Supporting the GC&DC
Our Patrons & Sponsors are a vital aspect to the work, purpose and effectiveness of the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council, and we remain fortunate in attracting a good range and depth of supporters. We believe this positive relationship and level of collaboration exists and flourishes because of the function, value and central objectives that the GC&DC targets and achieves year on year.
The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council, a charitable incorporated organisation, is a non-profit making enterprise that simply seeks to assist in upholding, maintaining and enhancing craft, design and technological skills in the profession and education. However, we cannot do this without the considerable funding support that we enjoy from the industry.
The Goldsmiths' Company, as our Founding & Leading Patron remains the backbone and vital supporter to our operation and work. This striking endorsement from the guild of our craft roundly encourages the profession to work in a corporate spirit of collaboration and support to the GC&DC. Our continuing mission and overall purpose is to contribute to the health and welfare of individuals, companies and organisations in jewellery, goldsmithing, silversmithing and the allied crafts
The Jacques Cartier Memorial Award Winner, 2024
Royal Patron:
Our Patrons are central to the success of the Council's work to promote excellence in craftsmanship and design. Each Patron has a vested interest in encouraging the next generation of skilled craftsmen and women and actively supports this process through their continued and generous commitment. The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council is greatly honoured to have HRH Princess Michael of Kent as our Royal Patron. Princess Michael shows an active interest in our organisation and the work that we do and her wholehearted support of the craft, industry and education is greatly appreciated.
Founding & Leading Patron
The Goldsmiths' Company, through the Goldsmiths' Arts Trust Fund, is our Founding Patron, and has been lynchpin and consistent supporter since the formation of the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council in 1908. There is no doubt that this unprecedented level of steadfast support has been the single most important factor in enabling the Council to establish, develop and improve its organisation and operation in support of the profession. The Council and its unique craftsmanship and design awards serves the industry it supports and encourages a culture of raising the standards of craftsmanship, design and technology in search of excellence.
Working in partnership
The Goldsmiths' Company has remained loyal to these respected principals and continues to work in collaborative partnership with the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council, demonstrating a unified belief and range of positive outcomes from which many benefit. We are constantly appreciative of the substantial physical and financial resources we receive from the Goldsmiths' Company and recognise that our work remains achievable from this unique support, collaboration and relationship with the Guild of our Craft. The Goldsmiths' Company plays a pivotal and enduring role to the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council, and our annual awards evening and exhibition at Goldsmiths' Hall is seen, widely recognised and highly valued, as a major showcase event of significant importance by the precious metalworking industry – as the 'Oscars of the Industry.'
About the Goldsmiths' Company
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, more commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company, is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London and received its first royal charter in 1327. Founded to regulate the craft or trade of the goldsmith, the Goldsmiths' Company has been responsible since 1300 for testing the quality of gold, silver and, from 1975, platinum articles. In 2010 Palladium was brought into this regime. The word hallmark originates from the fifteenth century when London craftsmen were first required to bring their artefacts to Goldsmiths' Hall for assaying and marking. This requirement continues unchanged today and the Company still carries out its statutory function through the operations of The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office
Principal Patrons
The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council has a special and unique relationship with Cartier, its founding Principal Patron. The Jacques Cartier Memorial Award was introduced in the competition in 1958with the primary aim of creating an award that signified exceptional and outstanding craft skills demonstrated in a piece of work entered in the competition. This award is about a benchmark standard of the highest order and therefore it is only granted if these demanding criteria have been met. When this accolade is given at the prize-giving event at Goldsmiths' Hall, the Managing Director usually presents this prestigious Award in person.
The Jacques Cartier Memorial Award
The record of winners over the decades makes an impressive list of craftsmen and women working at the top of their craft, and is documented in this website. Master silversmith Christopher Lawrence has won the Jacques Cartier Memorial Award three times, and the iconic artist enameller Fred Rich now has 4 Cartier Awards to his name, a phenomenal and unrivalled achievement in the history of the Award.
The winner of this ultimate honour has their name inscribed in the Jacques Cartier Memorial Gold Book and also receives a valuable gold replica of the book, an amazing honour and lifetime achievement.
