As headline subject partner of the National Saturday Club Art&Design programme, the Goldsmiths’ Company will play a key role in supporting the next generation of creatives.

This year, the Art&Design programme has enabled over 1,000 young people to explore more than 200 creative disciplines at free Saturday Clubs in 49 locations across the UK.

A report jointly published by organisations including the Design Council and Design and Technology Association in the summer of 2024, found that the number of pupils studying Design and Technology at GCSE had fallen by 68% in the last decade following its removal as a compulsory subject,

Lucy Kennedy, chief executive of the National Saturday Club, said: “We are deeply grateful to the Goldsmiths’ Company for their generous support of the National Saturday Club’s Art&Design programme. Their commitment helps us provide young people across the UK with the space to explore their creativity, build confidence, and imagine new futures.

“Art and design spans every aspect of the creative industries, and we are especially appreciative of partners like the Goldsmiths’ Company who recognise the long-term value of nurturing creative talent, not only for their own sector, but for society at large.”

Annie Warburton, CEO and clerk of the Goldsmiths’ Company said: “Our partnership is rooted in a shared ambition to equip young people with skills and connections to thrive in future careers in the creative industries, and beyond.

“We are excited by the opportunity to support the sustainability and growth of the Art&Design programme over the next three years, with the generous support of Goldsmiths’ Company members – reaching more young people, in more communities, across the UK. Together, we aim to spark curiosity and inspire experimentation and exploration by nurturing creative skills and design thinking – crafting careers for the next generation.”

Founded in 2009, the National Saturday Club gives 13 to 16-year-olds an opportunity to study subjects for free at their local university, college, and cultural institution.

The brand’s ranges will be launched online at Goldsmiths and Mappin and Webb this July, marking the first time Annoushka will be available through a national specialist watch and jewellery retailer.

The brand will also debut in a selection of showrooms through a phased rollout: beginning with Northern Goldsmiths in Newcastle from 21 July, Goldsmiths Birmingham Bullring and Goldsmiths Stratford from 18 August, culminating at Manchester’s new Mappin and Webb flagship jewellery showroom from 5 September.

Annoushka Ducas MBE, founder and creative director of Annoushka, said: “Jewellery is so much more than adornment. It is identity, memory and emotion. After founding Links of London, I wanted to return to the heart of design: storytelling through craftsmanship and creating pieces that are as versatile and playful as the wonderful women who wear them.

“I’m thrilled that our pieces will now be part of the Goldsmiths and Mappin and Webb experience, where they can be discovered in beautiful surroundings by clients who value creativity, quality and connection.”

Craig Bolton, president of The Watches of Switzerland Group, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Annoushka to our showrooms across the UK. This partnership reflects our commitment to providing our clients with pieces that hold exceptional craftmanship, timeless design, and individuality.

“By being the only watch and jewellery specialist to offer Annoushka in the UK, this new partnership brings with it a new era of jewellery retail within our showroom portfolio.”

Annoushka was founded by Ducas in 2009 and focuses on 18ct gold designs adorned with diamonds and precious gemstones.

The 10 recipients of the 2025 Emerging Business Bursary will each receive a gift of 400 grams of AgAIN silver bullion, made from reclaimed medical x-ray films, along with a 15% discount on tools.

The Emerging Business Bursary (EBB), launched in 2024, reimagines the Fair’s longstanding support for early career makers in recognition of the different routes that lead craftspeople into the trade.

The 2025 Emerging Business Bursaries have been awarded to Monica Findlay, Lucy Anderson, Isabella Bedlington, Wenyin Jiang, Liu Yang, Alice Biolo, Emma Lawrence, Francisca Onumah, Alewijn Slingerland and Gillian Finlay.

Harriet Scott, head of Goldsmiths’ Fair, said: “Goldsmiths’ Fair has proudly supported early career makers through bursary schemes since the year 2000. Whilst establishing yourself as an independent craftsperson has never been easy, over the last 25 years the rising costs of equipment, energy, materials, rates and rents, combined with record high prices for precious metals, have made it more challenging than ever before.

“Through this partnership with The Betts Group, and their generous gift of four kilograms of AgAIN silver bullion, the 10 recipients our 2025 Emerging Business Bursary are receiving a comprehensive package of support that will help them to have the first of many fantastic years exhibiting at Goldsmiths’ Fair.”

Charlie Betts, managing director of The Betts Group, added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Goldsmiths’ Fair in support of early career makers through the 2025 Emerging Business Bursary.

“The future of our trade relies on transparency and sustainability, and the 400 grams of AgAIN silver bullion that each of the bursary recipients will receive sets them on a course to make positive choices about their practice and its impact on the environment.”

