I was in London recently so got the chance to visit Goldsmiths hall to see the ‘Growing Talent’ exhibition. The idea behind this show was to bring together silvermsiths and jewellers who have been supported by the Goldsmiths’ Company showing the development in their work. So they would display their new and old work along side each other.

Each of the participants will show an early piece from their very first Goldsmiths’ Fair alongside one of their most recent pieces, demonstrating how their designs and skills have developed over the interim time.

It was a great display of craftsmanship and was packed with the most intricate, perfectly formed pieces but the really amazing thing in the show was how it showed the development of each maker. It was so interesting to take in the earlier pieces and then examine how the themes had evolved and changed. At first glance some work looked liked it had been made by a completely different person but on closer inspection you can see the same theme running through the work with each makers individual approach shining through in their work.

I think seeing two pieces from each maker is a really clever idea for a show as their design signature and style are even more evident especially when you see the time period between some of the pieces.

The other thing I really liked about the show was the catalogue. I normally flick through the catalogue and don’t give it a second look. Whereas this one had a short interview with each maker asking really interesting questions like ‘Who has influenced you most as a maker and ‘What piece of jewellery or silverware would you most like to own’

Since reading this I’m still trying to answer these questions for myself!

I know February is a bit late to be starting new years resolution but I’ve had a busy January so decided now is as good a time as any to take stock and plan ahead. Besides the usual eat less, exercise more resolutions I’ve got some workshop related ones that I’m hoping will make for a more harmonious work environment!

I treated myself to some new tools before Christmas so my first resolution involves mastering one of these. The barrel polisher.

It’s taken me a few years to buy this as I’ve gone from wanting one, to thinking I can do without it! As the workshop has gotten much busier and the need to polish lots of pieces quickly increased I did my research and saw the best way to get the finish I wanted in a efficient time was with a barrel polisher. Thanks to the advice of many jeweller friends I got this lovely one online from UKGE

I had planned to spend a quiet day in January playing around with the polisher. Trying different finishes and basically just figuring out what works best for me but with Showcase and some other jobs I’ve been working on my lovely polisher got left on the shelf until I could give it the time it deserved.
So there’s my first new years resolution, become a barrel polishing ninja.

My second resolution is the leave my bench tidy every evening before I leave the workshop. Now let me just qualify this by saying I’m not a messy person and by other workshop standards my bench is pretty tidy. But I’ve noticed that there always a few minutes in the morning spent getting everything set up. I’m at my most productive in the morning so it doesn’t make sense for me to spend some of this time tidying. New organised me has decided this should be done in the evening when winding down and finishing up for the day. I can just potter around the workshop putting tools away, sorting jobs for the following day while listening to a good podcast.

So there you have it my new years resolutions. Of course I will keep you posted on my progress. The barrel polisher will be easier to write about as I will be able to post my results. As for the perfectly tidy bench every evening… you’ll have to just trust me on that one

I’ve been rearranging the workshop this week to make room my new jewellers bench. I bought the bench from a jeweller who was retiring after 40 years of jewellery making.  Since this was a piece of furniture I was going to be spending a lot of time sitting at I needed to make sure it would be perfect. I had looked into buying a new bench but they seemed a bit light and I wanted a bench that I could happily cut, hammer and solder at without fear of collapse! So when I found this bench that had been in use for 20 years I knew it could withstand the stresses of life in a busy silversmiths workshop.

The height of the bench is extremely important. The bench needs to be high enough so you can have the jewellery you are making at the correct eye level. Also since I spend much of my day sitting at the bench it needs to be high enough so I am not hunched over the bench doing damage to my back.

What makes a jewellers bench different from any other workbench is the semi circle cut out in the middle. This is to ensure you can sit close to the work and with a bench skin or tray it allows you to collects scrap. I find it really handy when working on tiny components, if you drop one it will more than likely fall in to your bench tray.

Unfortunately there was one casualty from the move, my bench peg snapped while I was trying to remove it, so I’ll have to make another one. It was on its last legs as it has been cut and drilled into one too many times so it was nearing retirement.

I’m loving working on the new bench, all my favourite tools have found their homes as the previous owner has left the handy clips and hooks for the pliers, soldering torch and piercing frame.

One event that I always like writing about is Goldsmiths Fair which takes place in London every year. The show runs for two weeks with a different group of makers exhibiting each week.

So I thought I’d share a few pictures from one of the award winners and discuss the awards that were presented over the two week show.

The first week the “Best New Design Award” was presented to Max Warren. Peter Ting presented the award. It was lovely to see his name involved with Goldsmiths Fair. Peter was a guest lecturer in the art college I attended and was the person who introduced me to the work of lots of great makers.

I’ve tried to find some good images of Max’s work but unfortunately none of them do the work justice. His pieces are created using traditional silversmithing techniques and uses hand engraving to amazing effect to create a play on light and shade. using different cuts he engraves an image into the silver which alters as the light catches it from different angles. Now you understand why it doesn’t lend itself to being photographed!