Record of recent Jacques Cartier Memorial Winners
he Jacques Cartier Memorial Award Book
2023 Karen Wallace - Engravers
2022 No award given
2021 Fred Rich, The Fair Game Vases - Enamelling
2020 Tom Rucker, Coloured Platinum & Diamond Collection – Jewellery & Technology
2019 Tony Bedford, Chased Head Inspired by Rodins Burghers of Calais – Chasing
2018 No award given
2017 Paul Jones, Revolving Dial Clock – Smallworkers
2016 & 2015 No award given
2014 Simon Coldicott, Motorbike – Modelmakers
2013 No award given
2012 Gavin Haselup, Saracen & Knight Busts – Modellers
2011 & 2010 No award given
2009 Paul Towens, Model of Oil Rig – Silversmithing
2008 Jane Short, Enamelled 'Tazza' – Enamelling
2007 Gillie Hoyte Byrom, Enamelled Minature – Enamelling
2006 Ray Walton, Covered Dish – Silversmithing
2005 No award given
2004 No award given
2003 Fred Rich, Enamelled Vases – Enamelling
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Winner 2024
Winner of the Brown & Newirth Award 2023
The Clothworkers’ Company is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies in the City of London. Founded in 1528, our original purpose was to protect our members and promote the craft of cloth-finishing within the City. Today, our mission is to inspire and empower individuals and communities through action, partnership and financial support. We are particularly focused on UK textiles, charity governance, and philanthropy – through The Clothworkers’ Foundation and beyond.
In tandem with the stewardship and management of our own historic archives and collections, The Company also awards grants and commissions new work to support historic crafts and endangered craft skills, with a particular interest in contemporary bookbinding’s and silver. For the latter, we actively commission new works from renowned silversmiths to enhance our own important plate collection (which dates to the early 17th century), and award annual grants to organisations focused on skills development and training such as Bishopsland Educational Trust, Contemporary British Silversmiths, and the South House Silver Workshop Trust.
We are excited to partner with the GC&DC to establish a Clothworkers’ Silversmithing Award at this year’s competition which promotes, endorses and supports our mission.
Tracr™ is the world’s first fully distributed diamond traceability platform that starts at the source and operates at scale, bringing the ability to explore the provenance, authenticity and unique journey a natural diamond has taken along the diamond value chain. Our ambition is to promote transparency and enhanced confidence in natural diamonds, using the power of digital storytelling.
The backbone of the Tracr platform is fully distributed blockchain technology. As a diamond travels through the value chain, information is uploaded to the blockchain at different stages. This means that Tracr creates unchangeable, tamper-proof digital records for individual diamonds as they move from source to manufacturer, to the store. With its innovative approach and advanced technology, Tracr provides a robust solution for today's needs while helping the diamond industry to prepare for the future.
Tracr is extremely excited to partner with The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council, sponsoring this year's Junior Award. We at Tracr believe in a world where innovation and opportunity are the status quo, this award will aim to promote and recognise talent at the early stages of one's career.
Special Patrons
This is the second highest level of support and a unique category of sponsorship that denotes a significant commitment and collaboration to the Goldsmiths' Craftsmanship and Design Awards. Therefore, the exposure and branding is appropriate to this positive partnership and substantial pledge. Various special awards are attributed to special patrons in the competition that are linked to aspects of design or craft sections in the competition. Their named awards provides exclusive coverage, marketing and branding opportunities to foster, exploit and utilise.
Special Patrons are also invited and encouraged to present their named award at our unique and prestigious awards evening at Goldsmiths' Hall, providing a perfect setting and context to further benefit from the considerable potential available across such an event and occasion. This in turn, has generated excellent opportunities for companies, entrants and the Council to collectively create greater meaning, purpose and importance to the celebrations, networking, communication and collaboration that evolve and emanate from this activity and engagement.
Winner of the Lindström Award 2021/22
ALPHA LASER GmbH is an owner-operated medium-sized company specializing in the development and manufacture of laser systems for welding, cutting, and 3D printing of metals. Their laser devices are used in trade and industrial production and are turnkey machinery systems for various material processing applications. The ALPHA LASER systems feature high-quality and versatile laser technology and come in a wide range of performance classes.
