Silversmith

Silversmiths create functional and decorative objects in sterling and Britannia silver — bowls, jugs, trophies, candlesticks, boxes, flatware, ceremonial pieces, and bespoke commissions. The core skill is raising: repeatedly hammering a flat silver disc over a steel stake to create a three-dimensional hollow form, annealing the metal regularly to maintain workability. Seaming (forming a cylinder from sheet) and forging provide alternative starting methods for different forms. Soldering joins handles, spouts, feet, and lid fittings using hard, medium, and easy silver solder; planishing brings the raised surface to a smooth, even, refined finish; and chasing, engraving, or applied wire decoration adds surface detail.

Hallmarking at an assay office (London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, or Sheffield) is a legal requirement for silver objects over the relevant weight threshold. The Goldsmiths' Company in London supports the craft through the Goldsmiths' Centre training facility, apprenticeship standards, and the annual Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Awards. City & Guilds qualifications in Silversmithing and Jewellery provide formal academic accreditation alongside practical training.

Entry is via the Level 3 Goldsmith and Silversmith apprenticeship standard (IfATE), the Goldsmiths' Centre courses, or degree programmes at the Royal College of Art, Sheffield Hallam, or Birmingham City University. Silversmiths typically combine production work (trophies, gifts, corporate commissions) with bespoke one-off pieces for private clients and gallery exhibitions.

Silversmithing is an intrinsically hand-skilled craft — the raising and planishing of a silver vessel requires a physical understanding of how metal moves that cannot be replicated by machine pressing for bespoke or short-run work. Trophy and ceremonial silverware production for livery companies, academic institutions, sports bodies, and corporations provides a consistent commercial market. Bespoke commissions — weddings, significant anniversaries, institutional gifts — sustain private practice. The Goldsmiths' Company's active support for training and maker development, combined with international collector interest in British contemporary silver, provides a strong professional infrastructure. The legal hallmarking requirement creates a traceable quality standard that distinguishes craft silver from commercial imports.

Morning: anneal a partially raised silver bowl and continue raising — working a series of hammer courses from the centre outward over the raising stake, periodically checking the profile against the design drawing. Afternoon: solder a cast handle onto a completed jug, pickle the assembly to clean flux residue, then planish the body to an even surface using a wooden mallet over a polished steel stake. End of day: prepare completed pieces for submission to the London Assay Office, complete the paperwork, and photograph finished items for the commission record.