Jacqueline Gestetner judged the award for week two and presented the prize to Adi Toch. I discussed Adi work last year. She creates these amazing forms which work are not only beautiful but very functional.

The bulbous vessels are just calling to be picked up and used. I love her salt pots because they are so brilliantly functional. If they are knocked over none of the salt will spill out.

As you will know from reading this blog I love to see the work of other silversmiths, unfortunately in Ireland there a few practicing silversmiths so the opportunity to visit exhibitions of contemporary silver work is rare.

That’s why I was so excited when I saw the line up for the Utensil exhibition, it had gathered together an amazing list of makers including some silversmiths from both Ireland and abroad. I had seen some of these silversmiths exhibit in London over the years but it was great to see this work in the lovely setting of the National Craft Gallery.

I was anxious to go along on the first Saturday of the show as the curator Angela O’ Kelly was giving a talk, going through the various makers and the inspiration behind their work. As the exhibition was made up of artists working in a variety of mediums and emerging Irish makers I really wanted to find out more about the work and of course Angela’s thoughts when curating the show.  The great thing about the show was how it combined product designers and makers in a variety of  disciplines. This for me really reinforced the theme of the exhibition seeing how each maker responded to the idea of  tableware and the ceremony of eating.

One of my favourite silversmiths David Clarke had his display of spoons there, I first saw his work when I was in college many years ago and have loved how his approach to silver has changed from his perfectly balanced silver fruit displays to these refashioned old spoons and teasets.

As well as giving us these beautiful objects to look at the show allows us examine our own relationship to the utensils we use, whether they be sentimental, decorative or functional.

The exhibition runs until the 29th of October so you have plenty of time to go along and see these beautiful pieces for yourself.

Geoffrey Mann’s Crossfire work in ceramic and glass. The video accompanying the work shows the vibrations of an argument (an audio excerpt from the film American Beauty) altering, melting and changing the inanimate objects on the table.

Chien-Wei Chang goblets, Martini, wine and Champagne flute…I’d happily sip my drinks from any of these!

Sharon Blakey and Ismini Samanidou’s gorgeous collaboration of textiles and ceramics.

Maike Dahl’s extremely thin silver forms which are influenced by take away disposable containers.

Debbis Wijskamp vibrantly colour paper forms.

I’ve written a few posts about the recent problem of silver and bronze sculptures and artworks being stolen from public places. One of the pieces that I discussed this year was the stealing of the Assay Office sign in Birmingham. The sign pictured above is a solid silver sign with 18ct gold lettering. Below the lettering is stamped a large hallmark. This plaque was put up in 1977 to mark the 100th anniversary of the assay office opening in 1877. Birmingham Assay Office is based in the heart of the city’s jewellery quarter and is the largest hallmarking office in the UK.

Having walked past that sign on a number of occasions I never realised it was solid silver! No doubt the sign has been melted and sold for scrap at this stage, it’s such a pity that this little piece of local history should be forgotten like this.

But thankfully rather than lament the loss of their silver sign the Birmingham Assay Office have taken this opportunity to commission a new sign from a local maker. The jewellery quarter is packed with amazingly talented designers and makers and this is a great chance to recognise and reward this talent.

When I heard about this commission I thought there’s no way they are going to have the sign made in silver again but fair play to them they’ve gotten a local supplier The Bullion Room on board as a sponsor. They are going to manufacture the sign using silver and studded diamonds which they have gifted to the assay office, they will also provide extra security.

Since designers are being given free rein with their ideas for the silver plaque I’m really looking forward to seeing the results. It’s great to see an awful story of theft be turned into a good news story celebrating the wealth of designers and makers in the Jewellery Quarter. I wonder has anything like this happen in Ireland?

Here are the guidelines for the name plaque commission

1. Designers must be operating from an address with a Birmingham postcode.
2. The plaque must be a maximum of 19cm wide but could be deeper
3. It must be suitable to be securely fixed to the stonework flanking the doorway

1. It should be made from materials suitable for exterior signage. Increased Security will also be provided courtesy of the Bullion Room so designers should not be concerned about creating a high value item.
2. The item must be suitable to be hallmarked sterling silver i.e. with a fineness of at least 925ppt.
3. The item will also carry a Diamond Jubilee Hallmark. The last date for striking this is 1st October 2012.
4. This is an official company sign; the words The Assay Office must be clearly legible
5. The design should be appropriate to the status of the UK’s largest Assay Office whose mission is to champion high quality standards in the jewellery, precious metal, and gemstone industry. Further information about the work of The Assay Office can be found at www.theassayoffice.co.uk
6. The designer is not required to manufacture the final article, as this will be undertaken by The Bullion Room. However, the design must be accompanied by a clear technical specification as to its intended method of manufacture.
7. Applications should include a full size drawing/impression/image of the finished item
8. The technical specification should detail method of construction, type, and quantity of materials to be used and suitable points of fixing.

I’ve been meaning to feature the work of Irish silversmith Noleen Logue for a few weeks now. Having graduated from NCAD this year she was just awarded The New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Award for Silversmithing and ‘Design in Silver’ from the Contemporary British Silversmiths.

