October 5th 2021
Over 130 of the best contemporary makers will showcase their work at the 2021 Goldsmiths' Fair. Visitors can view and buy work from a selection of the UK’s most talented jewellers and silversmiths as well as learning about the timeless skills of handmaking, collecting, commissioning and the history of jewellery in a programme of talks and exhibitions. Curated by a panel of experts, Goldsmiths' Fair handpicks the finest established and emerging designer-makers working across the UK as well as highlighting exceptional work by recent graduates.
The Goldsmiths’ Company has been supporting gold and silversmiths for almost 700 years from its magnificent gilded headquarters in the City of London. This year the Fair will be a physical event and will take place at Goldsmiths’ Hall, a Grade I listed building that has been used as a location in everything from Killing Eve to The Crown. Alongside the physical fair, makers will open their doors for virtual studio tours and demonstrations.
Nature and the natural world has always been a source of inspiration for artists and makers and in 2021 we are seeing many jewellers and silversmiths taking a closer look at their environment. Fine jewellers like Ami Pepper and Ruth Tomlinson will present collections inspired by underwater worlds and sea creatures, whilst Laura Ngyou's work explores the miniature worlds contained in rock pools. Kayo Saito replicates the tiniest details of blossoms and leaves in fine gold, whilst Christopher Thompson Royd draws directly on the flora and fauna of our hedgerows. Silversmith Annabel Hood has worked with a glaciologist to create an elegant tea set that is a direct response to climate change, each piece engraved with linear patterns that trace the melt flow of glaciers.
Bright uplifting colours and a playful humour are trends we have seen emerging for 2021 with makers creating love heart sweet necklaces and work inspired by children’s games and cracker toys. For 2021 Isla Gilham will showcase her vividly coloured “Bitten” collection which features luscious jewels that appear to have been bitten into whilst Tomasz Donocik’s gorgeous Art Deco collection mixes opaque and translucent stones with deep saturated colour.
Sustainability and the reimagining of existing pieces are important themes running through 2021 with the growing trend to rediscover old jewellery, and upcycle items that are gathering dust into new and wearable pieces.
Alongside the Fair, an exhibition drawn from the Goldsmiths' Collection will look at the history of the ring and focus on the period in the 1960s when rings became powerful, wearable sculptures for both men and women. The rings on display demonstrate the importance of the international scene at the end of the Second World War in the explosion of skills and originality, as well as the adoption of novel techniques and unusual or space-age materials. The exhibition showcases the work of 3 ring Queens Dorothy Hogg, Wendy Ramshaw and Gerda Flockinger and ends with a display of work by ground-breaking contemporary designers including Emefa Cole.
The Goldsmiths’ Company has been supporting craftspeople, protecting consumers, through hallmarking, and improving lives through its charitable work for nearly 700 years: it is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London and received its Royal Charter in 1327.
Exhibitors at Goldsmiths’ Fair use exceptional handmaking skills to create their pieces, applying techniques that have been passed down over hundreds of years. All makers exhibiting are chosen through a rigorous selection process which ensures the highest standards of both materials and craftsmanship.
Week Two is now open:
5th – 10th October, 2021
10:30am – 6:00pm Daily
10:30am – 3:30pm Sundays
Goldsmiths’ Hall
Foster Lane
London EC2V 6BN
For further information, including COVID precautions in place, please visit:
Image captions: Goldsmiths' Company; Ufer, Tanya; Asano, Hidemi.