A Shining Example

27th October 2021

Silver specialist, Lucy Chalmers, has been appointed as a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company, following a rigorous vetting and interview procedure.

Lucy, who joined Woolley and Wallis 20 years ago, has worked in the Silver department since 2005 and was put forward to the Company by two existing Freemen – silver dealer and Antiques Roadshow stalwart, Alastair Dickenson, and by Henry Willis, another well-known dealer and a long-standing client of Woolley and Wallis.

Asked to comment on his recommendation for Lucy’s approval to the Company, Willis said, “The Goldsmiths' Company is the only one of the Great Twelve livery companies that is still a working company. As such it is very important that people like Lucy, with her deep knowledge of silver ancient and modern, are included as members.”

Lucy herself is very keen to get involved with the Company’s many programmes for charitable education and with plans for a new public exhibition. “The Goldsmiths’ Company is a founding partner of the new Museum of London and has pledged £10m to the project, which is due to open in 2022. There will be a gallery showcasing, among other things, the Cheapside Hoard, and other objects from the Company’s own collection. It’s a really exciting project, which I hope will work to show the general public some of the amazing historical craftsmanship that our English silvermakers are known for.”

Alastair Dickenson is similarly excited about the Company’s future. “The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths has been upholding the standards and policing the silver trade for nearly 700 years. With the introduction of the annual Goldsmiths’ Fair in 1982 and the setting up of the Goldsmiths’ Centre in 2012 the Company has fostered a wealth of talent ranking London as one of the best places in the world to see and buy contemporary silver. It is a huge privilege to be part of this ongoing tradition and I am absolutely delighted for Lucy.”