The almanac, an annual publication, traditionally sets out the year ahead with everything a reader might need to know or be aware of in the months to come. As a silversmith, it is important to know when you are likely to be at your busiest in the workshop and when is the optimum time to take to the road and reach your customers. Check out our ‘Silversmith’s Almanac’ for this year for key dates and an insight into the sorts of things we make time for at different points in the year.
For a complete list of show dates for 2019, go to the Events page on our website.
JANUARY
Brett, and son, Gil, beginning work on an exciting new project – watch this space for more on this as it develops…
Start the New Year as you mean to go on. The early weeks of this month are a perfect time to engage in some heavy hammering – there are not many people around to disturb with the noise!
Do not neglect proper safety precautions – an injury in this month bodes ill for the coming year…
FEBRUARY
Brett, planishing a carafe in snowy February
Beware the possibility of bad weather. Be prepared to carry on as best you can, completing new pieces to be displayed at the upcoming spring shows – even when snowed in!
MARCH
MADE London, Canary Wharf – March 2018
The spring show season begins! Important dates for this month:
Made By Hand, Cheltenham Town Hall: 8th-9th March.
MADE London Canary Wharf, East Wintergarden: 28th-31st March.
APRIL
Silver ‘Swan Spoons’
With the first day of spring long past and Easter on the horizon, there are more daylight hours in which to work. Make the most of the natural light and do a stock take in preparation for the busy shows in May, June and July.
MAY
RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey
Now is the time to begin choosing the cheeriest of blooms for display in silver vases. In particular be sure of a good display at:
Craft In Focus, RHS Garden Wisley: 2nd – 6th May.
With the gardens in full bloom and the work of around 200 makers to peruse, this is a delightful day out – definitely one for the diary!
JUNE
Visitors to the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, Devon 2018
This month can be suseptable to the odd grumpy sky but by and large this is the season for deckchairs and ice cream. These can be found in abundance at:
Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey, Devon: 7th-9th June
A visit to the Devon Guild of Craftsmen to sample their cafe and take in their special exhibitions is also an excellent idea at this time of year.
JULY
Great Dome Art Fair, Buxton, Derbyshire 2018
With the summer now in full swing, parades of shorts, sandles and sunglasses can be seen all across the land! Big summer events in this month are:
Goldsmiths North, Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield: 12th-14th July.
Great Dome Art Fair, Buxton: 19th-21st July.
The Game Fair, Hatfield House, Hertfordshire: 26th-28th July.
AUGUST
Brett at the hearth in his worksop, 2018 Photo: Ben Boswell
This is a quiet time of year for shows. The month of August is best spent intensively in the workshop, making work to order, taking stock and preparing new pieces for shows in the autumn.
Rearranging the workbenches and sorting through tools in this month sets the silversmith in good stead for a productive autumn season.
SEPTEMBER
Hever Castle, Kent
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness begins and where better than the county of Kent, famous for its hops and its apples. A new show this year:
Craft In Focus, Hever Castle, Kent: 5th-8th September.
An opportunity to wander the glorious grounds of Anne Boleyn’s childhood home and contemplate your purchase against this romantic, historical backdrop.
Also important this month:
Week 1 of Goldsmiths’ Fair in London will take place from 24th-29th September.
OCTOBER
Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire
A purchase this month will save anxiety over Christmas gifts in December. As the nights draw in, the silversmith begins planning the festive rush. Important dates for this month:
Craft In Focus, Wellington College, Crowthorne, Berkshire: 25th-27th October.
Week 2 of Goldsmiths’ Fair in London: 1st-6th October.
NOVEMBER
Winchester Cathedral, Remembrance Sunday, 2018
The red poppy is particularly prevalent in this month. In the later weeks of November, the silversmith will be hard at work finishing and dispatching orders in time for Christmas. Important date for this month:
DESIRE, Winchester Guild Hall: 22nd-24th November.
DECEMBER
Christmas Pudding served in Giant Silver Spoon, 2018
A month of indulgence, gift-giving and ambient light. This a busy time for the candlestick maker and the forger of silver tableware! Once the final orders are dispatched and the workshop has closed for the festive period, it is customary for the silversmith to select a few choice pieces from his safe for use on his own Christmas table. A Christmas dinner laid with very little silverware is a sign of a profitable year!
Anything to be hallmarked showing the 2019 year mark – a lower case ‘u’ – must be marked before News Year’s Eve.
SHOW DATES
A complete list of dates for all the shows we will be attending in 2019 can be found on the Events page of our website. Click here for details.
Hope the next year is just as varied and with visits to equally lovely venues. And good luck with that spoon!