The Goldsmiths' Centre Impact Report 2024/25

Fostering capability at every link in the chain

Welcome to the centre of opportunity

Designing, making, crafting and finishing: it all comes together at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. It’s where jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths exchange ideas, skills and resources. We welcome everyone: from the young and curious, to designers, makers, manufacturers and craftspeople at all stages in their journey. Our award-winning building is home to over 120 makers and businesses.

Within these walls they hone their craft, push the boundaries of creativity and access the suppliers they need on their doorstep. We’re open to everyone year-round for training, exhibitions, networking opportunities and events, so the industry and the wider world can recognise and celebrate what it takes to create each piece.

We believe that every interaction should be a stepping stone to the next opportunity. So, as well as our high-quality teaching and training, we open up routes into apprenticeships, employment, further education and continued business growth. That’s how we ensure the trade’s continued relevance, and our industry’s longterm health.

Where the industry goes to grow

We support the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries to embrace learning as an essential lifelong practice.

Through technical courses, business support, affordable workspace, funding opportunities, events and showcases, we aim to close the industry’s skills gap so that creativity, craftsmanship and community can thrive.

OUR VISION

To close the jewellery industry’s skills gap

OUR MISSION

To foster capability at every link in the chain

OUR BRAND PILLARS

Creativity

Bold ideas brought to life in beautiful objects. Encouraging new ways of thinking, learning and doing helps to make our industry vibrant and progressive.

Craftsmanship

Centuries of experience, passed from one craftsperson to another. Offering advice and training in traditional and modern skills is how we keep the trade alive.

Community

A hub for connection, inspiration and fellowship. The Centre is a place where ideas take shape and relationships are formed.

The steps we take to make real change

Guided by our key priorities, we’re working to help more people and businesses take their next steps, wherever they are.

STRATEGIC AIMS

Supporting and upskilling the industry

We deliver high-quality technical skills training, opening up routes into apprenticeships, employment and further education.

Pages 12 - 19

Championing and helping businesses to grow

We encourage businesses to grow by providing support, mentoring, funding and networking opportunities, as well as platforms to exhibit and sell their work.

Pages 20 - 26

Building a supportive community

We provide affordable workspace in a collaborative learning environment where makers and businesses can hone their craft, access suppliers and pass on their skills while promoting public interest in art, craft and design.

Pages 28 - 33

Widening access and representation

FOUNDATIONAL AIMS

Our building and programmes are open to all. We break down personal, social and economic barriers to improve access and inclusion and foster diversity in our community.

Pages 34-41

Encouraging sustainability and environmental responsibility

We track, report and reduce our environmental impact, embedding an organisational culture that encourages sustainable practices and facilitates the exploration of traceability and transparency in the industry.

Pages 42-45

Together, we make this possible

Closing the jewellery industry’s skills gap is at the core of everything we do. We can only achieve it with the support of our grant funder, the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, our incredible community of makers and businesses, our teaching team and all our partners.

2026 marks my 50th year as a working jeweller, having started as a 16-year-old preapprentice. The skills I subsequently learned, and the industry, have provided me with a life more varied and exciting than I could have ever dreamed. The Goldsmiths’ Centre is the only place in the UK still offering such an opportunity.

Stephen Webster MBE

Behind every programme, every grant and every maker supported in these pages is the Goldsmiths’ Foundation. We fund it; the Centre delivers it. It’s a significant investment, and we don’t take that lightly. What we see in return makes us proud to keep this partnership strong.

Michelle O’Brien Director of the Goldsmiths’

Foundation

More than ever, passing on skills across generations is vital to the health of our industry. Grounded in excellence, the Goldsmiths’ Centre is much more than a workspace, it’s a community of practice at the heart of the Goldsmiths’ family.

Annie Warburton FCGI FRSA Chief Executive and Clerk of the Goldsmiths’ Company

We were thrilled to include so many talented makers from the Goldsmiths Centre’ in our Summer Exhibition, which showcased our curation of the best new talent in the jewellery world. It was fascinating to see the range of skills and techniques being used and look forward to representing a new group of designers in 2026.

Mimi Hoppen Global

Director

of Jewellery and Watches, Dover Street Market

Silversmith and engraver Angus McFadyen teaches hand engraving on the Foundation Programme

The Goldsmiths’ Foundation’s vital support

This year, the Goldsmiths’ Foundation generously provided us with just over £2.2 million to support our operations and grant-making activities, delivered on its behalf, as part of our foundational aim to widen access and representation.

2024-25 income

Total turnover £3,380,883

The key is collaboration

In a year marked by constant change, the Goldsmiths’ Centre found strength in collaboration, both within and beyond its community. Here, our Chair reflects on a year of coming together to demonstrate the trade’s resilience and champion the importance of jewellery and silversmithing skills.

Michael Wainwright Chair of Trustees

Change has been a constant this year, but one thing remains clear: our industry will always depend on well-trained jewellers and silversmiths here in the UK. As a key link in the national talent pipeline, the Goldsmiths’ Centre plays a vital role in strengthening manufacturing competitiveness.

This year, we launched the newly redesigned Jewellery Foundation Programme in response to T Levels. The first 18+ cohort proved successful, attracting a full intake. As Chairman of my family jewellery business Boodles, I see first-hand how young people trained through the Goldsmiths’ Centre help create some of the finest jewellery made in the UK.

We also hosted a landmark industry event with GC&DC, bringing together current and former Foundation Programme trainees, apprentices and partners with GC&DC award winners and judges –the first of what will become an annual celebration of our community and its

achievements. I felt incredibly proud to be part of an organisation that has helped create careers for everyone in the room that night.

Our public programme grew with a successful run of the Interwoven: Jewellery Meets Textiles exhibition, and beyond our four walls we collaborated with prestigious retail destinations including Dover Street Market, the London Museum Docklands shop and Newby Tea. These partner selling opportunities provide a vital platform for our Shine alumni to learn and grow.

In 2026, the Goldsmiths’ Centre sails into fresh waters as we bid farewell to its founding Director, Peter Taylor FCGI MBE, on his retirement. Over 37 years of service to the industry, he was instrumental in establishing the Centre in 2012 and has been a tower of strength since then. He will be hugely missed. We look forward to welcoming Julia Balchin, former Principal of the Royal Drawing School, as Interim Director.

Extending our impact far and wide

3,584

PEOPLE TOOK PART IN PERSON

1,379

PEOPLE TUNED IN ONLINE

LOCATION DATA

Event delegate location data is sourced from the postal address provided during the application or booking process for the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s programmes, including courses, talks, info sessions, grants, selling and celebration events. However, it doesn’t always represent the participant’s physical location at the time of the activity.

A snapshot of our successes

OCT 24

Apprenticeship Scheme: Keeping the trade alive

Ten new Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices embarked on their training in smallwork, setting and mounting.

Shine 2024: Championing new talent

A successful opening night, with over 220 visitors attending the showcase of 16 emerging jewellers and silversmiths.

Foundation Programme:

Growing the team

We welcomed Stasia Parker, Janet Weller and Stephen Barnett to teach design development, rendering and 3D modelling.

London Museum: Launching careers

Shine alumni Xinyi Chen, Suzanne Seed, Cara Lowe, Jo Boateng and Caitlin Murphy showcased their designs at the London Museum Docklands shop.

NOV 24

Diamond Street:

Hatton Garden walk

21 industry peers joined Emily Rhodes to explore the area’s history through Rachel Lichtenstein’s evocative book.

Trove Collective:

Selling event

Ten Goldsmiths’ Centre jewellers and silversmiths showcased work at this gifting event.

DEC 24

Pivot:

Empowering people experiencing homelessness

The award-winning social enterprise delivered its jewellery-making training programme and hosted its third pop-up event.

Spotlighting Getting Started:

Gaining business skills

20 makers from Getting Started Online learnt how to photograph their work, speak on camera and prepare for the annual exhibition.

