New collaboration to preserve high end silversmithing skills

First training collaboration for Goldsmith's Centre aimed at protecting silversmith

The idea behind the collaboration is to preserve the more complex skills such as box making, raising, forging, chasing and hand engraving and according to Rauni Higson, who heads up the CBS Skills Training Programme subcommittee, the programme was 'developed by silversmiths for silversmiths.'

“The CBS Skills Training Programme is about offering industry led quality training," said Higson, former chair of of Contemporary British Silversmiths.

"Because it was developed by silversmiths for silversmiths, we will be providing the most effective learning routes in terms of structure, format, location and resources. I am honoured to be working closely with such talented individuals and having access to and sharing that great pool of knowledge and experience.”

This is the first time that Goldsmith's Centre has retained a training partner but the new partnership had significant repercussions for the silversmithing profession, according to Angela Cork, chair of Contemporary British Silversmiths which was set up 22 years ago to maintain and promote silversmithing in the context of contemporary design.

“We are delighted to be the first skills training partner organisation of the Goldsmiths’ Centre," she said. 

"Contemporary British Silversmiths has worked hard over the last few years to collaborate and develop partnerships with organisations interested in promoting and preserving contemporary silversmithing. 

"Partnering with the Goldsmiths’ Centre is a major step forward in creating an industry led project that will provide key high-level skills training for our craft and is a new way of working for both organisations. We both welcome enquiries from other institutions that are keen to be involved with training silversmiths.”.

The new way of working comes in the shape of residential courses where workshop activity is supplemented in the evenings by informal knowledge sharing sessions involving both tutors and students, which have become recognised as a key part of the learning experiences.

"The aim of the initiative will become self-fulfilling as students from the courses will teach on workshops further on in the Programme," explained Sally Dodson, Programme Manager. 

"Teaching resources will be written by the tutors with expert technical and editing support from the association. These will be made available for each course and can be accessed by those members of 

Contemporary British Silversmiths or the Goldsmiths’ Centre who have not been able to attend the course in person, thus extending the reach of skills transfer.

"Having worked in the crafts industry for over 15 years, I am acutely aware of the need to preserve high end craft skills. I am delighted to be working with such a passionate and energetic organisation as Contemporary British Silversmiths on a project that will make a real difference in preserving, supporting and developing the best of British silversmithing through this innovative programme”.