Goldsmiths' Fair 2016 closes its doors on another successful year
Goldsmiths’ Fair 2016 Closes to Huge Success
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The 34th edition of Goldsmiths’ Fair, the UK’s premier destination to view and buy fine jewellery and contemporary silver, closed its doors on Sunday afternoon. In what proved to be another successful year for the Fair, over 9,000 people, including royalty, members of the House of Lords, ambassadors, artists, gallerists, international collectors, and jewellery enthusiasts of all stripes, visited the event and sales were strong.
Held at the historic Goldsmiths’ Hall, the event unveiled the latest collections from 150 leading designer-makers and the next generation of precious metal stars. All UK-based, the 115 jewellers and 35 silversmiths presented their collections across the event’s two weeks (75 exhibitors per week).
A brilliant alternative to the humdrum of the high street, the Fair offered the public an exciting opportunity to discover and buy distinctive precious metal works direct from the maker, explore special exhibitions, attend compelling design talks, and enjoy the glamorous Gosett Champagne bar.
In what proved to be a particularly exceptional year for their Graduate Bursary Scheme exhibitors, Danish jeweller Max Danger won the Best New Design Award (Week One) for his exquisite Honey Bee Cluster Ring, a striking piece exploring the formation of bees in hives. Patrick Davison won the Best New Design Award (Week Two) for Box, his intriguing mixed metal container constructed with silver, brass, copper, bronze, and nickel silver. Both makers saw very healthy sales.
As ever, Goldsmiths’ Fair presented the most exquisite and unique jewellery for every taste and occasion – bold geometric designs, elegant organic forms and work inspired by everything from the Middle Ages and the environment to the future. The Fair is also proof of the UK’s global lead in contemporary silversmithing, fostering domestic talent and attracting international young makers.
This year, Erin O’Connor, the Modiglianiesque British supermodel, curated a special showcase of 22 personal highlights from the Fair. Erin O’Connor selected featured jewellery by the talented Nina Bukvic, Gurmit Kaur Campbell, Chris Carpenter, Sonia Cheadle, Alan Craxford, Max Danger, David Fowkes, Sarah Herriot, Vicky Lew, Rhona McCallum, John Moore, Shivani Patel, Ami Pepper, Romilly Saumarez Smith, Christopher Thompson Royds, and Anna Wales as well as silver by Angela Cork, Patrick Davison, Nan Nan Liu, Ana Meneses, Hazel Thorn, and Adi Toch.
Barbara Cartlidge and Electrum Gallery: A Passion for Jewellery, one of the event’s two other special exhibitions, showcased jewellery by pioneering Berlin-born British designer-maker Barbara Cartlidge, co-founder of Electrum Gallery, the first UK gallery solely dedicated to international studio jewellery. Whilst providing a glimpse into Cartlidge’s own creative expression, A Passion for Jewellery also told the story of the ground-breaking Electrum Gallery.
Last but not least, the extraordinary Silver: The Dark Side exhibition featured striking pieces with black oxidised silver surfaces, plating and non-precious metals to suggest new ways of displaying a traditional material.
Goldsmiths’ Fair would like to congratulate all its amazing exhibitors. They look forward to showing the public the most exciting fine jewellery and contemporary silver in 2017!
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