News
Tusk: Year of the Lion
Meet Ruaha, designed and crafted for Tusk, who along with his little brother Luangwa, is helping this innovative conservation charity make 2019 the Year of the Lion. This year, Tusk has initiated multiple programmes to raise awareness, combat poaching and reduce the habitat loss that is driving the lion, the iconic King of Beasts, towards extinction.
Lions have been celebrated and revered throughout history for their courage and strength. Once roaming most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe, now only...
Meet James Aveling, Grant Macdonald Apprentice
It’s National Apprenticeships Week 2019, and so we’d like to take a closer look at the role of a modern-day silversmith’s apprentice and introduce our very own James Aveling, who is coming to the end of his apprenticeship… and soon hopes to become a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company upon completion of his Masterpiece.
“My great uncle is a famous silversmith, Norman Bassant, and my uncle John Bassant is also a silversmith. So, making is something I’ve always wanted to do, and an apprenticeship is a great way to learn and get hands-on experience working in a real...
Silversmithing 101: Casting
Over the millenia people have worked precious metals, they have evolved many different techniques for producing different finishes, structures and effects, however one of the oldest and still most important is casting. Although some aspects of the process have been streamlined with technology to improve speed and quality control, the basic process remains the same now as it did in the earliest metal casting processes, reckoned to date back around five or six thousand years BCE.
In this post, our master caster Andy Barnes takes us on a whirlwind tour of this ancient, and complex process…
Gift ideas for an extra special Valentine
Yes, it’s that time of year again to surprise that special person in your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re an old married couple with grandchildren, or a teenager in love for the first time (with someone apart from Harry Kane or Ariana Grande), St. Valentine’s Day is a special time for incurable romantics the world over.
Sometimes though, it’s a special Valentine’s day, perhaps celebrating your first date, the year you get engaged, or a wedding anniversary year. If you’re having a Valentine like that this year, you might want to upgrade the traditional Belgian chocolates and a dozen...
Grant Macdonald: Fine Detail
The thing about really great silver craftsmanship is the ability of the master craftsman to trick your senses. Take this remarkable silver bird of prey. The meticulous chasing of the feathers on this falcon will make you doubt your own eyes. After all, as every school child learns, most metals – silver included – are pale and hard. Metal is a good conductor of heat too, so it’s usually cold to the touch. So why is it, when people see our falcons, lions, leopards and the assortment of animals that leave our workshop for private collections, museums, palaces and charities...