Contemporary British Silversmiths

Contemporary British Silversmiths Official page for Contemporary British Silversmiths, the leading association for contemporary silverware in the UK.

What a fantastic weekend at Goldsmiths North at Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield.Now in its 6th year, Goldsmiths North once agai...
08/06/2026

What a fantastic weekend at Goldsmiths North at Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield.

Now in its 6th year, Goldsmiths North once again brought together an incredible showcase of contemporary jewellery and silverware, with 55 exhibitors this year, including many of our members, displaying exceptional craftsmanship and creativity.

It was especially encouraging to see support for emerging makers through the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, who supported 7 early career jewellers and silversmiths, including our members Alewijn Slingerland and Caitlin Murphy. This important scheme offers exhibition stands at a subsidised cost, helping talented makers take the next step in their careers.

We were also delighted to see Argex LTD supporting the fair by sponsoring a stand for emerging silversmith Isabella Kelley.

As always, Goldsmiths North proved to be a truly lovely event. Full of beautiful work, inspiring conversations, and the opportunity to connect with talented makers and collectors alike.

Already looking ahead? Goldsmiths North returns this November at Wentworth Woodhouse (13th–15th November) another date for the diary!

What a fabulous day celebrating contemporary silversmithing in London! ✨We were delighted to share some snapshots of our...
12/05/2026

What a fabulous day celebrating contemporary silversmithing in London! ✨

We were delighted to share some snapshots of our four wonderful members weaving metal who demonstrated burnishing and finishing showed off her hammer skills exceptional chasing demonstrating their exceptional skills at the V&A as part of London Craft Week, inspiring visitors throughout the day with live demonstrations of craftsmanship, creativity, and making excellence.

We then popped over to the wonderfully curated Selling Exhibition at Cutlers Hall with Bishopsland Educational Trust . Featuring Fellows’ work from makers who attended Bishopsland from 1996 to the present cohort.

A brilliant celebration of talent, community, and the future of British silversmithing and metalwork.

Join us today (Tuesday 12 May 2026) for a free live maker demonstration celebrating four exceptional contemporary Britis...
12/05/2026

Join us today (Tuesday 12 May 2026) for a free live maker demonstration celebrating four exceptional contemporary British silversmiths at V&A South Kensington.

Discover the artistry, precision, and craftsmanship behind modern silverwork as the makers demonstrate traditional and experimental techniques throughout the day in Gallery 68 of the Whiteley Silver Galleries at the

🛠 Morning Makers (11:00–13:00)
&

🛠 Afternoon Makers (14:00–16:00)
&

V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
🎟 Free event
🕚 11:00–16:00

We look forward to seeing you all!

Reflecting on our inspiring trip to London to visit Collect, the leading international art fair for contemporary craft a...
27/02/2026

Reflecting on our inspiring trip to London to visit Collect, the leading international art fair for contemporary craft and design at Somerset House ✨

The exhibition runs until 1st March, so there’s still time to experience some truly fabulous work in beautifully curated rooms filled with stunning objects.

We were especially excited to see so much exceptional silverware on show and proud that many of the makers are members of ours!

Here are a few of our highlights:
BR Gallery, Room E16
Artists - Chris Knight (whose work has been aquired by the V&A for their collection 👏) & Rebecca de Quinn
Gallery - Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Room E12
Artist - Cara Murphy
Gallery - Goldsmiths’ Fair, Room W1
Artists Francisca Onumah & Brett Payne
Gallery - FIVE, Room W4
Artists - Angela Cork, Kathryn Hinton, Jessica Jue, Alice Fry & Rajesh Gogna
Gaklery - Society of Designer Craftsmen, Room W15
Artists - Caitlin Murphy, Alex O’Connor & Martyn Pugh
Gallery - Cavalerio Finn, Room W17
Artist - Juliette Bigley
Gallery - House of Bandits by Sarabande, Room S14
Artist - Shinta Nakajima
Gallery - Oxford Ceramics Gallery, Room S5
Artist - Adi Toch

Such an inspiring celebration of craftsmanship, materiality, and innovation. If you’re in London, don’t miss it!

What a fantastic few days we’ve had in Sheffield! Our first course of 2026 was our brand-new mixed ability 3 day with Ro...
25/02/2026

What a fantastic few days we’ve had in Sheffield! Our first course of 2026 was our brand-new mixed ability 3 day with Rod Smart

Six participants learned and developed their chasing skills, covering everything from tooling and working on flat surfaces to creating designs and chasing on 3D forms, including bowls specially spun for us by Carl .7276 .

Scroll through to see these amazing results. Well done to everyone involved who should all be incredibly proud of what has been created!

A huge thank you to Rod for running such an inspiring course and to Charlotte at Yorkshire Art Space for organising the silver space!

