12 Days of Christmas

The workshop is feeling festive here in Sheffield and to celebrate the highlights of a fantastic year, we’ve put together our very own ’12 Days of Christmas’. All together now! From the top!

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

12 forging hammers

Hammers are like shoes, you won’t get far without them and you can never have too many. They make excellent Christmas gifts – although their distinctive shape somewhat ruins the surprise…

11 leopards lounging

Who needs a guard dog when Mr Bingley is on-hand to keep a watchful eye on the workshop safe? Needless to say, we’d be nowhere without our trusty workshop mascot – an indispensable member of the team!

10 cutlers cutling

Sheffield has a proud heritage of metalworking, from steel to silver, and the Cutlers’ Company has championed Sheffield making since the 1600s. We were honoured to be allowed the use of the Company’s Hall in Sheffield city centre where we photographed our candlesticks on one of their impressive dining tables

9 ladies lunching

In November this year we were delighted to be invited to speak at a meeting of the Derby Ladies’ Luncheon Club. We were treated to a delicious lunch before giving a presentation about the ins and outs of silversmithing in Sheffield. We were there for almost an hour before the old friendly rivalry between Derbyshire and Yorkshire was even mentioned!

8 dancers dancing

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Our troupe of 8 dancing candlesticks went on tour this year, entertaining audiences from Edinburgh to Penzance. With the party season approaching they’re getting ready to boogie!

7 scallops sizzling

The ‘foodies’ among our followers will have noticed our foray into cookware this year. The scallop pan made its debut at the Craft In Focus show in Canterbury, where it was photographed on the shores of Whitstable, Kentish capital of oysters (click here to see). But it was tested in Sheffield with a handful of fresh scallops and a squeeze of lemon – tasty!

6 goldsmiths counting

This year Brett served on the jury of the Trial of the Pyx. The Trial takes place every year in Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London and brings together a jury of at least 6 members of the Goldsmiths’ Company to check that coins produced by the Royal Mint are within the statutory limits for metallic composition, weight and size. The name ‘Pyx’ refers to the chests delivered by the Mint containing in total over 50,000 coins for inspection. The ceremony dates back to the twelfth century, making it one of the longest established judicial procedures in the country

5 whi-ite gloves!

Anyone who has seen us at shows throughout the year will know that we are never without our white gloves. Top of the ‘To Do’ List after any event is putting all the gloves through the wash to get them dazzling white and pristine again for the next show. Unfortunately, they’re much like socks – you often find yourself with an odd number when you take them out of the machine. 3 pairs go in, 5 gloves come out. Where the lost gloves disappear to is just one of life’s mysteries…

4 photo shoots

There’s no two ways about it – silver is difficult to photograph. It is at its best in daylight, in candlelight, in situ. The silverware that sits on your dining table or on your mantlepiece has a presence and a brilliance that is impossible to capture in an image, so it’s our task to devise ways to photograph our pieces that give you a taste of their versatility, beauty and desirability. It can be a real head-scratcher! We hope you’ve enjoyed the images we’ve produced this year – there’s more in store for 2016

3 jazz men

We’ve exhibited at a total of 12 fairs this year and have enjoyed every single one! We really value the opportunity to get out of the workshop and engage with our customers. Each fair has its own unique atmosphere and variety of entertainments to offer from beautiful landscapes and sites of historical interest to live performers and culinary delights. We particularly enjoyed this band of players at the Craft In Focus fair at RHS Garden Wisley in May

2 rosettes

We’ve been winning prizes! After being awarded the Tony Piper Memorial Award last year at the Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Fair, Brett won the prize for Best Craft Maker at the Salisbury Contemporary Craft & Heritage Festival in September

…and a star for the Christmas tree!

Merry Christmas to you all!