Tom Marshall's superb hand-wrought silver jewellery is on show throughout the year at the Stone Gallery, in Burford's High Street. During Artweeks, however, he and his parents, Veral and Simon, make a special effort, showing both Tom's pieces and the work of more than a dozen other silversmiths.
This is a family business in the true sense of the word, established 1918. Tom's grandmother still works in the shop at the grand age of 91. Although his parents were self taught, Tom studied at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. His designs vary hugely, but they all have one thing in common - their outstanding quality. This is due to the vast amount of time he spends designing and creating each piece in the small workshop beneath the shop.
His current work mimics the simplistic, yet striking, work of the Scandinavian designers of the 1960s and 1970s, which he has brought into the 21st century and made his own. Several of his rings are influenced by ancient Tibetan jewellery; others; such as the silver ring bracelet, created from hundreds of small rings, have a distinctly Indian air.
It's the ingenious way some of these handcrafted pieces fit together with disguised locks that makes them special. Then there's the series of silver and gold rings which separate to enable the wearer to wear one part of the ring, or three matching rings on different fingers. With several semi-precious stones set into each section, they are simply stunning when worn together as one ring.
Tom has also created the ultimate gift for the man who has everything - a silver hand-held gadget which scores the skin of an orange, making it easy to peel. Then there are the hand-beaten, hand-cut silver pomanders, created from one piece of silver and decorated with a series of heart-shaped cuts. This piece is as beautiful as anything created by craftsmen using the same techniques several centuries ago.
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