The Rising Success of Goldsmiths North

Goldsmiths North 2025 was a huge success with the show having a total of 53 exhibitors, footfall being significantly up and showing a huge increase in advance ticket sales. Overall, sales were very strong and a further improvement on last year's event.

There were also a healthy number of return visits across the weekend from people who had clearly enjoyed themselves and therefore wanted to return over the three days. We even notices that some visitors attended all three days.  

Assay Master, Ashley Carson said "What an amazing show, the best so far. There was a great vibe, lots of positive feedback from the visitors, silversmiths and jewellers and what’s important, there were also sales. This is the very best jewellery and silverware show, highlighting the very best of makers and their products".

The Sheffield Assay Office stand was incredibly busy, and the team were delighted to receive so many visitors from the trade, local government, colleges, university students, independent jewellery schools and curious members of the public. The Assay Office team were there to promote assaying, hallmarking and consumer protection and visitors to the fair enjoyed having their jewellery and silverware tested using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer.

Comments from visitors included "Thank you for testing my pieces of self-refined gold and silver. It was very interesting and rewarding to know that my refining efforts do actually work"; "I thoroughly enjoyed Goldsmiths North & I thought that the whole exhibition / selling event was excellent (representative from Sheffield Town Trust) and "I really enjoyed the show. Inspiring".

The Sheffield Assay Office were also able to support the fair in other ways, with wo commissioned pieces of silverware belonging to the office being lent back to the original makers to display on their stands. These included 'Dinner for 3'  by Nova Smith and 'Embrace White Rose' by Shinta Nakajima. Both pieces looked stunning  and were admired by visitors and were certainly talking pieces throughout the event. 'Dinner for 3' was then used for the first time for a special VIP Dinner with representatives from the Goldsmiths Company on the Friday evening at Cutlers’ Hall.

The Curator and Assay Master couldn’t resist a small purchase for the Sheffield Assay Office collection, a hand forged sterling silver spoon with chased anodised blue niobium by Designer, Jeweller and Silversmith, Alice Fry. They of course asked Alice if it was hallmarked!

Alice Fry said "I'm delighted to have a piece in the permanent collection at the Sheffield Assay Office. Ashley, Emma and the Sheffield Assay Office team have been a wonderful support to my small business and are continually advocating for emerging silversmiths to preserve the future of the heritage craft. This spoon is particularly fitting, as I hand forged it from an ingot of silver during an online Contemporary British Silversmiths' course back in lockdown in 2021. This was taught by Howard Fenn, and although it had its challenges (being completely online via Zoom!), it taught me the fundamentals of forging. The spoon then sat in my draw until last year, when I figured out how to bring my own unique style to a simple spoon. I constructed the hand chased, anodised blue niobium crystal shapes as a contrasting feature to the simple shape. It's riveted to the spoon and the surrounding silver features a texture made by rolling shards of diamond over the surface, which create miniature facets, allowing the silver to sparkle, glisten and dance in the light. My work often highlights juxtapositions between vibrant colour and white silver, flat facets and organic shapes, sparkling textures and clean surfaces. I'm thrilled that Ashley and Emma selected this spoon that combines all of my signature designs."

A huge thank you must go to Kat Payne and the Goldsmiths North Team for organising another incredible fair and we look forward to an even better event in 2026.

The Sheffield Assay Office was established in 1773, under an Act of Parliament and today the company assays and hallmarks the precious metals - silver, gold, platinum and palladium. Sheffield Assay Office is one of only four UK assay offices who all work to uphold the Hallmarking Act of 1973 and continue to ensure consumer protection for customers purchasing precious metals.

To find out more about the whole range of services offered by Sheffield Assay Office, such as our hallmarking and analytical services, please email us at info@assayoffice.co.uk or complete the contact form on our website at http://www.assayoffice.co.uk/contact-us ,

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