2023 Exhibition
This year, we present an exhibition featuring five organisations from across the UK supporting specialist skills in jewellery and silversmithing. From innovative cutlery design to workshops brimming with activity, these organisations provide essential opportunities and support for makers at all stages of their careers and underscore the intrinsic value of passing on skills, community and collaboration in our industry. The exhibition can be found in the Upper Gallery at Elements.
The exhibition includes examples of finished work and pieces in progress, 2D designs and information about the following organisations:
The Worshipful Company of Cutlers
The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain
The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop
Hamilton & Inches Craft Academy
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
The Worshipful Company of Cutlers
The Cutlers’ Company is one of the most ancient livery companies in the City of London, having received its first Royal Charter from Henry V in 1416. The Company acted as the trade guild whose members’ produced items with a cutting edge, such as swords, knives and surgical instruments. Today the Company has an important collection focused around a large display of cutlery, which was mainly acquired through the generosity of a past member, this forms part of one of the most important collections of its type considered to be second only to that of the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The Competition
In January 2021 the Cutlers’ Company launched the first annual Contemporary Cutlery Design Competition to reconnect with its trade, its craftspeople and make sure that the collection of cutlery is a continuum and the legacy it deserves to be. The design brief is simple - create a set of contemporary cutlery; consisting of a knife, a fork and a spoon. The winning design will be produced alongside the desinger by a professional craftsperson / manufacturer and will be scaled up in order to produce a 6-piece dining set.
This cutlery immediately becomes part of the permanent heritage collection of the Cutlers’ Company but also is used regularly at Company dinners. It is anticipated the competition will culminate in 2116 when the Company will celebrate its 700th anniversary. The ambitious 95-year duration of this annual competition will ultimately create an extraordinary snapshot of British design in the 21st Century and offer young designers of the future a chance to explore the delights of making such intimate everyday objects while inspired by the collection and our 607 year history.
The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain
Hand engraving is the ancient art of embellishing metal and gem materials by removing material with handheld tools. Typically hand engraving is applied to objects including commemorative items, jewellery, silverware, guns, clocks, watches, enamelled items and seals, as well as used to produce printed and embossed items. The Hand Engravers Association of Great Britain was formed in 2007 to raise the profile and preserve the skills of this specialist craft and its practitioners through training, apprenticeships, exhibitions, publicity and events. Hand engraving in Britain is world class and it is crucial that we preserve this part of our heritage.
The Charitable Incorporated Organisation was formed in 2018 and has over 120 student, trainee, professional, collector and enthusiast members. The Association receives no government funding and income is generated via courses, memberships, donations, grants and the Patrons scheme.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) is a charity which funds the training and education of talented and aspiring craftspeople, supporting the UK's cultural heritage and sustaining vital skills in traditional and contemporary crafts.
QEST offers grants of up to £18,000 towards traditional college courses, vocational training, apprenticeships and one-to-one training with a master craftsperson. The charity is also developing programmes to inspire the next generation of professional makers and has partnered with the National Saturday Club to establish Craft & Making Clubs for 13–16-year-olds across the UK.
QEST will be joined at Elements by silversmith Annabel Hood, who was awarded a QEST Scholarship in 2023 to expand her traditional hand engraving skills through one-to-one training with master engraver Karen Wallace. The training is focused on engraving on steel - specifically British shotguns - as there is a shortage of gun engravers in the UK and an urgent need to train young engravers to preserve the traditional craft. Annabel also plans to transfer the skills and patterns she learns in gun engraving to her silversmithing practice, allowing for more varied work in exhibition or bespoke commissions.
The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop
The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop profiles silversmithing as an important part of Scotland’s craft heritage and actively supports its future. The ethos at Marchmont is in the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement, inspired by the natural world. The addition of the silversmithing workshop alongside other traditional crafts based there will further enrich the cultural profile of the area and be a welcome addition to Marchmont Makers Foundation.
The workshop provides opportunities for three early career silversmiths to develop their businesses over a two year tenancy, with mentoring from an established Silversmith. A fifth bench provides space for one-week to one-month long residencies, enabling silversmiths across the UK and internationally to develop new work and welcome knowledge and cultural exchange.
The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop offers a unique experience for visiting silversmiths on residencies with beautiful bespoke accommodation on site. The SGT welcomes collaboration from individuals and organisations that may wish to support a funded residency, with the additional option to include a silverware commission for their collection. The Marchmont Silversmithing Workshop forms part of The Scottish Goldsmiths Trust’s charitable objectives to champion the education, art and craft of Scotland’s gold and silversmithing sector.
Hamilton & Inches: Craft Academy
For 150 years Hamilton & Inches’ talented craftspeople have passed their knowledge and skills from one generation to the next. We are fortunate to have several specialists in a variety of fields, who continue to keep the crafts alive through the H&I Academy. We are immensely proud of our craftspeople and their unique skillsets. From silversmiths to polishers, engravers and jewellers; we have a wealth of talent in our workshops who combine their abilities to create unique and beautiful pieces.
The Hamilton & Inches Craft Academy has been created to help further the future of craft, offering talented individuals the opportunity to kick start their future and take part in a series of internships and apprenticeships. Applications for our 8-week paid silversmith internship, starting in July, is open to all third year students on a BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing Course in Scotland, resulting in a Hamilton & Inches recognised qualification and £1,500 grant.
Since 1866, Hamilton & Inches has been Edinburgh’s premiere destination for fine jewellery, luxury watches and hand-crafted silver. We have maintained our jewellery and silver workshops since our inception and have held a Royal Warrant as silversmiths to Her Majesty the Queen for more than 120 years. We continue to offer a range of specialist in-house services including repairs, engravings and valuations.