JAN 25

Interwoven:

Jewellery meets textiles

This exhibition and catalogue explored the relationship between contemporary jewellery and textiles, featuring 30+ innovative jewellers.

Barts Heritage:

Creative inspiration workshop

12 participants enjoyed a behindthe-scenes conservation tour and Baroque-inspired drawing workshop at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

FEB 25

£1,000 Business Catalyst (Small) Grant: Accelerating growth

The Goldsmiths’ Foundation grant supported the jewellery businesses of Ana Thompson, Clare Maiden, Matilde Mozzanega, Rachael Plassard and Roxanne Gilbert.

Apprentice of the Year: Medal redesign

Apprentices were invited to design a new Apprentice of the Year medal, which will be awarded over the next decade.

MAR 25

Getting Started Online:

Introducing business essentials

98 startups took part in our free one-week course, featuring keynote speaker Shaun Leane, live webinars, networking and a chance to exhibit their work.

Pivot:

Spring Social

Over 60 local businesses came to shop creations from Pivot makers, while getting to experience our venue hire spaces and catering offer.

Apprentices of the Year:

Celebrating the next generation Finn Hemmings (Harriet Kelsall) and Luke Potts (Ottewill Silversmiths) were awarded 2024/25 Apprentices of the Year at a City & Guilds ceremony at Mansion House.

APR 25

Techniques in Focus:

Beating records

A record 182 attendees joined Elsa Tierney and Kumiko Kihara’s talk on Mitsuro Hikime, 24 of whom enrolled on the related short course afterwards.

Jewellery History Talks:

The Roots of Jewellery Design

78 listeners joined Dr Jack Ogden’s first online talk to uncover how historical jewellery design continues to inspire contemporary making.

Employers’ Roundtable:

Industry expectations

Employers came together to shape the new Jewellery Foundation Programme, ensuring it equips recruits with the skills and knowledge the industry needs.

MAY 25

Environmental Sustainability Strategy: Working together

The new strategy commits the Goldsmiths’ Company, London Assay Office and Goldsmiths’ Centre to measuring, reporting and reducing emissions.

New Forms:

Tea & Contemporary Design

We co-curated a showcase presenting contemporary teawares by 19 renowned silversmiths and ceramicists at the Newby London showroom during London Craft Week.

JUN 25

State of Sustainability Conference: Opening the debate

In partnership with Fair Luxury, 97 industry members discussed ethical sourcing, mining, human rights, emissions and manufacturing.

UK Jewellery Awards: Peter Taylor MBE honoured

Our Director, Peter received the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award, recognising his lasting impact on education and craft.

JUL 25

Dover Street Market: Platforms for new talent

Eight Shine alumni were selected to exhibit their work at a month-long summer exhibition.

New Short Courses: From Curb Chain to Alloying Silver

We expanded short courses with three new subjects and evening formats, offering flexible ways for makers to build specialist skills and strengthen practice.

Alumni Reunion:

Coming together

60 Foundation Programme alumni, apprentices and tutors joined the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council (GC&DC) Awards judges and winners to celebrate the year’s end and exhibition opening, highlighting technical excellence and alumni success.

Refine Your Finish:

GC&DC Feedback Session

We partnered with GC&DC to provide expert feedback that strengthened makers’ skills and confidence in practical sessions.

AUG 25

Dyers’ Company Consort Badge: From Brief to Brooch

The Dyer’s Company commissioned Foundation Programme trainees to redesign the Consort badge in response to a real-world client brief.

SEP 25

Jewellery Foundation Programme: Starting the journey

Ten students started their year-long journey to learning a wide range of craft skills and techniques.

Shine 2025:

Showcasing new talent

We supported 11 emerging makers over the summer to showcase their collections through training, a pop-up event, an exhibition and an online shop.

Stats that speak for themselves

STRATEGIC AIM 1

Supporting and upskilling the industry

1,146 hours of practical training for Foundation Programme trainees, and 3,120 hours of day-release training for apprentices

37

Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices employed across 34 businesses in London, the South-East and the Midlands

253

10 young people completed our Foundation Programme, with 30% progressing to Goldsmiths’ Company apprenticeships and 10% securing industry employment

participants engaged in 36 technical short courses, taught across 23 topics by 18 craftspeople

STRATEGIC AIM 2

Championing and helping businesses to grow

31

makers trained in retail display and selling, alongside 4 pop-up exhibitions attracting 365 visitors

147

businesses trained to promote, sell and showcase their work

(The training programmes include Getting Started Online, Shine, Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions, and Goldsmiths’ Fair Emerging Business Bursary Training.)

30

13

emerging businesses engaged, with 10 Goldsmiths’ Company Emerging Business Bursary recipients receiving free pre-Fair training, across 6 Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions

366

attendees sharpened their skills across 3 Techniques in Focus talks, while 15 jewellers received personalised guidance through Refining Your Finish sessions, in partnership with GC&DC

entrepreneurs awarded Business Catalyst (Small and Large) Grants

38

makers showcased to thousands through Newby Teas, London Museum Docklands and Dover Street Market

584 people connected through Creative Links events and Creative Inspiration Workshops

resident craftspeople and 46 Gold members thriving in our 25 subsidised workshops and coworking studios

1,076 people inspired through 21 talks, exhibition celebrations and pop-up selling events makers showcased their work across 4 exhibitions people championed new talent through online shop purchases

28 people upskilled on our short courses for free through Access Grants

trainees supported with their travel or living expenses through our Foundation Programme Support Grants

people from underrepresented communities introduced to goldsmithing (The Creative Dimension Trust, Alton Arts Festival and Ore Projects)

young people from underrepresented communities joined skills training programmes (Flourish Jewellery Project and Pivot)

244 people attended the Fair Luxury conference on sustainability

reduction in Scope 1 and 2 market-based emissions compared to the baseline year 25 %

Supporting and upskilling the industry

Talent and technical training keep the trade alive in challenging times, and this year certainly proved the craft’s resilience. Our strongest push yet saw us expand our activities by backing endangered techniques, growing apprenticeships and working across the chain to equip our industry for long-term success.

OUR ACTIVITIES

Foundation Programme

Shaping future careers in jewellery, silversmithing and the allied industries

The Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme

Supporting apprentices and employers in London, the South-East and the Midlands

Techniques in Focus

Online talks with master craftspeople on techniques and their applications

Access Grants

Financial support to bring our technical business programmes to more people

Short Courses Specialist training in techniques and processes

Community Recognition

Celebrating our tutors and alumni: the next generation of master craftspeople

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

Bishopsland Educational Trust

Training emerging silversmiths through career-focused skills development

The Creative Dimension Trust

Enabling young people to develop fine hand skills with leading international specialists

Shaping future careers

Foundation Programme

Launched in September 2025, the redesigned Jewellery Foundation Programme responds to the introduction of T Levels and insights from industry and alumni, with a renewed focus on fine jewellery making and strengthening industry ties through live briefs endorsed by Stephen Webster, A Thousand Facets and GC&DC.

In July, ten 16 – 19-year-olds completed their year-long training, closing the final programme for this age group and marking the launch of the new 18+ Jewellery Foundation Programme. Over ten months, under the guidance of 18 master craftspeople, they developed the design and hand skills needed to produce high-quality fine jewellery and silversmithing work.

Alongside practical training, participants explored jewellery’s rich history, visited Goldsmiths’ Fair and handled objects from the Goldsmiths’ Company collection. They also gained first-hand industry experience with 19 employers, including English Arts Works (Cartier), Jessica McCormack, Mappin & Webb and Theo Fennell.

What I love most about this industry is creating something from scratch. You start with a piece of metal, shape and assemble it, and suddenly there’s a finished piece. It’s amazing to think, ‘Wow, I made that.’

Blythe Jolley-Ellis Foundation Programme alumnus and apprentice at E. Wolfe & Co

OUR ACTIVITIES

craftsperson Jessica Jue teaches silversmithing techniques during day release training

Supporting apprentices and employers

The Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme

20 weeks, 26 apprentices, 3,120 hours of day-release training. Combining practical and design skills, this year’s apprentices created teardrop pendants, chased neckpieces and enamelled clocks.