Rebecca Howarth will take up the position, having become a Freeman of the Company of Goldsmiths earlier this year.

She will officially take on the role in July, succeeding Tim Alban, who will remain on the board as marketing and finance director.

Harriet Kelsall will also remain an “integral part of the business for many years to come” as founder-director and executive chair, with no plans to step back or slow down.

Alongside this, she continues to serve in non-executive positions, including on the boards of the Intellectual Property Office and the British Allied Trades Federation.

Kelsall said: “I am extremely happy about this move- it’s something I have been working towards for a long time. Really, in many ways, our company already runs like an EOT, as there’s long been a leadership structure and collaborative management style. So, the team is looking forward to the next part of the journey.

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Rebecca to the board of directors in this significant role. She’s been a brilliant, key part of the strategic leadership team for many years, and this is a well-deserved promotion.”

The group has created its own collection featuring floral designs from its archive, each piece set with 25 diamonds to represent 25 decades. Another range is crafted in 18ct yellow gold sourced from The Royal Mint.

To mark the anniversary, partner brands have also released limited-edition pieces: Roberto Coin has added to its Venetian Princess collection; Fope has introduced a sapphire version of its Prima bracelet; Marco Bicego has unveiled London blue topaz designs for its Lunaria line; and Fabergé will launch a one-of-a-kind egg object later in the year.

The brand, which holds Royal Warrants and serves as jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths to His Majesty The King, received a new Royal Warrant in May 2024. 

Since 2012, two of the company’s master craftsmen, Martin Swift and Mark Appleby LVO, have served as crown jeweller, responsible for maintaining the crown jewels. 

Mappin and Webb’s recent collections have also included pieces developed under the Crown Jeweller’s oversight.

The brand operates a London Jewellery Workshop and a Silver Workshop in Greater London, providing repair, restoration and bespoke services. The teams are involved in diverse projects, from mayoral regalia to Ascot trophies.

Additionally, Mappin and Webb supports charitable initiatives including the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust and The King’s Trust. 

It contributes a portion of sales from anniversary collections to support The King’s Trust’s Change A Girl’s Life campaign.

A new flagship showroom in Manchester is set to open in 2025, featuring a De Beers boutique and becoming the only David Yurman stockist in the UK outside of London.

Karl Bailey, senior manager of Mappin and Webb Regent Street, said: “It is our great pleasure that in May 2024 we received the Royal Warrant to His Majesty The King as Jewellers, Goldsmiths, and Silversmiths.

“As a grantee of a Royal Warrant, it signifies and reinforces our exemplary service, quality, and excellence of the highest calibre.”

Craig Bolton, president of the Watches of Switzerland Group, added: “We are thrilled to be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of Mappin and Webb, and to be working with such esteemed jewellery partners to do so is a reflection of the incredible heritage of this renowned British brand.”

The Goldsmiths’ Centre has awarded grants to four outstanding early-stage businesses: Kristina Merchant (Kmercht), Makila Nsika Nkaya (M.Kala), Katie Watson and Estelle Melissa Burton.

Each recipient of the £1,000 Business Catalyst (Small) Grant will invest in essential tools, specialist training, and new collections, boosting production, broadening product ranges, and reaching key milestones in their business growth.

The winners were selected by the Goldsmiths’ Centre team alongside guest judges Bettina Boerner, senior director at House of Gubelin and Jayant Raniga, CEO of PureJewels by Bhanji Gokaldas.

This grants initiative supports emerging designers and makers within the UK jewellery and silversmithing industry in building creative, sustainable, and commercially viable businesses.

These grants are made possible through the generosity of modern philanthropic giving via the Goldsmiths’ Foundation from members of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Julia Skilton, grants and engagement manager of the Goldsmiths’ Centre, said: “We’re delighted to support these four outstanding makers at a crucial point in their careers and are grateful to the Goldsmiths’ Foundation and members of the Goldsmiths’ Company for their generous backing.

“The Business Catalyst (Small) Grants provide focused investment that truly makes an impact. Each recipient showcases a unique creative vision and deep dedication to their craft, and we look forward to seeing how this support helps them build resilient, sustainable businesses within the jewellery industry.”

The new space is an adjacent extension of the existing PeaceGold Ethical Jewellery House on Bishop Auckland’s historic Fore Bondgate.

After securing initial funding from Durham County Council and local community funds, PeaceGold has begun transforming an abandoned shop into a state-of-the-art jewellery workshop and educational hub.

It said the new community space is designed to offer a variety of resources and opportunities for jewellers, whether just starting out or informed by years of experience.

