Contemporary British Silver Designers

The discovery of silver cannot be pinpointed; humans have mined it far back into antiquity. Our fascination with this malleable metal and the beautiful works of art that can be shaped from it continues to this day.

This book brings together two expansive collections of silver objects, the ‘Lion' collection and the ‘Hamme' collection. The ‘Lion' collection provides a broad overview of beautiful silver objects made by a great variety of British contemporary silversmiths. It is divided between holloware, caddy spoons and napkin rings. Part of the collection revolves around the theme of lions, because the lion image bears a resemblance to the collector's family history. The Hamme collection is a spectacular array of ‘hero' pieces and commissions that demonstrate some of the best of each silversmith's work. With more than 500 images, Contemporary British Silver Designers shares some of the finest work crafted by 21st-century silversmiths.

Interviews with numerous modern silversmiths – Jane Short, Kevin Grey, Miriam Hanid, Nan Nan Liu, Phil Jordan, Ray Walton, Rod Kelly, Tamar de Vries Winter, Wayne Meeten, Yusuke Yamamoto, Zoe Watts, Fred Rich, Michael Lloyd and Wally Gilbert – offer insight into the silversmiths' process and inspirations. Brief biographies are also included on numerous other silversmiths whose work is featured in this book: Phil Barnes, James Dougall, Ryan McClean, Stuart Jenkins, Martin Baker, Martin Keane, Sarah Wilson, Don Porritt, Martyn Pugh, Maureen Edgar, Alistair McCallum, Colette Bishop, Adi Toch, Malcolm Appleby, Adrian Hope, Jen Ricketts, Cara Murphy, Graham Stewart, , Kathryn Hinton, Brett Payne, Clive Burr, Rauni Higson, Angus McFadyen, Kyosun Jung, Karina Gill, Stella Campion, Angela Cork, Abigail Brown, Jessica Jue, Ndidi Ekubia, Elizabeth Auriol Peers and Katie Watson, among others.

About the Authors

John L. Davis is an avid collector who - after initially putting together an impressive collection of antique silver boxes - has become fascinated by the breadth of skills and talent of contemporary silversmiths. His drive to develop a significant collection in this field has also been very much motivated by the fact that he enjoys meeting and connecting with the makers of his pieces.

Gordon Hamme owned a silversmithing supply company in Hatton Garden from 1984, and thus had a very good knowledge of the industry. He and his wife, Angela, developed an impressive collection over the years. From 2008 he curated 95 exhibitions for British Silver Week, for 10 years, featuring the work of over 120 silversmiths across Britain, Europe and Asia. Gordon has written a doctoral thesis on the future development of the contemporary silversmithing industry at the University of Edinburgh and gained his doctorate in 2019. He continues to be involved in the industry as a liveryman of the Goldsmiths' Company, through the National Association of Jewellers Education Committee, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council as well as the Silver Society.