Among the five-year apprenticeships which started in October 2024 were diamond mounting, gem setting and smallwork, while those completing theirs and presenting their Masterpieces in December 2024 were Finn Hemmings (Harriet Kelsall) and Luke Potts (Ottewill Silversmiths).

A joint apprentice event including 35 GC&DC judges, as well as employer feedback on day-release training, are just some of this year’s newest initiatives shaping improvements for 2026.

Our mission is preserving traditional skills and pioneering modern methods. Blending experience with new talent, especially in rare disciplines, is vital. As a vertically-integrated company, nurturing skills in-house is essential: apprentices are our future.

Lucy

Bushell

HR Manager

at Thomas Lyte

3,120 hours of day release training provided to 26 apprentices

Teaching techniques and applications

Techniques in Focus

The first of these online talks attracted 366 participants eager to dive into the history, application and modern relevance of jewellery-making techniques. Linda Lewin revealed the secrets of granulation while Kumiko Kihara and Elsa Tierney explored Mitsuro Hikime, a Japanese wax modelling method. In collaboration with the GC&DC, Janet Weller introduced hand-rendering for 2D design and creating professional presentations.

Financial support for those who need it

Access Grants

This year we funded 28 short course places, awarding £9,835 to applicants facing financial hardship. Applicants were predominantly aged 25–44 (72%), female (82%), white (72%) and England-born (56%), with 39% reporting a disability or long-term health condition. Despite many having parents who did not attend university, 72% are graduates, showing strong educational mobility. Most attended state-funded schools (75%), reflecting socio-economic diversity.

Specialist training in techniques and processes

Short Courses

Hands-on technical expertise and creative inspiration kept professionals at the forefront of their craft this year, with 37 short courses covering 25 specialist topics. Master craftspeople led a programme spanning traditional and contemporary techniques including alloying, granulation, chain making and advanced stone setting, complemented by digital skills such as Adobe Illustrator, CAD fundamentals and 3D printing.

New specialist courses introduced this year enriched the programme by exposing students to both ancient and contemporary techniques. These included Mitsuro Hikime with Elsa Tierney and Kumiko Kihara, Alloying Silver and Reticulation with Stavros Constantinou, Flush Setting with Sean Sims and MultiStrand Pearl Necklace with Anja Moehler. 255 participants joined online and in person, highlighting the value of lifelong learning at every stage of a career.

This has been the most valuable training I’ve done this year. Fantastic overview at the perfect level and pace, with an excellent teacher who made sure everyone got the attention they needed.

Jo Smith

Fine Jeweller and Short Course participant

Celebrating exceptional talent

Community Recognition

At the Foundation Programme end-ofyear celebration, we recognised the next generation of master craftspeople:

Institute of Professional Goldsmiths (IPG) Award: Naomi Blundell for Emerging Excellence in Engraving.

Ian Morton Award: Amy Wiedmer for creativity and flair, and Bethany Cheffey for dedication and precision. Presented by The Silversmiths and Jewellers Charity.

Paul Podolsky Award: Evie Marriott for Outstanding Achievement throughout her studies.

This year’s Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice of the Year was shared by Finn Hemmings and Luke Potts, nominated by their peers for their exceptional craftsmanship and support within the apprentice community.

18 wins at the 2025 GC&DC Awards: Foundation Programme alumni and Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices won awards across multiple disciplines, including diamond mounting, silversmithing, engraving and design. Among them, Blythe Jolley-Ellis stood out as one of the youngest-ever contenders for the prestigious Jacques Cartier Memorial Award, the industry’s premier accolade.

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

Bishopsland Educational Trust

Securing the future of silversmithing

Bishopsland Educational Trust

Bishopsland is widely recognised as a leading vocational skills centre for emerging silversmiths and jewellers. Their 10-month full-time residential course provides a bridge between a university degree or apprenticeship and the ability to forge a career with a strong focus on core skills honed through one-to-one tutorials, coaching and masterclasses led by distinguished makers such as Rod Kelly, Bryony Knox and Sheila McDonald.

Through a £45,000 grant from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, we are supporting the Trust’s 2025/6 Silversmithing and Jewellery Programme. This funding is supporting high-quality vocational training in their new Hills Yard facility, which offers fully-equipped workshops, dedicated bench space and an incubation studio. The programme is currently supporting 11 emerging silversmiths, helping them advance their skills and career prospects.

W hen I was 14, I didn’t know anything about jewellery or if I’d enjoy it. But once I started, I realised the incredible skill involved and the passion jewellers have for their craft.

Idris Tetlow

Former TCDT and Foundation Programme trainee and current apprentice (Thomas Lyte)

Developing core hand skills for young makers

The Creative Dimension Trust

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, The Creative Dimension Trust (TCDT) received a £12,000 grant via the Goldsmiths’ Foundation to deliver workshops and work experience centred on vital hand skills. The programme, led by Paul and Tomiko Ravn, addresses two important challenges: the decline of arts and crafts education and the barriers preventing minority young people from pursuing careers in making.

40% of Foundation Programme trainees completed workshops with The Creative Dimension Trust

IN

Raphaël Moreau

RM

Apprentice (pictured)

Michael Oddy MO

Diamond mounter

Sophia Hirsh SH Owner

HIRSH LONDON

Our Apprenticeship Scheme reflects the essence of the trade: knowledge transferred through generations, skills refined over time and a shared belief in the value of craft. Here, the team at Hirsh London share their apprenticeship journey.

Training from every angle

RM: I went into the Foundation Programme thinking jewellery was just jewellery. I came out knowing about setting, diamond mounting, chasing, engraving and more, and I was able to choose the path that suited me. It prepared me for workshop life and gave me a network of peers whom I can now call on when I need advice.

In the workshop, I see different ways of tackling the same problem. I sit next to someone with over 30 years of experience, constantly asking questions and getting feedback. That kind of tailored input is something you rarely get in a classroom.

Learning by doing

MO: What we see with Foundation graduates is that they come in at a higher standard and with the right attitude. When Raphaël arrived, he already had a very good basic knowledge. That makes an enormous difference.

The heart of the job is solving problems. Jewellery is full of small crises - things not fitting, unexpected flaws. The important thing is to learn quickly and reset. Seeing Raphaël begin to recognise that is a big step.

Investing in craft, investing in the future

SH: In a world that increasingly favours speed, cost efficiency and computer-aided design, I feel very strongly that investing in human craft and passing on those skills is vital. For us, apprenticeships felt like a perfect fit.

It’s also a long-term investment. Training an apprentice inevitably takes productive time away from a master craftsperson. You have to be willing to accept that and see the bigger picture. In return, you gain someone who understands your way of working from very early on. That is an enormous advantage.

Michael Summers

Alysha Strong

SUMMERS DIAMOND SETTING

As winners of this year’s GC&DC Master and Apprentice Award for the Circle of Life pendant, Alysha and Michael show how technical competence, trust and perseverance led to victory.

It takes a certain mindset

MS: Alysha has very good hand skills and a great attitude: important qualities for any craftsperson to have. It’s rare to find someone who takes to diamond setting so quickly, understands what’s needed and develops this skill quite naturally.

AS: Originally I wanted to be a designer. During the Foundation Programme, I got to do a little bit of everything and I took to setting the quickest because I enjoyed it the most.

Craft as the antidote to speed

MS: It’s vital we pass on these skills. The trade is changing with technology making some things more efficient, like with micro-setting. So a lot of people just learn that. But I think it’s important to know traditional techniques as well, otherwise they’ll get lost. Traditional pavé, for instance, has a particular charm to it when done right.

The Apprenticeship Scheme provides a very high level of training that’s not that easy to come by in the modern world, because these days everything is so fastpaced. It’s important it exists to maintain a high level of craftsmanship and keep the skills alive.

