Goldsmiths’ Fair Review 2025

It was a pleasure to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues, and meet new makers at this year’s Goldsmiths’ Fair.

The first of two whistle-stop dives into the exhibition uncovered mysterious treasures from the extraordinarily talented Romilly Saumarez Smith, a jeweller who makes mythical and mysterious pieces, many of which are wildly romantic, using antique finds and lost artefacts. These are combined with precious materials and gemstones and often have a narrative slant.

Emmeline Hastings’ stand featured a glittering semi-transparent sea-urchin brooch that bubbled with an undercurrent of textures and weighed surprisingly little, reflecting its ethereal vibes.

Another outstanding piece that caught my eye was on Fred Rich’s stand, a heritage piece from his vast collection of hand enamelled works. The brooch’s large central opal is strikingly edged on both sides –  exotic reef coral or terrestrial flower?

Baroque beauty is always to be found on Maria Frantzi’s stand, laden with a kaleidoscope of rich colours and daring shapes that radiate energy and a distinctive originality, the artists’ love of gemstones evident in all her designs.

Angela Cork’s compellingly clean, pared back sculptural pieces combine contemporary lines with subtle textural variations that play with light and the inherent tones of the precious metals that she works with.

Jessica Jue is showcasing an extensive jewellery collection, together with a selection of finely sculpted pieces in gold and silver, exhibiting a variety of metal surfaces. Her latest collection includes pieces created in collaboration with Angela Cork. Other designs explore interlocking shapes and delicate patterning.

Later in the day, I found time to chat to silversmith and jeweller Francisca Onumah, whose focus is on form, creating tactile, characterful vessels and jewellery that blurs the lines between object and human.

I was delighted to meet Kumiko Kihara following several friendly exchanges on Instagram, and so thrilled to be given one of her graceful calligraphy works, created using a 100-year old brush. Some of the pieces, such as the naturalistic hair pins on her stand, were so delicate that I was unable to capture them without better lighting. The mother-of-pearl design was a challenge too, but I’ve published it nonetheless, without the full splendour of its iridescent shades.

Alexandra Raphael’s exquisite cloisonné enamel jewellery and luminous plique-à-jour bowls are not to be missed. Her refined, delicate and joyful designs range from jellyfish earrings to the multiple gold award winning Honest bowl.

It was a pleasure to bump into Barnaby Ash and Dru Plumb, the creative duo known as Ash & Plumb. I loved their collaboration with Ella Fearon-Low, who has created a series of site-specific installations (see header image too) for the Goldsmiths’ Hall. Three Queens, which I photographed, is the largest of the ‘Jewels for the Hall’ manifestations and combines hand sculpted wooden pieces, using maple and ash. They are inspired by chess pieces, combine different finishes and are topped by dainty jewels.

Goldsmiths’ Fair 2025 runs until tomorrow at Goldsmiths’ Hall in central London. Visit their website for opening times and other details.