To commemorate the late Lord Sutherland’s tenure as Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company, I was honoured to be one of the first women to make a piece that forms part of the Contemporary Buffet, a tiered display in the Livery Hall at Goldsmiths’ Hall that showcases the Company’s ceremonial plate, a curated snapshot of some of their greatest treasures. I’m proud to be part of this lineage of goldsmiths and silversmiths, when I received the Freedom of the Goldsmiths’ Company I signed my name in the latest volume of a set of books of Freeman, Apprentices and Masters dating back 700 years. I’m honoured to take my place in this continuum, with skills passed from hand to hand down the centuries, and I pass on these skills as often as I can in as many ways as I can. 

We chose to celebrate Lord Sutherland’s beloved highland landscape with a ‘mountain burn’, a fast flowing highland stream. The circular form is cut through by a sweeping flow of turbulent water, spreading wider as it swooshes around the dish. The ‘river’ is made up of many pieces, fabricated into the exuberant flow, a moment of movement captured; a challenge both technically and creatively.

The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, more commonly known as the Goldsmiths’ Company, is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London and received its first royal charter in 1327. The purpose of the Goldsmiths’ Company is to contribute to national life by supporting craftspeople, protecting consumers and working with charitable partners to help people improve their lives. The Company has supported me in developing my career in many ways, including supporting training with Master Craftspeople and commissioning. I have six pieces in the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection. 

Diameter at widest point 50cm, Height 11cm

If you would like to find out more about the commissioning process, I would be delighted to have an informal no-obligation chat.

You can also find out more about how the commissioning process works by here.