What it takes to win

MS: With the Circle of Life pendant, I wanted it to be totally Alysha’s work. I guess you can really take pride in it then, because you know it was you that did it. And I’m proud that she’s achieved it as well.

AS: I decided that I’m going to do this. Just try everything and put your all into it. If something doesn’t work out, there’s always another technique to try.

MS: Perseverance and lots of practice will help you find your way.

Stasia Parker SP

Design tutor (right)

Janet Weller JW FIPG

Design tutor (left)

Two of our newest Jewellery Foundation Programme tutors share their insights into what it takes to ensure training is industry-relevant, why the bench needs to make room for design thinking and how to develop conviction.

Creative problem-solving

SP: The trade is crying out for young people with the right mindset. So the course instils design thinking into the process to expand their ideas and carry them across once they’re at the bench.

Conveying deeper meaning

SP: It’s about finding a connection with your audience. Why is it going to sell in a very saturated market? Because someone loves it. Because you touch them. Because you convey a message. We break that down into small games to strengthen the message and pull out what’s already inside those students.

Opening the shell

SP: You have young, shy people coming into the classroom saying, ‘I can’t do this.’ We sit together, and we work for hours, and we bring out their skill sets. Seeing where they started and where they are now, progressing - yes, that definitely made it worthwhile.

The holistic view

JW: For the Live Project, I’m taking the group right through the process from receiving a brief to designing three pieces of jewellery. Our client is Stephen Webster, who’s very engaged, which is great for the students. They have to develop their own way of doing things, while staying focused on what

the client wants and translating that into good designs.

Storytelling is key

JW: One of the key challenges is making sure the students can speak confidently about their work and their choices. Telling the story of how you arrived at a design is almost as important as the design itself.

Wider understanding

JW: It’s essential for makers to understand design, just as designers need to know how things are made so they know the limitations. They’re going to get an all-round industry-relevant education over the year.

Championing and helping businesses to grow

Running a resilient jewellery or silversmithing business requires much more than craft skills or an eye for design. Our programmes plug the resource gap by sharing expertise in branding, marketing, networking, finance and more. Each programme builds on the next, helping businesses adapt and succeed in challenging times.

OUR ACTIVITIES

Shine

Helping businesses learn to sell and showcase their work

Partner selling opportunities

Taking Shine learning into real-world markets

Getting Started Online

Introducing business essentials

Spotlighting Getting Started

Putting business basics into practice through upskilling and exhibiting

Business Diagnostic and Advice

Helping startups understand their growth potential

Creative Links

Helping startups build vital connections through monthly talks

Finding new talent

Visiting universities and colleges across the UK

Business Mentoring Programme

Equipping emerging businesses with confidence and practical advice

Business Catalyst Grants

Fuelling business growth through funding

Training businesses to sell and showcase their work

Shine

Eleven early-career jewellers and silversmiths took part in this year’s free, part-time Shine programme, which guides participants to gain confidence in promoting their work online using photography and video. Combining practical training with real-world opportunities, the programme culminates in a selling pop-up, an ecommerce showcase and a curated exhibition.

Over 170 craft and design enthusiasts attended on opening night, where industry experts from organisations such as EC One, Dover Street Market, New Ashgate Gallery and The Goldsmiths’ Company selected standout collections. Awards went to Wenyin Jiang, Carol Cole, Niamh Wright, Misha McLean and Iona Hall. Shine alumni – Wenyin Jiang, Alice Biolo, Emma Lawrence, Gillian Finlay and Lucy Anderson – were also selected for the Goldsmiths’ Fair Emerging Business Bursary, highlighting the programme’s role in nurturing new talent.

Before Shine, I struggled to tell the story behind my collection. The programme taught me to put myself out there, have fun and present my work with confidence, while learning from other makers and sharing experiences.

Carol Cole

Jeweller and Shine 2025 course participant

shoppers met 11 makers at our Shine selling event, followed by a selling exhibition seen by thousands 176

Visitors admire Spotlighting Getting Started work

Taking Shine learning into realworld markets

Partner selling opportunities: For emerging businesses, Shine is just the start. This year, three partnerships helped makers apply what they’d learnt to real retail environments.

At Dover Street Market’s summer exhibition, eight Shine alumni generated over £10k in sales and earned valuable coverage in Dazed and Vanity Fair

Over at the London Museum Docklands shop, five Shine alumni received training in wholesale pricing and showcased capsule collections inspired by the ‘Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London’s Lost Treasures’ exhibition. This showcase was curated by the Goldsmiths’ Centre on behalf of the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, a founding partner of the new London Museum.

And for London Craft Week and Clerkenwell Design Week, Centre alumni featured in the ‘New Forms: Tea and Contemporary Design’ pop-up with Newby Tea. Alex O’Connor, Caius Bearder and Alice Fry exhibited their work alongside 12 fellow UK silversmiths and four ceramicists.

Introducing business essentials

Getting Started Online

Solid foundations are essential for giving creative businesses a strong start. In March 2025, our free one-week online course welcomed 98 emerging businesses from across the UK. Participants learnt from 20 industry experts about topics including product development, branding, selling their work and developing sales channels. They also enjoyed a keynote speech from jewellery designer Shaun Leane, who shared valuable lessons from building his global brand. Engagement was high, with an average attendance of 95% per session.

Putting business basics into practice

Spotlighting Getting Started

Once they’ve completed Getting Started Online, participants are ready to step into the spotlight. This year, 16 emerging makers built on the basics by refining their photography and live presentation skills before preparing pieces for an exhibition. Their self-captured work reached our 25.2k Instagram following, boosting their confidence and visibility. In April, 160 Getting Started Online alumni and tutors gathered in person, meeting their peers for the first time and supporting fellow makers exhibiting their work.

15

out of 98 Getting Started Online participants selected for Spotlighting Getting Started

25.2K

Instagram followers reached through Spotlighting Getting Started

Understanding growth potential

Business Diagnostic and Advice

Running a business can make it hard to spot your own strengths and growth opportunities. That’s why our Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions give jewellers and silversmiths a fresh perspective on their brand, products and next steps. Led by Liz Olver, six sessions helped 30 makers refine ideas, craft action plans and identify mentoring needs. Ten Emerging Business Bursary recipients also received free training ahead of Goldsmiths’ Fair. 30 makers supported to refine ideas, craft action plans and identify mentoring needs

Helping startups build vital connections

Creative Links

We reviewed 40 recent Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions and distilled the most relevant insights for emerging businesses into the monthly Creative Links talk series. Topics ranged from pricing strategies and media guidance to ethical sourcing and using colour with confidence. Inspiration from leading designers like Jo Hayes Ward helped bridge the gap between knowledge and practice, while networking opportunities (both online and in person) proved equally valuable for many.

Thanks for these virtual sessionsthey’re fantastic for learning and feeling part of the community, especially when working alone far from London. The networking and “pay what you can” option are much appreciated. Keep up the amazing work!

Creative Links 2025 participant

Visiting universities and colleges

Finding new talent

End-of-year shows help us scout new talent and speak to students and staff about the support we offer. This year, we travelled to Birmingham School of Jewellery, the Royal College of Art, K2 Academy, Morley College, Central Saint Martins, UCA Farnham and Hereford College of Arts, where the team presented ‘One to Watch’ awards to Hattie Hawtin and Brad Willis.

At New Designers 2025, London’s graduate design show, we hosted an Industry Networking Event which brought together exhibitors and tutors – in collaboration with the GC&DC, Institute of Professional Goldsmiths, Contemporary British Silversmiths and Hand Engravers Association. We also named silversmith Alexander Budd from Richmond Art School as our One to Watch, earning him a place on Getting Started Online 2026.

Receiving the ‘One to Watch’ Prize at New Designers was wonderful. It was great to have so much interest in my work, and so many conversations with people passionate about design and craftsmanship.

