Charlotte Metcalf is the Editor of Great British Brands and the co-presenter of Break Out Culture, a weekly podcast with former Minister of Culture, Lord Vaizey. She is also a film-maker, author and journalist. Every week she’ll be reporting on cultural events, exhibitions, fairs and publications that are of interest to the communities of craftsmen we represent and celebrate, with a particular focus on goldsmiths and silversmiths.
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On Thursday 27th October, the Petworth Literary Festival opened in West Sussex, in one of England’s prettiest, historic towns. It runs till 6th November with a lively and highly varied schedule.
This year, for example, there are talks with Oz Clarke on English wine, with Kate Mosse, on her new book Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries: Who (also) Built the World and with Charles Clover, co-founder of the Blue Marine Foundation, on his book Rewilding the Sea, How to Save our Oceans. Charlotte Mullins will be talking about her book which explores the power of art through the millennia and the much-loved Radio Three presenter, Tom Service, will be talking about the book that accompanies his program The Listening Service.
For those of us passionate about British craft, check out Keith Brymer Jones, ceramics designer and potter, who shot to fame after being that emotional judge on Channel 4’s Great Pottery Thrown Down, talking about his book Boy in a China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything.
Perhaps most relevant to those who appreciate the craftsmanship and skill at the core of Thomas Lyte, is a talk with the jeweller Theo Fennell, following the publication of his memoir I Fear for this Boy: Some Chapters of Accidents. For years Theo was pigeonholed as purveyor of outrageous, colourful glitz to the rich and famous, from Elton John to Joan Collins, and for putting the fun into tableware by creating the silver Marmite lid. In fact, he deplores the way jewellery can be hijacked by big, fashionable, luxury conglomerates to become seasonal, disposable frippery. In tune with Thomas Lyte’s ethos, he passionately believes that a jewel or beautifully wrought piece of silver should be crafted to endure. ‘All great jewellery is necessarily talismanic, a keepsake that transcends generations,’ he says, ‘and unless jewellery has emotional weight it’s just a gew-gaw’.
Like Thomas Lyte, Theo crafts everything on his own premises and is devoted to every painstaking detail of his craft. Theo trained as a silversmith himself, working for the great silversmith Edward Barnard, where his job was to log in the repairs. One morning a 1920’s 18karat gold champagne flute arrived, engraved with Good Morning Diana. The romance of it enchanted Fennell and came to underpin his own designs. Ever since he has been set on rekindling respect for Britain’s master craftsmen and passing on skills to his apprentices. He has his own annual Awards for Best Concept, Best Technical and Overall Achievement for the RCA Jewellery & Metalwork, graduating class. His Gilded Youth Initiative is evidence of his commitment to supporting the jewellery industry, aiming to encourage future designers and give a voice to emerging young jewellery and silver talent.
The title of his book is taken from a letter a headmaster sent to his father and sets the tone for his hilarious and self-effacing tales of his accident-prone but ultimately fortunate road through life. It’s been rapturously received by critics and readers alike and is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the life of craftsmen working with precious metals or jewels today.
Theo is in conversation with Carol Woolton, the woman who probably knows more about jewellery than anyone in the UK. She’s a jewellery historian, editor and stylist and was British Vogue’s Jewellery Editor for 20 years. Today her popular podcast, If Jewels Could Talk, is on its third series. The talk takes place at St. Mary’s Church at 3 o’clock on Monday 31st October.
Read about our press mentions and awards for the project
We have selected a number of case studies that demonstrate the broad range of our capabilities designing and making in precious metals.
