Short film series: The Platinum Jubilee Mark
In celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's 70 years of service, the body which oversees UK hallmarking, the British Hallmarking Council, sanctioned a special commemorative mark - designed by Thomas Fattorini Ltd, and refined by engineers at the Goldsmiths’ Company London Assay Office for use by laser or punch.
To mark this once in a lifetime occasions, we commissioned filmmaker Lucy Emms, to create four short films that explore the process and meet the people behind the creation, application and use of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Mark.
Designing the Platinum Jubilee Mark
In celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the body which oversees UK hallmarking, the British Hallmarking Council, sanctioned a special commemorative mark - designed by Thomas Fattorini Ltd, and refined by engineers at the Goldsmiths’ Company London Assay Office for use by laser or punch.
To learn more about the process and the people behind the design of this special mark, we visited Tom Fattorini, the 6th generation owner of 195 year old family business, Thomas Fattorini Ltd in Birmingham.
A film by Lucy Emms.
Created with thanks to Tom Fattorini and the team at Thomas Fattorini Ltd.
Making the Platinum Jubilee Mark
In celebration of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, the body which oversees UK hallmarking, the British Hallmarking Council, sanctioned a special commemorative mark - designed by Thomas Fattorini Ltd, and refined by engineers at the Goldsmiths’ Company London Assay Office for use by laser or punch.
To learn more about the process and the people behind the creation and application of this special mark, we visited The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office at Goldsmiths' Hall in London.
A film by Lucy Emms.
Created with thanks to Pat Geary (Workshop Manager, London Assay Office), Simon Jones (Senior Engineer, London Assay Office), and Kheni Priest (Production Control Manager, London Assay Office).
James French: The meaning behind the mark
In this Jubilee year, makers have the option of adding a special commemorative Platinum Jubilee mark to their work when it is Assayed. We visited jeweller and silversmith James French of JWF Unique Designs to find out what the Platinum Jubilee mark means to him and the significance it holds when making a piece of jewellery.
A film by Lucy Emms.
Created with thanks to James French.
Melanie Eddy: The Meaning behind the marks
In the archives of the Goldsmiths' Company, we have 47 Feet of Sponsors Mark records, going all the back to 1697. These tiny marks connect jewellers and silversmiths to the pieces they have made and form an important part of their story. To discover the story behind a modern Maker's mark, we visited jeweller Melanie Eddy in her studio at the Goldsmiths' Centre, learned about the unique Sponsors' mark that is applied to her pieces at the London Assay Office, and discussed her feelings about applying the Platinum Jubilee mark to her work.
A film by Lucy Emms.
Created with thanks to Melanie Eddy, and Goldsmiths' Company Librarian Eleni Bide.