Alexander Budd Silversmith and ‘One to Watch 2025’ Winner

Turning business plans into action

Business Mentoring Programme

Once their Business Diagnostic and Advice action plans are in place, participants apply to be matched with a mentor whose expertise fits their business goals where possible. This year, 12 mentors — many of them Goldsmiths’ Company members — guided 13 jewellers and silversmiths, offering support in areas such as business planning, marketing, finance and product sales. Over the year, the programme helped makers sharpen skills, overcome challenges and realise their plans.

12 mentors paired with 13 businesses through Business Diagnostic and Advice sessions

Rebecca Skeels

was amazing and just what I needed at the place I was at with my business. Her ‘just go for it’ attitude has instilled confidence, helping me put new ideas into practice and progress as a maker and business owner.

Corinne Evans Business Mentee

Being a mentor is a fabulous opportunity to support someone’s next steps. The Goldsmiths’ Centre carefully matches mentors and mentees to work on goals, providing industry insight and a supportive relationship.

Rebecca Skeels

Business Mentor

Fuelling business growth through funding

Business Catalyst Grants

Our Business Catalyst Grants provide a vital financial boost, helping jewellers and silversmiths grow and launch high-impact projects. This year, nine micro-businesses — Ana Thompson, Clare Maiden, Matilde Mozzanega, Rachael Plassard, Roxanne Gilbert, Kristina Merchant, Makila Nsika Nkaya, Katie Watson and Estelle Melissa Burton — received £1,000 (plus VAT) each. Funded by Goldsmiths’ Company members via the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, these grants help makers who have completed mentoring or consultancy to invest in tools, training and platforms, from 3D printers to specialist courses, and move their businesses forward.

Grants of up to £7,000 (plus VAT) help businesses develop new skills, grow teams and explore new markets. This year, Katherine Brunacci and Shivani Chorwardia received grants, with a commendation for Arabel Lebrusan Fuentes. Katherine will work with a mentor to master micro pavé setting, while Shivani will develop a new collection through wax carving and CAD training.

Liz Olver

Jewellery consultant

For emerging businesses, the leap between creativity and commercial viability can be steep. Through teaching, advising and mentoring, industry veteran Liz Olver makes the journey smoother, guided by 40 years’ experience and a desire to give back.

The need for structure

With Getting Started Online and Creative Links, I’m mostly asked to focus on product development and range planning. These areas are often misunderstood, so it’s about making them feel accessible and applicable. There’s always a design input to the advice, which brings coherence to creative output while ensuring it performs commercially.

Pricing, margins and value is another big one. Many people undervalue themselves because creative work is so closely tied to confidence and self-belief.

Success looks different for everyone

Often people feel led by expectations and haven’t thought about what success

actually means for them. It’s about permission to make your own choices and feeling supported in that. The Centre does that really well without judgement, helping individuals reach their potential at their own pace and scale. As part of the Business Diagnostic and Advice panel, my aim is that people leave a conversation feeling more enabled, inspired or energised.

Silos remain

We often see people working in silos rather than collectively, not helping each other or sharing knowledge in ways that move everyone forward. Emerging creative businesses are usually small, time-poor and under-resourced, and confidence can be fragile.

I’d love to see the UK industry become less inward-looking and more internationally connected. There are still boundaries between regions, trade and creatives, that could be broken down. It’s important to connect people to honest, safe advice that isn’t directive but is supportive and thought-provoking.

A rising standard

The Goldsmiths’ Centre exists because of the Goldsmiths’ Foundation’s investment, and that support has been transformative. The Centre has created a gold standard that it now passes on to others. That’s incredibly valuable.

Supporting makers so they can earn a living, keep going, and work with integrity, skill and purpose is vital.

Xinyi Chen

Jewellery designer

Since first encountering the Centre through Spotlighting Getting Started and Shine, Xinyi Chen is steadily progressing from emerging maker to growing businessmost recently returning for her second retail opportunity at the London Museum Docklands shop.

Plugging the gaps to grow

Getting Started Online was my beginning. Before the course, I focused much more on the creativity stage, spending a lot of time developing ideas and designing the work. But through the Centre, I grew my business knowledge in areas such as photography and pricing, and working with galleries.

My degrees focused on the design process, but the Centre brought my ideas to industry.

Jumping at every opportunity

Spotlighting Getting Started taught me how to write my own artist statement,

which built my confidence in my collection and led to making small batches of work for Shine and the London Museum shop, where I ended up being the bestseller! I’m looking forward to going back this year, making more stock and finding fresh ways to bring contemporary jewellery to a wider audience.

The snowball effect

The opportunities have brought me a lot of rapid exposure in the UK jewellery industry and introduced my work to international buyers, curators and journalists. In 2025, I exhibited at

MAD About Jewelry in New York, where I reconnected with some of my Shine colleagues. And my partnership with Kew Gardens is also growing, as I’ll introduce more items to the shop next year. Thanks to my experience with the London Museum Docklands shop, I know how to promote my work to museum shop visitors and how to select the right work.

Giving

back

All this support has led to some good sales results. I would now like to explore what I can do to make the community more diverse and creative. It’s about more than just building my business.

Here’s to our incredible residents

Our residents are the heartbeat of our thriving community, contributing their unique skills, passion and creativity to shape the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries. Together, they inspire, support and elevate one another as they push the boundaries of their craft.

Alison Evans Jewellery

Ana Thompson Fine Jewellery

Andrew Pollack

Anja Moehler

Ashley Mikal

A&W Setters

Benjamin Hawkins

Benjamin James Ryan

Bezant London

Bobby White

Cad-Man

Carol Clift

Clio Saskia

Clive Burr

Coline Assade

Crux London

Daisy Simpson

David Hawkes

Deborah Cadby

Design Build Cast

Edward Xú

Elliot-Fitzpatrick

Ellis Mhairi Cameron

Emefa Cole

Flora Bhattachary

Gala Creations

Genevieve Schwartz

Gonny van der Vegte

Graham Saggers Engraving

Harriet Morris

Henry Pruwer

Holly O’Hanlon

Imogen Belfield

Irena Chmura

Jennifer Bloy Designs

Jessie Harris

Jessica Jue

Jorge Mario Agudelo

Karina Martus Fine Jewellery

Karlin Anderson

KATA Jewellery

Katherine A Brunacci Jewellery

Kerry Seaton

Kim Joux Jewellery

Kyosun Jung

Le Ster

Leonid Dementiev

LIA LAM

Margaux Clavel

Melanie Eddy

Mike Van Buskirk

MOCIELLI Fine Jewellery

Molly Wu

Mr Sherwood

Natalie Perry Jewellery

Olalere Fagbulu

Oxx Jewellery London

Paul York

Philip Jennings Jewellery

Rachel Balfour Jewellery

Rebecca Keating

Rebecca Maddock

Rosie Odette

Rupert Todd

Russian Blue Jewellery

Sam James Engraving

SAM HAM

Samantha Salmons

Sarah Dorans Jewellery

Scarlett Cohen French

Sean Simms

Shakti Ellenwood Precious Jewellery

Signets and Seals

Steve Stavrou

S.V.S. Designs

The Rock Hound

Won Diamond

Yeena Yoon Studios

Zelda Cave

Building a supportive community

Within our walls, over 120 makers and businesses come together in an ecosystem built on collaboration, learning and opportunity. Together, they empower other jewellers and silversmiths to spark new ideas and share their skills, while opening up the Goldsmiths’ world to audiences near and far.

OUR ACTIVITIES

Resident community

Space for craftspeople and Gold members to develop and grow

Exhibitions

Inspiring conversations and new connections

Creative Inspiration Workshops

Hands-on access to archives and collections in the UK

Jewellery History Talks and Tours

Fostering interest in the craft and its history

Teaching team

Passing on vital skills and expertise from leaders in their field

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

Pop-Ups and Selling Opportunities

Connecting emerging makers with buyers and retailers through pop-up experiences

Academic Roundtable

Collaborating with training providers to share information about and shape our programmes

Space for craftspeople and Gold members to develop and grow

Resident community

Providing workspace is one of the key ways in which we support the industry. More than 120 skilled craftspeople, including 45 Gold members, benefit from affordable workshops and coworking spaces near Hatton Garden, enabling them to hone their craft, meet customers and access all the suppliers they need on their doorstep.

