goldsmiths’ Centre is an independent charity founded by the Goldsmiths’ Company in 2012, our largest single direct investment in the future of our trade and craft. It exists to support the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries through learning and professional development, and aims to close the industry’s skills gap so that creativity, craftsmanship and community can thrive.
LandWorks offers a supported route back into employment and the community for people in prison or at risk of going to prison. Alongside practical resettlement support and counselling, LandWorks provide experience in woodworking, vegetable growing, landscaping, construction, cooking and arts & crafts. Building social skills, increasing self-worth, and encouraging self-responsibility, the aim is to holistically overcome the challenges that ex-offenders face.
The South House Silver Workshop Trust supports the next generation of silversmiths through training, development and mentorship during fully funded, month-long residential stays at workshops in Shetland and Sheffield.
HMS Prince of Wales is part of the Royal Navy’s two-strong fleet of Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, and one of four Goldsmiths’ Company military affiliates. In 2025, HMS Prince of Wales received a grant to enhance the welfare and comfort of its 1600 crew members during an 8-month deployment.
St. Pauls - St. Paul’s Cathedral is undertaking major restoration and conservation of its Cupola, Ball, and Cross. Rising from the Golden Gallery on top of the Dome, at 365ft high, the structure is an iconic symbol of the City of London. The project will raise awareness of heritage craft skills and train apprentices in skills in masonry, lead working and gilding.
St. Giles - St. Giles’ Peer Empowerment Programme will help more than 80 prisoners in five prisons to develop new skills and gain Level 3 qualifications in Advice and Guidance. This industry-standard qualification, alongside on-the-job training and pathways into placements, creates the basis for long-term, transformative change for those leaving prison.
The National Literacy Trust - The National Literacy Trust's Goldsmiths’ 500 Writers programme aims to improve the literacy skills of disadvantaged children in Bradford by empowering teachers to deliver memorable cultural experiences and curated lessons. Following a highly successful first year the programme now aims to work with more than 1000 pupils!
Goldsmiths Institute - Goldsmiths Institute embeds skills and design-based training within Aston University Engineering Academy’s curriculum for students aged 13-18. Driving interaction, training and talent pipelines between educators, learners, and employers, the Institute - which launched the UK’s first Jewellery T-Level in Autumn 2024.
Eight Golden Facts
2,832 pieces of silver
From butter knives to teaspoons and pineapple forks, when you have a Hall capable of seating 230 people and five courses to serve, you use a lot of cutlery. Our main service contains 2,832 individual pieces of silver from our collection which are counted out, set, washed and dried by hand, and counted back in after every grand banquet.
36,125 pages of sponsors marks
More than 95% of the London Assay Offices’ customers submit their work using a digital hallnote, with their account details and their sponsor mark being stored electronically. Alongside this live production system, all new sponsor marks are archived into our record books, which hold more than 36,125 pages of marks going back to 1697
100 keys
Along with Company records spanning from the 1334 to the present day, our Archives include more than 100 sets of unidentified keys, two truncheons, a gas mask, some charred timber, a bus conductor’s ticket machine, and one vintage bar of Lifebuoy soap.
12 musical clock chimes
If you’ve visited Goldsmiths’ Hall in the last year, you may have noticed a tinkling melody emanating from the Drawing Room at the hours of twelve, three, six and nine. The source of these musical interludes is the large George Clarke chiming table clock, made in Leadenhall Street in the City of London, for export to the Ottoman Empire between 1725 and 1766. Of the eight antique clocks keeping time in the building, the Clarke is unique in its ability to play 12 different pieces of music. It does this through a cunning mechanism that combines a musical pin barrel, and a dozen or so tiny bells and hammers, with the tune chosen using a selector arm and helpful “track listing” above the dial. It’s as close as were ever likely to get to having a jukebox in the Hall, but at 60 seconds of music per track perhaps not ideal for dancing!
7,500 candles
When Goldsmiths’ Hall first welcomed members and guests in 1835 the City’s streets would have been illuminated by gas lamps, and the interior of the Livery Hall by candlelight. Electric lighting began to replace gas is the 1890s, and while the Company was quick to adopt the new technology, our chandeliers retained their candle-lit capabilities. Today, the chandeliers are candle lit by request, with each of the four large chandeliers in the Livery Hall taking 54 candles, which are installed by our maintenance team with the aid of a cherry picker. In a typical year we get through more than 7,500 candles!
250,000 people supported through the Foundation
In medieval England, trade guilds like the Goldsmiths' Company offered support to craftspeople and their communities through the giving of alms (financial relief). Philanthropic giving - which is first mentioned in the Company’s earliest minute book of 1334 - is at the heart of who we are and what we do, and in the last 12 months has enabled our charity partners to support the development of skills and progression for more than 250,000 people.
More than 140 leopards in Goldsmiths’ Hall
The leopard’s head has been associated with the Goldsmiths’ Company for seven centuries, so it is perhaps no surprise that when we launched a new Goldsmiths' brand identity in 2025, we chose to lead with the leopard. Along with being present on every piece of jewellery and silver hallmarked in London, the Leopard is found throughout Goldsmiths’ Hall. On flags, furniture, and fireplaces, in stained glass, carpets and the Portland stone and marble facades there are more than 140 leopards from the ridiculous to the sublime!
45 new members
There are three ways for people to join the Company – through redemption, through patrimony, and by completing an apprenticeship. This year we welcomed 45 new members as Freemen. Two received their Freedom by completing a Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship, and forty-three went through a process of application and interview that is open to all.
Written by Chris Mann | Illustrated by Laura Barnard