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The Goldsmiths’ Company plays Pivotal Role

As one of the driving forces behind London Jewellery Week 2010, the Goldsmiths’ Company will be hosting a number of the key events which have been designed to celebrate London’s unique position in the world of jewellery design, production and as a retail destination.

For more than 700 years the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Assay Office London have played significant roles in the London Jewellery trade.

London Jewellery Week will comprise a series of exhibitions and activities enabling visitors to discover and appreciate the capital’s diverse jewellery scene.

Hallmarking workshop for consumers – at Goldsmiths’ Hall – Monday June 7, 2010 Morning session at 10.15am and afternoon session at 1.30pm. £10 per person including refreshments.

The workshop has been tailored specifically to educate the general public about the importance of hallmarking. Steve Collins, Sales and Business Development Manager will launch the workshop with an informative talk covering the law that surrounds this age old form of consumer protection, what the marks actually mean and how they are applied.

A series of practical sessions will follow including the opportunity to test a personal item of jewellery for its precious metal content with the most modern assaying device – an X-ray-fluorescence spectrometer. There will also be the opportunity to meet Assay Office London’s Senior Valuer, Steven L Jordan FGA DGA FNAG FIRV, voted National Association of Goldsmiths Valuer of the Year 2009.

Salon Privé – Fashion Show and Selling Event at Goldsmiths’ Hall
Tuesday June 8, 2010 at 3.00pm
£15 per person
The Goldsmiths’ Company’s Salon Privé will once again present a sparkling fusion of irresistible jewels and couture fashions. Held in the gilded, chandeliered interior of Goldsmiths’ Hall, the latest jewellery collections by the country’s top jewellers, including Boodles, David Marshall, Dower & Hall and Elizabeth Gage will be shown in an exclusive catwalk event modelled on the fashions by London couturier Ulrich Engler. After the show guests are welcome to join the jewellers in the Drawing Room for an opportunity to view, try on and even purchase some of the jewels featured in the show.

To book places please call the Promotions Department at Goldsmiths’ Hall on 0207 367 5907 or email

Day of Knowledge at Goldsmiths’ Hall
Thursday June 10, 2010
Talks at 11.00am, 2.00pm, 4.30pm and 6.45pm
Designed for anyone with a passion for designer jewellery this enlightening day will be hosted by jewellery expert and historian Joanna Hardy, senior specialist at Sotheby’s for 15 years. The day will be divided into a series of illustrated talks given by Joanna Hardy together with jewellers Shaun Leane and Leo de Vroomen. Part of the Company’s renowned collection of contemporary jewellery, rarely seen by the public, will also be on special display for this occasion.

Joanna Hardy – Jewellery is an Art Form Part I (1900-1960) – £20
10.30am – Coffee and pastries
11.00am – Illustrated talk
Joanna Hardy will give an historical perspective on artist jewellers and their influences from 1900 to 1960. From Art Nouveau, the rebellious Arts and Crafts movement, the glamour of Art Deco to the sobriety of the war years, the jewels from these periods are desired by discerning collectors the world over not just for their intrinsic value but for their artistic merit.

Leo De Vroomen – A Craftsman at Large – £30
13.00 – Two course lunch with wine
14.00 – Illustrated talk
Leo de Vroomen is recognised today as one of the world’s most prestigious designers of bespoke jewellery and is renowned for his unique use of enamel. Leo de Vroomen will talk about his career as a designer and goldsmith, in particular about the art of repoussé, a skill he perfected over many years of painstaking training and practise.

Very few jewellers these days are as accomplished in this ancient and exacting technique.
Since the mid 1970s Leo de Vroomen has always pushed the limits which constrain the jewellery world choosing to explore and constantly develop without being influenced by commercialism.

Design awards and inclusion in many public and private collections are proof that his innovative approach has been recognised by an international audience.

Joanna Hardy – Jewellery as an Art Form Part II (1960-2010) – £20
16.00 – Cream tea
16.30 – Illustrated talk
Joanna Hardy will assess the ground-breaking exhibition held at Goldsmiths’ Hall in 1961 which helped pave the way for jewels to be seen as an ‘art form’. The recession of the 1970s allowed different styles and materials to come into vogue before moving into the prosperity of the 1980s and a booming market.

Today there is a growing appreciation for jewellery that is individual and unique. Contemporary jewels that have not compromised on the importance of craftsmanship and originality will stand the test of time to become the collectable art of the future.

Shaun Leane – Tradition Meets Fashion – £30
18.15 – Champagne and Canapés
18.45 – Illustrated talk
Awarded UK Jewellery Designer of the Year, Shaun Leane is internationally celebrated for his darkly romantic, beautifully crafted innovative jewels which have been described as “antiques of the future”.
Jewellery has always been about romance reflecting the world of intimacy and secrecy and Shaun Leane will describe his fascination with the emotional and evocative mourning jewels and eye miniatures of the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition he will explain how the master-jewellers of the 1920s and 1930s constantly impress and inspire him. It is his understanding and appreciation of these past designs that have influenced his collections today.

His first introduction into the world of fashion and his collaboration with the genius couturier Alexander McQueen helped shape his artistic talents by taking the elements of fashion and tradition to create highly stylish jewels for the 21st century.
To book places please call the Promotions Department at Goldsmiths’ Hall on 0207 367 5907 or email

Jewellery Fakes and Forgeries Seminar – at Goldsmiths’ Hall – Friday June 11, 2010 at 9.45am
£50 per person including a two course lunch with wine
The first of its kind, this seminar is a follow on from the Assay Office London’s renowned Silver Fakes and Forgeries Seminar. It will take place at the magnificent Goldsmiths Hall on Friday 11th June. The seminar will begin with a presentation from Dr Robert Organ, Deputy Warden of the Assay Office on ‘Hallmarking Connoisseurship’.

This will be followed by a variety of talks from experts in the trade, including Geoffrey Munn from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow on the subject of ‘The Psychology behind Faking’ and Michel Arnoux, Head of Anticounterfeiting from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry on counterfeit watches. There will then be a series of practical sessions looking at a variety of counterfeit jewellery items, watches, gemstones and silverware.

The Hatton Garden Street Festival
Saturday June 12, 2010 Free
Assay Office London will have a stand in the Manufacturing Zone on Hatton Garden as part of this family-friendly street festival which offers visitors a “behind the scenes” glimpse of this exclusive industry. John Love, Superintendent Assayer and his team will be on hand to give practical demonstrations and answer questions on hallmarking. Children will also be able to try their hand at stamping a mark to take home with them.

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