To introduce this initiative, founder Greg Valerio MBE and in-house goldsmith and jewellery designer Kate Seow have invited local jewellers to an exclusive Open Evening on Wednesday 9 July.

The upcoming open evening will offer a chance to meet the team, learn more about the new workshop, and explore how the PeaceGold Jewellery Hub can support local talent.

Valerio said: “PeaceGold is a CIC working at the intersection between mining in conflict-affected areas and ethical jewellery designers and goldsmiths. Not only do we elevate the bravery and resilience of our PeaceGold cooperative members in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we actively promote ethical jewellery as the future of our trade. Peace is not an optional extra in our world, it is a prize worth fighting for.”

‘Pay the bill’, a series of jewellery and objets d’art explores the theme of avicide, the killing of birds, through pieces that reflect both their beauty and vulnerability.

Munisso, who studied jewellery and silversmithing, drew particular inspiration from the rhinoceros hornbill, Malaysia’s national bird, which is hunted for its casque, feathers and
meat, and whose habitat is under threat from deforestation.

One of her works, Untuk Ho-ting, a Malaysian phrase meaning “for the casque”, features a bronze bird sculpture with a Tahitian baroque pearl in its belly, mounted on Anjan wood native to the hornbill’s habitat.

Munisso was awarded a Student Award 2025 by the Association of Contemporary Jewellery and won bronze in the 3D Craft Junior Modellers category at the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council’s Craft and Design Competition 2025.

She said her work aimed to prompt reflection: “Through aesthetic confrontation and education, I hope to encourage a re-evaluation of our role in birds’ survival and extinction.”

The collaboration will fund 10 places on the MBA30 programme, a four-week executive education course tailored for Black entrepreneurs. The initiative is part of both organisations’ wider efforts to tackle structural inequality in the craft and design industries.

Accredited by SOAS University of London, MBA30 combines academic content with business insights from more than 16 industry leaders. 

The course includes three in-person days and six online sessions, covering subjects such as finance, branding, AI, legal compliance and sustainable operations.

Chris Oliver, head of professional training at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, said: “Equity and access are central to the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s mission. This collaboration with the Black British Initiative enables us to invest in the next generation of Black makers, providing not just funding, but meaningful pathways to leadership and entrepreneurship.”

Darren Miller, chief executive and co-founder of the Black British Initiative, added: “We are ecstatic, this support from Goldsmiths’ demonstrates their tangible commitment to creating a fair. 

“Statistically, the delta between the average turnover of a Black owned business and the national average is 3,124% and is directly related to the UK’s high levels of wealth disparity. Executive education is part of the solution and the practical support from the Goldsmiths’ Centre makes it possible to extend the reach of MBA30’s impact.”

The virtual session, taking place on 7 July, will feature goldsmith and award-winning designer Janet Weller, GC&DC trustee Kathryn Bishop, and Charlotte Dew, head of public programmes at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

Weller will guide attendees through how to interpret a design brief, develop initial ideas and translate them into a complete design.

The talk will focus on sketching, detailing and shading, as well as how to create design presentations that meet both client and brief expectations. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and join the discussion.

The session is part of the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Techniques in Focus series, which explores specific jewellery-making processes and their relevance to contemporary craft. It is tailored for jewellers, silversmiths and enthusiasts looking to expand their technical understanding.

This talk complements the GC&DC 2025 Awards Exhibition, running at the Goldsmiths’ Centre from 2 July to 11 September, and showcases a curated selection of this year’s winning entries.

Weller, who has won more than 20 GC&DC Awards, including six gold and six sponsored awards, took the top prize in 2D hand-rendering in both 2023 and 2025. She said: “Being able to host this session is a huge honour, and a chance to share the 2D hand-rendering skills, techniques and tips that I have gathered throughout my career.

“I look forward to delivering a session that is highly informative, inspiring and educational, giving attendees a chance to ask questions and feel more equipped and accomplished in their design process.”

John Ball GC&DC chairman said: “The 2D design section of the GC&DC Awards is a chance for us to identify new and promising creative talents in UK jewellery and silversmithing.

“We hope this session, in partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Centre and Janet Weller, will inspire a fresh cohort of designers to enter the 2026 edition of the Awards. 2D hand-rendering is a really impactful way to demonstrate ideas and wow clients with beautiful hand-drawn designs.”

In addition, emerging makers are invited to attend the GC&DC’s first Jewellery Feedback Session on 15 July at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

Participants will meet GC&DC judges Peter Crump, Robin Kyte and Steve Jinks to receive feedback on a piece of finished jewellery and get guidance on developing their skills and design approach.