It’s a creative ecosystem that fosters collaboration, skill-sharing and business growth. In return, residents give back to the community in various ways: teaching, mentoring, speaking at Creative Links events, hosting workshop tours, loaning objects for exhibitions, taking on apprentices or offering work experience to Foundation Programme trainees. That’s what keeps the craft alive.

I’d love to give back to the community through teaching one day. That’s the beauty of our craft - handing down these skills. The Goldsmiths’ Centre feels like a true community, and contributing to that is important to me.

Katherine Alexandra Brunacci Resident craftsperson

craftspeople employed by 79 resident businesses

Inspiring conversations and new connections

Exhibitions

Our glass atrium hosts a variety of free events to inspire creativity and spark conversation. And this year, our calendar of annual talent showcases welcomed a couple of new additions to its established roster.

The landmark ‘Interwoven: Jewellery Meets Textiles’ exhibition brought together work by more than 30 makers, with loans from the Crafts Council and Goldsmiths’ Company collections. This exploration of the creative links between jewellery and textiles included an online talk with Rachel Church and a Creative Inspiration Workshop with the Goldsmiths’ Company Library. The accompanying catalogue sold 200 copies. From the Centre, the exhibition travelled to Goldsmiths’ Fair, where its curators joined exhibitors Gilly Langton and Caitlin Murphy to unpick the relationship between these two mediums in conversation.

Also this year, the GC&DC Awards exhibition programme was expanded to include a joint opening event, a ‘Techniques in Focus’ talk and Jewellery Feedback Sessions, in which the judges offered exhibitors valuable practical insights.

I a m thrilled that Hullaballoo has been acquired by Auckland Museum in New Zealand. My thanks also to the Goldsmiths’ Centre and the Chitra Collection for the ‘Craft of Tea’ exhibition in 2024. Without this invitation to exhibit, Hullaballoo would never have been made.

David Clarke

Silversmith and ‘The Craft of Tea: 1660–2024’ exhibitor

49.5K followers and newsletter subscribers connected @

Hands-on access to collections

Creative Inspiration Workshops

Here’s where designers and makers get up-close with historic collections through handling, sketching and photography. This year, Barts Heritage offered a conservation tour and a Baroque-inspired drawing workshop at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, while three sessions with the Goldsmiths’ Company Library explored jewellery, textiles, Art Deco design and gemstones through rare 16th- and 17thcentury archives. 42 participants drew inspiration across seven sessions.

Fostering interest in the craft and its history

Jewellery History Talks and Tours

Over 455 collectors, curators and craft enthusiasts joined us for this year’s talks and tours. Emily Rhodes led a Hatton Garden walk inspired by the book, Diamond Street. Dr Jack Ogden explored medieval jewellery and the rise of platinum, while Rachel Church examined engraved hardstones and jewellery’s political significance. Meet the Makers sessions featured early-career jewellers and silversmiths sharing their creative journeys.

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

Passing on vital skills and expertise

Teaching team

Four new tutors joined our teaching team this year: a very warm welcome to Sean Simms, Elsa Tierney, Kumiko Kihara and Stavros Constantinou. They join a team of over 60 practising master craftspeople and industry experts.

From setting to silversmithing, business skills to mentoring, we work together to empower our community at every link in the chain, whether they’re entering, reentering or shaping the industry.

You were all a wonderful bunch. I was fortunate to have the best teachers; hoping I can pass some of it on. It was great to see how you improved and grasped the knowledge.

Stavros Constantinou Short course tutor

Stavros was a relaxed and clear tutor. I came away feeling 100% more confident to work the metal. Thank you Stavros and my classmates - it was a blast as well as incredibly useful.

Emma Lawrence Short course participant

Connecting makers with buyers and retailers

Pop-Ups and Selling Opportunities

This year’s graduates from Bishopsland Educational Trust, Pivot and Shine were guided on displaying work and engaging customers with confidence. A preChristmas Trove pop-up in November featured 10 resident craftspeople and Gold members, attracting over 200 visitors.

Collaborating with training providers

Academic Roundtable

Strong collaboration is key to supporting graduates as they enter the industry, which is why understanding the educational landscape is so important. This year, our roundtable event brought together academics from seven training providers. The discussions focused on changing trends, shared challenges and new opportunities, ultimately forging stronger connections between UK education and industry to better support both.

Estelle Burton

Jeweller

Estelle Burton’s Luminaire collection transforms

‘unrecyclable’ scientific glass into fine metal jewellery. As a 2025 Business Catalyst (Small) Grant recipient she’s developing it further - in the process, opening doors to new networks, technical skills and meaningful relationships.

Innovation can come from anywhere

It started with a field trip to a local scientific glassworks in Hastings. I was completely amazed by this incredible blend of hand skills, nineteenth-century machinery and robotics. I became really interested in material waste and recycling, as most scientific glass ends up in landfill. Giving it a second life in a luxury, high-craft context felt like an opportunity to draw attention to those issues and open a dialogue around industrial craft and sustainability. My ambition is to take this into a more commercial space, introducing these materials to fine jewellery at a time when innovation is increasingly necessary.

Funding is about more than money

The grant enabled the purchase of a lathe to create the fixtures, fittings and surface textures that I simply couldn’t achieve by hand. I worked with a fantastic ex-naval engineer, Chris King, to rebuild it. What started as help setting up a machine has turned into ongoing mentorship. He’s been very patient and generous with his knowledge, and his naval background means he’s brilliant at explaining and demonstrating complex processes.

Support is essential

The Centre shows up in so many different ways whenever you need it. It’s also

a hub for networking and building connections, and it’s open to all kinds of makers. I think that’s amazing, because in many industries there are doors that feel more closed than they should be. The Centre feels open, as long as you show willingness, professionalism and genuine interest. I also really value the lecture programme being pay-what-you-can, especially given today’s climate and the rising cost of materials. That kind of accessibility is so needed. And funding, of course, acts as a gateway to pushing a business forward.

Caitlin Murphy

Metalsmith

For Caitlin Murphy, being authentically herself is an important part of her practice. At the Centre, she has found a community that allows her to grow as a maker and business on her own terms.

A warm welcome

Shine was really my first introduction to the Centre, and I still constantly tell people to apply for it. Coming from Northern Ireland to London felt huge, but everyone was so welcoming and supportive. I met a cohort of makers all trying to do the same thing as me, which immediately made me feel less alone. If you felt nervous, someone else would say, ‘me too,’ and it instantly made you feel better.

Community breeds confidence

The Centre is very good at facilitating connections, and now whenever there’s an event, I never feel nervous about going because I know I’ll recognise at least one

person. From a confidence point of view, the biggest thing has been the community, tutors and wider team included. They genuinely care about your long-term success, not just your involvement in their programmes.

It pays to be yourself

I really value face-to-face selling – maybe partly because I’m Irish and I love a chat – but I love meeting the people who buy my work, seeing them try things on and having those conversations. I learnt a lot from the training with Zoe Cooper that I did for the Goldsmiths’ Fair Emerging Business Bursary Stand, which was very hands-on and incredibly generous. What

I really liked was that she didn’t try to change who you were, she just polished it. And she wasn’t scared to say, no, don’t say that, that doesn’t sound good.

Over time, I’ve learnt to just be myself. You might be talking to a major collector or a student, but I try not to change how I speak to people based on who they are. The more I’ve done it, the more comfortable I’ve become with that.

Widening access and representation

Representation matters to the jewellery, silversmithing and allied industries more than ever. This year, with Goldsmiths’ Foundation funding, we collaborated with grassroots organisations to respond to community and industry needs. By nurturing talent and broadening the range of makers we support, we foster individual growth and help our industry flourish.