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Beaverbrooks is a family-owned diamond, jewellery and watch business, and recently celebrated 100 years in the trade. With 71 stores nationwide, they are a well-respected and established part of the UK’s retail high street. As a commercial jewellery retailer, Beaverbrooks is proud of their reputation for quality products and exceptional customer service.
Lindström is part of the Snap on Tools company. For nearly a century, their iconic brand has represented a broad array of unique productivity solutions – tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions. The Snap-on® brand conveys a badge of professionalism, delivering confidence to those performing work of consequence where second best is not an option.
Louisa Guinness Gallery focuses on notable 20th-century and contemporary art jewellery, predominantly one-of-a-kind pieces.
Louisa Guinness is passionate about supporting innovative jewellery production techniques and pushing the boundaries of jewellery design. Through her work with artists and independent jewellery designers, she works with many different skilled craftspeople, constantly looking for the highest quality and new ways to create.
The Gallery opened in May 2003 as the first gallery dedicated to exhibiting Artists’ jewels, presenting exceptional works by important 20th- and 21st-century artists. In November 2017, the gallery’s founder, Louisa Guinness, published Art As Jewellery: From Calder to Kapoor, an introduction to Artist Jewellery.
We warmly welcome The Sheffield Assay Office to the GC&DC Competition. Recently celebrating it's 250th Anniversary, The Sheffield Assay Office put a marker down for independence and integrity. In those early days, most of the assay business came from within a 20-mile radius and precious items were literally presented 'over the counter' to be assayed.
Today, The Sheffield Assay Office attracts customers from all over the world and the business has evolved to meet the demands of society and industry. Jewellery and items of precious metal are still assayed in their millions each year and bear the distinctive Sheffield 'Town' mark, Sheffield Assay office also has a world-wide reputation in other arenas too, particularly in cutting-edge analytical services.
Betts Metal Sales provides a complete service proposition to the manufacturing jeweller by offering a wide range of bullion and jewellery supplies. The business also caters for designers, jewellery students, and hobbyists, with excellent customer service from highly experienced staff and a no minimum order, no minimum charge policy. Betts’ trade counter in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is comprehensively stocked with jewellery findings, sheet, wire, tube, grain, and wedding ring blanks in gold, silver, and platinum, as well as jewellers’ tools which are available from stock over-the-counter as well as online. Betts Refining offers comprehensive refining services and can recover precious metals from almost any source in-house in the UK.
The Goldsmiths' Centre is a visionary development for the jewellery and silversmithing industries and their allied trades, the local community and the general public – a unique space in which to learn, work and relax. It offers fully equipped training workshops and design studios, managed workspace, conference and exhibition space and a café that is open to the public. The Centre's mission is to support creativity, craftsmanship and community with an emphasis upon the craft of the goldsmith or 'worker in precious metal'.
Lifetime Achievement Award
A specially designed silver medal sponsored and made by Thomas Fattorini Ltd. is given by the Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council in recognition of the recipient's outstanding contribution and commitment to the craft and industry of silversmithing, jewellery and the allied trades.
Click here for more information on the Lifetime Achievement Award and a list of the recipients of this Award.
Patron Named Awards
The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council views this as a very positive development in the structure and nature of the competition and encourage others to be Named Award Patrons to the competition in the future.
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a Named Award Patron.
Patrons
Sponsors
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a Sponsor.
This year kind donations have been received from:
ABT DESIGN (CASTING) LTD.
Andrew Macgowan
BRINK’S LTD.
Catherine Best Limited
David Fowkes Jewellery Limited
E.C. One
EVStenroos
F. Hinds
Fox Silver Ltd.
Fred Rich Enamel Design
Hamilton & Inches
Hockley Mint Ltd.
H. S. Walsh & Sons Ltd.
McCarty London
Ottewill Silversmiths & Jewellers
Rebus
Sam James Ltd.
Sierra Consultancy Ltd.
The Institute of Professional Goldsmiths
The Pearson Silver Foundation
Tom Rucker
Tony Bedford
