The Goldsmiths’ Review 2024/25
The stories that unfold in this year’s Goldsmiths’ Review are wonderfully diffuse. From ancient alchemy to our Apprentice of the Year, from synthetic diamonds to silversmithing in Sheffield, and from cutting-edge metallurgy in Massachusetts to youngsters in Bradford discovering the transformative power of words. Diverse as these narratives are, they are united by common values (golden threads, if you like) that are at the heart of the Goldsmiths’ Company: skills, craftsmanship, realising potential, and the power of community.
Silversmith Rauni Higson MBE is celebrated for her exceptional artistry in pieces often inspired by the natural world. Dazzling though Higson’s talent is, what shines through in Caroline Palmer’s profile of her is a dedication to nurturing the skills of emerging makers. Her generosity of spirit is matched by Rod Kelly (one
of Higson’s own mentors) whose South House Silver Workshop is a sanctuary for developing new generations of silversmiths through intensive residential training. As Kelly tells Chris Mann, transmission of skills cannot be rushed. In these accelerated times, it’s a lesson we all need to hear.
Careful stewardship of skills is increasingly critical, particularly since silver allied trades joined the Red List of Endangered Crafts this year. Only a handful of silver spinners, for example, are currently active in the UK, yet the industry’s survival depends on their skills. Emma Crichton-Miller’s interviews with master practitioners reveal the precision of these all-too-often overlooked skills, as well as the jeopardy they face.
To meet such skills challenges, we continue to evolve, this year expanding our Apprenticeship Scheme to the West Midlands for the first time. It’s a timely move given that 2025 saw Birmingham receive prestigious World Craft City status in recognition of its global influence in jewellery making. Also in this region, the groundbreaking Goldsmiths’ Institute at Aston University Engineering Academy, a Goldsmiths’ Foundation Landmark Grant project, is uniting employers and educators to train
the next generation of industry professionals. Such initiatives are transformational, as Katie Lissamore-Spooner’s profile of Apprentice of the Year Sophie Chapman shows.
A more surprising story of transformation is craft’s potential in advanced engineering. Scientist Owain Houghton at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (whose Cambridge PhD was supported
by the Goldsmiths’ Foundation) tells Eleni Bide how millennia-old metalworking techniques such as granulation and Japanese Mokume Gane have contemporary applications, driving innovation in fields including aerospace and microelectronics.
Such dialogues with other fields run throughout this year’s Review. Yeena Yoon reflects on her journey from architecture to jewellery – a radical shift in scale but not in design thinking, she tells Rachel Church. Lina Iris Viktor’s site-responsive, lavishly gold-laden exhibition at the Sir John Soane’s Museum prompts Will Gompertz’s meditation on gold in contemporary art. Charlotte Dew unravels surprising interdisciplinary influences between textile techniques and jewellery, whilst Debika Ray delves into jewellery’s connections with the written word. Beyond words, the narrative power of silver was brought vividly to light by Adi Toch and David Clarke in their Goldsmiths’ Fair installation Lost and Found – prompting conversations, wonderment, laughter, and even gentle tears, as Martina Margetts discovers.
At Goldsmiths’ Hall, we’ve been reflecting on how we tell our story to connect with a wider world. January saw the launch of our new brand identity.
In an enlightening and entertaining piece, Eleni Bide reveals how, drawing on the emblems in our coat of arms, the new designs celebrate our values and history. At their heart is our proud leopard’s head – a symbol of trust and authenticity.
The leopard leads a rich and fruitful year, as you will discover in our illustrated report at the back of this Review. Last year, our funded programmes and partners reached some 250,000 people. The evolution of our charity into the Goldsmiths’ Foundation is a significant milestone, marking a renewed commitment to supporting creative skills, training, and our craft and trade.
All this is possible only with our people. I extend heartfelt thanks to our members who give generously of their time and expertise on committees, boards and the Court of Assistants – volunteers all. I never fail to be humbled by your passion and dedication, and by our devoted staff team. Above all, I thank Prime Warden Ed Butler and his immediate predecessor Richard Reid for their leadership.
Though we may work in precious metals, our true treasure is skill. As a Company, our strength is in connecting people. In these fragmented times, the act of making – and the skill of bringing people together – gives hope. To work with our hands is to tend and care, to coax and transform raw material into something extraordinary and rare. Like craftspeople, it falls to each of us to apply our own skill and imagination as a transformative force for good. – Annie Warburton, CEO & Clerk, the Goldsmiths’ Company