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

British Art Medal Society

Celebrating medal-making

Pivot

Supporting people experiencing homelessness

South House Trust Silversmith

Scholarships

Shaping tomorrow’s silversmiths

PeaceGold CIC

Empowering makers in the North East

Ore Projects

Forging skills through metalwork and mentorship

Black British Initiative MBA30

Breaking barriers

Halley House School

Embedding creativity in schools

Central Scotland School of Jewellery

Setting Inclusivity in Dunblane

Celebrating medal-making

British Art Medal Society

Our £7,521 grant supported the society’s Student Medal Project, now in its 33rd year. The initiative promotes medalmaking across UK art colleges through a design competition, exhibition, digital catalogue and funding for two students and a teacher to attend the conference. This year, the project engaged 14 colleges and generated 135 medal submissions. Students developed skills in design, modelling, carving, lost-wax casting, finishing and patination, with Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices also encouraged to take part.

The Centre played a key role in the project, with an additional £1,200 of funding supporting two jointly-organised public events. 45 people attended Sir Mark Jones’s talk on engraver and medal designer William Wyon and his global impact. A lecture on medals and badges in London’s transport history by Henry Flynn, curator at the London Transport Museum, is scheduled for November 2025.

Without the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s support, I couldn’t run the Student Medal Projecta unique effort admired worldwide, made possible on such a large scale thanks to their involvement.

Mary Leavitt Bourne Secretary of the British Art Medal Society

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

Supporting people experiencing homelessness

Pivot

Our partnership with Pivot, a social enterprise offering creative skills, mentorship and financial support to people experiencing homelessness, has grown stronger in its third year. Access to our workshops and retail training with our team helped boost participants’ skills, confidence and ambition further.

In 2024, Pivot received £1,200 to run two selling events, marking the conclusion of its 12-week skills programmes. A preChristmas pop-up drew 50+ visitors, with members of the public meeting participants, discovering their handmade necklaces, earrings, decorations and bookmarks, and making acetate jewellery under their guidance. In March, a Spring Social attracted 60 local businesses to sample the Centre’s venue and catering offering while shopping for meaningful jewellery created by Pivot participants.

Our long-standing partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Centre is central to the programme’s success. The team provides specialist expertise and training, space for the final public pop-up event, and a high-quality learning environment that significantly enhances participant outcomes.

Alice Moxley Pivot Founder & CEO

Shaping tomorrow’s silversmiths

South House Trust Silversmith Scholarships

The SHSWT was awarded £10,060 from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation to match-fund its Graduate Apprenticeship Scheme for Silversmiths. Over the course of up to one month’s training, 11 emerging silversmiths in Sheffield and Shetland, including Monica Findlay, Anna Olafsson, Scott Smith and Caius Bearder, received expert-led training. Completing in March 2026, the programme teaches advanced skills, supports sustainable careers and helps preserve this vital craft for future generations.

£1,200 grant to support young maker selling events

match funding for 11 emerging silversmiths in Sheffield and Shetland

Empowering makers in the North-East

PeaceGold CIC

Based in Bishop Auckland, the ethical gold mining group received a £10,000 grant to develop an innovative jewellery school and community workshop. The new space will host inclusive skills training, ethical jewellery education and outreach workshops for aspiring and professional makers across the North East. In its first year, it will engage 40 individuals at risk of social exclusion, alongside retail and exhibition opportunities. The multi-functional space will support progression from beginner to advanced skills, offering ethical supply chain guidance, business support, bookable bench space, exhibitions and concessional retail both in-store and online.

At PeaceGold, we have launched our jewellery education programme in County Durham. We are currently mentoring two post16 learners and are expanding our reach to include special interest groups and community-building initiatives, including Hearth and Durham Enable.

Greg Valerio and Kate Seow PeaceGold CIC

Forging skills through metalwork and mentorship

Ore Projects

Hertfordshire-based Ore Projects empowers women, LGBTQIA+ people and those aged 16–25 through free metalworking classes and career mentorship. The organisation tackles workforce gaps: only 15.7% of engineers are female, GCSE Design and Technology uptake has dropped 68% and the UK needs 250k more tradespeople by 2030. In 2025, a £5,795 grant funded two one-week summer schools for 20 participants.

£10K grant for jewellery school and workshop

£5.8K for summer schools to attract newcomers to the metalwork trade

OUR PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES

Breaking barriers

Black British Initiative MBA30

A £7,500 grant is enabling the BBI to offer ten fully-funded places on the MBA30 mini-MBA for Black jewellers and silversmiths in the UK. The four-week programme, combining SOAS academic rigour with business insights, equips participants with leadership, marketing and financial skills, helping them build networks and scale their businesses.

Embedding creativity in schools

Halley House School

A £10,000 grant has transformed Halley House School’s art room into a sensoryfriendly creative space for 200 pupils, including SEND students. Year 5 students have since visited the Centre to design objects and explore silversmithing, while our team led a jewellery-themed school assembly. Support from Community Advisory Group member Dr Kelly Meng also helped the school apply for their Artsmark award.

Setting Inclusivity in Dunblane

Central Scotland School of Jewellery

Dunblane’s CCSJ received two grants from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation to support their Setting Inclusivity and Teen Tuesdays programmes in 2025. A £9,240 grant went towards its successful Setting Inclusivity programme, removing financial barriers to jewellery-making through weekly hands-on classes in a welcoming environment. In 2025, 48 subsidies supported students facing hardship, including young adults, lowincome earners and those returning to employment. Participants reported improved wellbeing, resilience and craft skills, with the year ending in a professional showcase curated by CSSJ Director Jo Pudelko.

With a £2,330 follow-up grant, the organisation also ran eight half-day Teen Tuesdays jewellery workshops during the July school holidays for 12–15-year-olds, with two more taking place in February 2026. Priced at £35, each session included two fully subsidised places, helping young makers develop skills, creativity and confidence.

For me, coming to jewellery class every week has given me a reason to get out of bed. The support and connections in class have improved my mental wellbeing and helped me become more resilient when life is challenging.

Setting Inclusivity Participant

subsidies supported students facing financial hardship 48

Natalie Mcllroy

Programme Manager

CENTRAL SCOTLAND SCHOOL OF JEWELLERY (CSSJ)

In rural Dunblane, CSSJ offers a supportive space for creative learning. This year, the school received two grants for its Setting Inclusivity and Teen Tuesdays programmes, reinforcing itself as a critical hub for the local community.

Removing the financial barrier

We identified that there were financial barriers to participation in our classes. In rural areas, people don’t have the same access to disposable income as those in cities. Many want to do the courses, but it’s about finding a price point they can manage. The Goldsmiths’ funding allowed us to run full sessions all year, with around 19% of places offered at a subsidised rate.

Countering isolation

Learning and making are about much more than final outcomes. There’s a real need for people from all walks of life to come together and make things, which builds confidence and a sense of belonging.

Teens need to explore

In our area of central Scotland, there’s a real gap for young teens. And being in a rural location, it’s really important for us to have a range of price points and access options.

With Teen Tuesdays, we don’t insist on a specific outcome. Sessions last three hours, with the first hour being very playful and exploratory before focusing on a more formal outcome. We’ve worked with aluminium, which the teens loved because it allowed for dyeing, stamping, colour and larger sculptural pieces. We also did texture work on silver pendants and talked about design development; how an idea becomes a finished piece.

Opening eyes and minds

One unexpected benefit was exposing teens to a professional workspace. Some are at the stage of choosing school subjects or thinking about university, and they were fascinated to see how creative spaces function. That exposure to creative industries is really valuable.

Many participants reported improvements in mental health and general wellbeing, which was exactly what we hoped for. It was really heartening to see, especially in the current climate.