Her work is centred around the expression ’it’s what’s inside that counts’ and  features a series of hand raised bowls. The bowls which are made of nickel silver and gilding metal are double walled and have sections cut out. I love her use of materials, she really uses the nickel silver and gilding metal to great effect, contrasting the lovely warm tones beautifully.

I also love the way she uses her skills to really illustrate the concept of the work. The work deals with the idea of what lies beneath the surface which is captured perfectly by these vessels with sections removed. The little piece which has been cut out provides us with as much information as the bowl itself. The little touches of using techniques like mokume gane to hint at the make up of the bowl, the inner surface.

She makes these double walled vessels and then carefully extracts a section. From the missing section we get a sneak peek into the inner wall of the bowl, this section is embellished with not only mokumé gane and but also with hand made sections of spots and strips, incorporating other metals like brass and copper.

Since everyone is talking about the Olympics, I thought I’d put my own silversmiths twist on the day!

Whether you are a fan of the Olympics or not you will know there are three types of medals awarded to the winners gold, silver or bronze. So I wanted to find out, who designs the medals, where are they made, and are they really made of gold, silver and bronze?

Firstly what metal is used to make the medals?

Unfortunately the gold medal is no longer made of solid gold. In fact the last solid gold medal was presented in 1912. Since then all the gold medals are in fact made of silver which is then gold plated to give it its gold colour. The silver medal is also made of silver, so the only difference between the silver and gold medal is a thin plating of gold! The bronze medal is made of bronze which is made up of 97% copper, 2.5% zinc and .5% tin.

Who designed the medal?

The design of the medal is left to the host city but certain standards must be maintain.

• Gold and silver medals are to be made of 92.5% silver, which is hallmark quality sterling silver.
• Gold medals must be plated with at least 6 grams of gold.
• All Olympic medals must be at least 3 mm thick and at least 60 mm in diameter.

For the London Olympics the medal has been designed by British artist David Watkins. The front of all the Olympic medals carry the same imagery. The Greek goddess of victory, Nike stepping out of the Parthenon to arrive in the host city. For this years games the other side of the medal shows the logo of the games which sits on a grid style design with a square and a wave symbol representing the river Thames and a map?? Ya I don’t get it either!

Where are the medals made?

This year the medals have been made at the Royal Mint headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales. They have produced 2,100 medals for the games. Each medal is engraved around the rim with the sport and discipline of its winner.

Here are some images of the Olympic silverware designed by Nick Munro.

I did a few calculations to give you a sense of how much silver that is. 1 troy ounce is equivalent to 31.1 grams, which puts the total weight of silver found at 43,540 kgs, that’s about the weight of ten elephants!

The silver has remained off the Irish coast since 1941 when the merchant ship on which it was being transported sank. The SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat during the Second World War while it was being used by the British government under their War Risk Insurance programme.  An insurance payment of £325,000 (it’s value in 1941) was paid out to the owners of the bullion by the government, therefore allowing the state to claim ownership. With silver prices at their highest this was a great time to cash in on their investment! It is thought that this find only represents half of the silver and there is another ship 100 miles from the SS Gairsoppa wreck which contains another sizable quantity of silver.

Now like me you might ask how did that much silver lay on the sea bed for 70 odd years without someone going to the effort of recovering it? It turns out retrieving large amounts of silver from a buried ship wreck isn’t the easiest of tasks! The deep ocean explorations company Odyssey Marine Explorations based in Florida who carried out the work need special equipment to cut into the wreck and retrieve the silver. Even if I can’t get my hands on some that forgotten silver it’s nice to know it’s hidden off our coast just waiting to be found.

So here we go, my favourite uncoventional tools

1. Cotton buds These are just perfect for cleaning and polishing small areas and getting into small corners. You can add some polishing compound to really bring up the shine in a small area. I also cut the top off them and use the plastic bit to get into the corners.
2. Cocktail Sticks Like the cotton buds these are great for doing small detailed work. I also use them when touching up my resists for acid etching. I dot a tiny drop of nail varnish on to the tip to fill the tiny little patches where the resists doesn’t take.
3. Clothes Pegs I wrote about setting pearls some time ago and my handy tip was to use a clothes peg to hold the pearl in place. The ones that I use at the moment have a cushioned edge so they don’t mark a highly polished surface yet they really do holds things in place.
4. Gramophone Needles Ok I know these probably aren’t the easiest thing to get hold of but I’m lucky enough to have a father who collects everything! I use these as scribers as I can clamp them in different scalpel handles and pieces of wood. They have an extremely fine point and are very tough so perfect for marking a really fine line.
5. Paper Clips and Picture Cord I’ve grouped these two together because they serve the same function. I use them to hold pieces I’m polishing on the lathe. Anyone who has polished tiny items of jewellery on a polishing lathe will know that they can often slip out of your hand and go flying across the workshop. By using the picture cord of paper clips it allows me to keep hold of the piece while still giving the entire surface a good polish.

I would love to hear what unconventional tools you use in your jewellery making and silversmithing.