TECHNICAL ZOOM NEWS 📢Tonight's (Thursday 5th) Technical Zoom is focussing on ~ Inspiration for Mind and Body with Silver...
05/02/2026

TECHNICAL ZOOM NEWS 📢
Tonight's (Thursday 5th) Technical Zoom is focussing on ~ Inspiration for Mind and Body with Silversmith Miriam Hanid.
Join us for a conversation with Miriam on how to explore simple, practical ways to care for our bodies and minds - through greater awareness, gentle movement, and healthier habits in the workshop so we can work with more ease, focus, and longevity, and continue creating our best work .
We all know that silversmithing is physically demanding, yet so often we neglect our bodies. We hold tension where we don’t need to, sit awkwardly for hours, and push through long sessions without pausing to stretch, reset, or even breathe. Over time, these habits can quietly drain our energy and hinder our productivity.
Our zoom sessions occur on a Thursday evening 8pm – 9pm (GMT) and are available to all our members. If you are not currently a member but would like to join, please visit our website: https://www.contemporarybritishsilversmiths.org/joining/ or follow the link in our bio
Members – We look forward to seeing you! . Image kindly provided by depicting some exciting models.

Members this is your deadline reminder to apply for our upcoming course! 📢Mixed Ability Chasing Course with Rod Smart at...
23/01/2026

Members this is your deadline reminder to apply for our upcoming course! 📢

Mixed Ability Chasing Course with Rod Smart at Yorkshire Art Space, Sheffield, running from 23rd–25th February across three full days of learning and making.

Applications must be submitted by 9am Friday 30th January (1 Week today!)

Rod Smart is a highly renowned chaser with an exceptional reputation in the field. His career includes multiple Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council (GCDC) awards, alongside extensive experience as both an accomplished tutor and an esteemed trade chaser. His depth of knowledge, generosity in teaching, and practical insight make this a rare opportunity for participants at all stages of their practice.

The course is designed to welcome beginners through to advanced makers, offering structured learning for those new to chasing and greater freedom for more experienced participants to refine technique, explore form, and ask in-depth technical questions. We are absolutely delighted to have Rod on board and to be able to offer our members the chance to learn from such a respected practitioner.

Check your emails to apply 📧

31/10/2025

🔊We’ve created a new version of the video about making a Riffler file.

As with any new rollout, there were a few bumps along the way! We felt that the AI voice over didn’t quite represent us as well as it could, so this time Ray himself is doing the voiceover. It gives the video a more local feel and better reflects who we are as an organisation and what we do.

We hope you enjoy the updated video! As a small team of volunteers and freelancers, we would love to hear your thoughts!

🎥 Short Video Tip with Ray Walton

This video is part of our new series from Contemporary British Silversmiths, where we share short tips and insights from our members to give a wider audience a glimpse into the skills behind the craft and to help fellow members.

Following on from our members-only WhatsApp group and technical zooms, these bite-sized videos are all about sharing practical know-how and workshop wisdom. Peer to peer learning and passing on skills is an integral part of our community, and we hope these videos add to that!

Here, Ray Walton demonstrates his method for making a riffler file – a small, curved file designed for shaping, smoothing, and refining those tricky, hard-to-reach areas in metalwork, silversmithing and jewellery.

Making your own riffler files can be surprisingly cost-effective, and it allows you to customise the curves and textures to suit specific jobs – giving you greater control and precision in your work.

We all know how important it is to adapt and fine-tune our tools to suit the task, and Ray’s demonstration is a great reminder of that.

If you’re a member and would like to film a short video yourself – or have us come and film one with you –please get in touch!

Big thank you to Ray for kickstarting this and sharing this film!

.walton.13

🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃Wishing all our members and followers a spooktacular day! We couldn’t resist sharing Yusuke Yamamoto...
31/10/2025

🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃

Wishing all our members and followers a spooktacular day! We couldn’t resist sharing Yusuke Yamamoto’s beautiful box from this year’s Goldsmiths’ Fair — We're captivated by the sculptural form, exquisite textures, and masterful chasing that bring this work to life. created the perfect pumpkin in our eyes! 🧡✨

29/10/2025

✨ A Wonderful Trip to London! ✨

We had a fantastic time in London last week for the Annual Freeman’s Reception at Goldsmiths’ Hall — a truly special event that brings together members and freemen to celebrate the craft, share ideas, and reconnect with friends old and new. 🥂

While in the city, we also visited the Goldsmiths’ Centre to see this year’s SHINE exhibition, showcasing some of the most exciting emerging talent in contemporary jewellery and silversmithing. 💎

A huge congratulations to two of our own talented members — Iona Hall and Beca Fflur — for exhibiting their beautiful work at SHINE! 👏✨ It’s always inspiring to see their creativity and craftsmanship being recognised on such a prestigious platform.

A big thank you to everyone at the Goldsmiths’ Company and Goldsmiths’ Centre for hosting such inspiring events and supporting makers at every stage of their journey.

Until next time, London! 🇬🇧💛

Address

Strand London
London
WC2R 1LA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Contemporary British Silversmiths posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Contemporary British Silversmiths:

Shortcuts

Share