Kate Hodgson

Artist educator

Kate Hodgson is an artist educator committed to bringing practical learning into early education. Leading the creative programme at Halley House School, one of 12 schools in the Bellevue Place Education Trust, she transformed a previouslyad-hoc space into a fullydesigned Primary Children’s Art Studio.

The gap in the system

As a child, I was always a very practical learner, interacting with the world through physical materials. But when my children went to school, I saw that the education system wasn’t providing that for them and I started Hackney Children’s Art School.

Embed skills earlier

There’s a theory by Etienne Wenger called Communities of Practice, about learning as a social practice. The earlier we start learning from each other, the more embedded those skills will be. The talent pipeline doesn’t start at 11 – it starts at four.

Where

impact matters most

I’ve done this work for 15 years in Hackney. I educated myself, earning a PGC in the use of Arts in Therapy & Education and an MA in Arts and Learning from Goldsmiths, University of London. But the real impact comes from connecting this work to the jewellery trade. Chris Oliver at the Centre instantly understood the importance of teaching these skills in primary schools. The grant enabled me to work with the design company Rigg to create an inclusive art studio space for children.

An enormous boost

It’s the external respect for the children’s art studio that gives the children internal respect for art making. I’m starting to see the children tucking in their stools, putting materials away, accessing and sharing skills - that’s an amazing progression. Halley House School is now a real creative community of practice. Hand skills are integral to our humanity and our built environment. We have to create educational structures that support young people, families and representation. Then our industry will be stronger.

Encouraging sustainability and environmental responsibility

Our path to carbon neutrality progressed significantly this year with our inaugural Environmental Sustainability Strategy, as well as the Goldsmiths’ Foundation’s £1.6m investment towards heating, ventilation and cooling system upgrades. Four industry sustainability events complemented our daily actions to minimise our impact and foster an open discussion on best practice.

OUR ACTIVITIES

Reducing our carbon footprint

Improving our building to reduce emissions and offsetting what we can’t yet decrease

Sharing resources and knowledge

Facilitating discussion to empower our community to embed sustainable practices within their own work

Taking action, day-to-day

Using fewer resources and creating less waste

Reducing our carbon footprint

In 2023/24 our total market-based scope 1 and 2 emissions came to 56.02 tCO2e – a 25% decrease in emissions from the baseline year. Anything we can’t reduce is offset through projects that achieve equivalent carbon removal. Last year’s carbon footprint was offset through reforestation in Ghana, and our team also planted 100 trees with Roots4Life, a charity supporting healthy living in deprived communities, at their 8.6-acre site near Eltham.

As for this year, we’re embarking on our most significant sustainability intervention yet: an ambitious Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) programme supported by the Goldsmiths’ Foundation. So far, we’ve upgraded the resident workshops’ ventilation and building management system, reduced the number of heating and cooling system failures, improved airflow and reduced energy waste.

100% of 2023/24 emissions offset via reforestation of degraded forest reserve areas in Ghana

OUR ACTIVITIES

Facilitating discussion to empower our community

Sharing resources and knowledge

Creative Links events opened up the debate. In October, 69 people tuned into ‘Discussing Sustainability with your Customers’ with Susi Smither (The Rock Hound), Katie Gillespie (NAJ), Kathy Chappell (Fair Trade Gems), Stuart Pool (Nineteen48) and Duncan Marshall (Betts Metals) alongside ethical brands Vurchoo, Thelma West and Harriet Kelsall. In June, 64 members gathered in person for ‘Ethical Gold: Exploring Sourcing Options’ with Jos Skeates (EC One), Erin Kelly, Dominic Jones, Charles Betts and Annabel Cox.

Also that month, the Centre buzzed with energy as 100 global experts and UK practitioners gathered for ‘The State of Sustainability in the Jewellery Industry’, a landmark conference celebrating a decade since Fair Luxury’s first event. From gold and gemstone mining to sustainable manufacturing and responsible marketing, keynote speakers shared inspiring insights, while specialists from Boodles, Hockley Mint, Weston Beamor, EBPR, Positive Luxury and the NAJ contributed to thoughtful panel discussions.

The Conference left me inspired and hopeful for the future of sustainable jewellery. Meeting peers and learning from initiatives like Moyo Gems, PeaceGold and Mercury Free Mining showed me what’s possible when we work together. Fairness in the jewellery industry isn’t just a movement - it’s a mindset.

Saskia Shutt Panel speaker

Using fewer resources and creating less waste

Taking action day-to-day

The new Goldsmiths’ Environmental Sustainability Strategy commits the Goldsmiths’ Centre, Goldsmiths’ Company and London Assay Office to measuring and reporting emissions created by our business activities, and getting them as close to zero as possible. We hope to lead by example and offer our space as a platform for debate so as to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices across the wider industry.

New strategic plan launched to achieve zero emissions

Charlotte Dew

Head of Public Programmes

THE GOLDSMITHS’ CENTRE

How are industry leaders making their businesses more sustainable?

That was the hot topic at the ‘Sustainability in Manufacturing’ panel discussion. Our host Charlotte Dew shares key insights, provocations and best practice to accelerate wider adoption.

Sustainability is driven from within

Each panellist revealed a strong commitment to a more sustainable future. All have a sustainability strategy in place, and while regulations play a part, it’s heartening to see that it’s mostly the directors and employees driving it.

Renewables are just the start

Renewable energy use and emissions monitoring were central themes. There’s also a strong push toward traceability. Boodles, for instance, is an early adopter of Single Mine Origin Gold and has recently achieved RJC (Responsible Jewellery

Council) certification, while Alex Monroe is rewilding land and harvesting water.

Start small, start now

Alex neatly summed up the conundrum that many jewellery businesses face: reconciling your carbon impact with the desire to make. But carbon analysis actually shows that jewellery’s longevity makes it less environmentally damaging than we might think. That said, constant improvements are critical. As an industry, we should all be making small changes towards traceability, transparency and responsibility. When customer awareness catches up, we’ll be ready.

‘Sustainability in Manufacturing: A Panel

Discussion’ took place on 9th June 2025 at the Goldsmiths’ Centre during the ‘State of Sustainability in the Jewellery Industry’ conference, in partnership with Fair Luxury.

Panellists:

Alex Monroe

Founder, Alex Monroe Jewellery

Aastha Sethi

Head of Sustainability, Boodles

Kerry Saunders

Operations Director, Domino

Jewellery and Weston Beamor

Gary Wroe

Managing Director, Hockley Mint

Foundation Programme alumnus Laurie Callister-Davies holds his award-winning design commissioned by The Dyers’ Company

Learn more goldsmiths-centre.org

Contact us

info@goldsmiths-centre.org +44 (0)20 7566 7650 /gsmithscentre /company/the-goldsmiths’-centre

Acknowledgments

Image captions Front cover (clockwise): Guests at the Interwoven: Jewellery Meets Textiles exhibition opening; hand engraving demonstration by Sam James Engraving Ltd during Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Day Release training; Bishopland Educational Trust graduates showcase their work at a selling event; industry panel at Fair Luxury conference on ‘The State of Sustainability in the Jewellery Industry’; and Elsa Tierney and Kumiko Kihara teaching the Misuro Hikime technique.

Page 8: Heather Blake, Arcanum Bracelet, 2024, Wood, oil tanned salmon skin, sheep nappa leather, oak bark tanned leather, linen thread; Heather Blake, Neptune Bracelet, 2024, Wood, food waste tanned sea bass skin, vegetable tanned leather, sheep nappa, linen

Find us

The Goldsmiths’ Centre

42 Britton Street

London EC1M 5AD

thread. Page 9: Chris Knight, Damask Teapot II, Sterling silver, 3D printed nylon.

Photography Julia Skupny, Julia Forsman, Philip Dunlop, Lightfoot Agency, Kate Seow, Ross Murphy, Paul Read Photography, Morley von Sternberg, The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council, The Creative Dimension Trust and The Goldsmiths’ Company.

Writing Opening Line – openingline.co

Design Fit Creative – fitcreative.ltd.uk