Silversmiths Put on Winning Display for Royal Highland Show

Scotland’s luxury jewellery house will mark more than 105 years as silversmiths to The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland this week. Hamilton & Inches have responsibility for displaying and caretaking the 300 trophies which are awarded at the Royal Highland Show each year - between 40-45 of which have been handcrafted in the Hamilton & Inches workshops on George Street, Edinburgh - and the show’s trophy room is managed by Alain Wright, Stock Controller from the Royal Warrant holders throughout the show weekend.

The Trophy Room showcase of silverware and goldware in the Highland Hall at the Royal Highland Show is one of the largest collections of its kind in the UK, with trophies from the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland itself as well as other associations donated for presentation.

Arguably one of the most unique trophies which will be on display is the Fife and Kinross Perpetual Challenge Cup. The 15-carat, 37-Troy ounce, hand-chased cup of gold was commissioned by Lord Ninian Crichton Stuart MP to commemorate the staging of the Highland Show in Cupar in 1912. Hamilton & Inches hand chased Scottish thistles and knot designs into the trophy, embossing the Kinross arms onto it and casting knights on horseback on each handle, thus beginning the special relationship with the show.

Hamilton & Inches begins preparation for each Royal Highland Show around April, when the previous year’s trophies are recalled so that the skilled team of craftsmen in silversmithing, polishing, chasing and engraving within the three floors of workshops above the jewellery house’s showroom can set to work on cleaning, repairing and polishing the trophies in time for the June event. Similarly, the craftsmanship of the 150 year old jewellery house is called upon immediately after the show, to engrave the silver and goldware, deliver the trophies to winners and to ensure that everything is done properly.

Stephen Paterson, Chief Executive of Hamilton & Inches, said,

“Hamilton & Inches’ long-standing relationship with The Royal Highland Show is a wonderful example of how our beloved workshops have been part of the traditions of Scottish life for generations. Our craftspeople take immense pride in their position as Silversmiths to Her Majesty the Queen, and we are always thrilled to see the great passions and achievements of Scotland’s rural community rewarded in such glistening fashion."

Alain Wright, Royal Highland Show Trophy Room Manager on behalf of Hamilton & Inches said,

“Hamilton & Inches has a great working partnership with the Royal Highland Show. Trophy winners have spent a lifetime preparing their animals for this moment, and it is a privilege for me and our team of craftspeople to look after these exceptional displays of silverware and goldware and help in their presentation. When you look at some cups dating back to 1903, and you think of all the people engraved on them and the lives they have dealt with, it makes me very proud to be involved in this great celebration of Scotland’s rural life. I have seen people moved to tears when they have collected the trophies, often seeing the names of grandparents engraved before theirs. It is a truly unique showcase.” 

www.hamiltonandinches.com