Researching Industry, Art and Ethics in Goldsmithing | The Goldsmiths' Company Library and Archive
The Goldsmiths’ Company Library and Archives hold a wealth of sources for anyone researching jewellery, gold, silversmithing or family history. We spoke with librarian Eleni Bide to find out more about how the Library and Archive team can help us learn about ethical making theory and practice.
The Goldsmiths’ Company’s Library and Archive is a unique resource, covering goldsmithing cultures from around the world and over 700 years of Britain’s own history of craftsmanship in precious metals. It can also help you discover more about the industry’s present and future, whether that’s technical advances, retailing trends, or ethical considerations.
Its remarkable collections include the UK’s largest dedicated library for jewellery, silversmithing and hallmarking. This collection spans books, magazines, films and ephemera from the 19th century to the present day. It is kept up to date with the latest publications and industry news but the past is also a great source of inspiration, and users can immerse themselves in jewellery and silversmithing art and heritage from different places and different times. The breadth of the Library’s collection can help those interested in how materials, designs and techniques have crossed borders. Or they might answer a really specialist question: can you work with purple gold? What tools are used to carve amber? Which contemporary jewellers work with human hair?
Above: Images from books and documents from the 16th to the 21st century in the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Library and Archive
Complementing the Library collections is the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Archive. The archive includes the Company’s own institutional records, which stretch back to the 14th century and tell the story of the goldsmithing industry first in England and later the whole UK. The Company’s archives can be beautiful - such as a richly illuminated 16th century manuscript describing the magical properties of precious gems; and they can be moving – such as the wobbly signature of a Victorian apprentice, taking the first step into their professional lives. Added to these are a remarkable and ever-growing collection of material donated by jewellers and silversmiths. Comprising technical and presentation drawings, photographs and notebooks, these provide an insight into how professional goldsmiths combine their creative process with the practical considerations of realising commissions. Their value to those starting out in the industry is enormous.
The Library and Archive is proud to be open to everyone, for free. It is situated in the Grade I listed Goldsmiths’ Hall in the City of London and is the only part of this historic building which is regularly open to the public: visitors are welcomed Tuesday-Thursday by appointment to come and use its collections. It also hosts free bespoke group visits for students and jewellery and silversmithing businesses. These can be themed around the group’s particular interest, such as a creative project or an aspect of craft heritage.
Our ambition is to make our resources as accessible as possible for those who can’t visit us in person too. Every year we answer over 1,000 questions by email. We are steadily digitising our archival collections and hope to start putting these online soon. We also offer research advice via phone, email or zoom, and can help to identify online resources or collections which are closer to home, so the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Library can be a great place to start your research, even if you don’t end it there.
Above: Images from books and documents from the 16th to the 21st century in the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Library and Archive
If you want to start exploring our collections at home, a quarter of our Library holdings are now listed in our online catalogue, with more being added constantly. We are in the process of creating the first ever complete catalogue of our archival collections and sharing information through The National Archives Discovery portal and Archives Hub as we go.
Ethical making is hugely important for goldsmiths working today, and the Library actively collects information on this subject. Users can start exploring this through the ‘Ethics and Sustainability’ special search on our online catalogue, but relevant information can be found throughout the collections, from the history of the global trade in gold to the origins of Fairtrade metals.
We are here for all parts of the industry - hobbyists, students, designer-makers, manufacturers and retailers - so if you’ve got a question and you don’t know where to start looking for the answer, get in touch.
Thank you Eleni for taking the time to share this information with us. Please connect with the Library and Archives via the links below.
Above: Images from books and documents from the 16th to the 21st century in the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Library and Archive