GB. England. London.

The Goldsmiths' Centre in Britton Street Clerkenwell. The Centre is a visionary new development that will become a hub for members of the Jewellery, Silversmithing and Allied Trades, the local community and the general public a unique space in which to work, learn and relax. It lives and breathes creativity and craftsmanship, providing facilities of the highest standard. It has a single primary aim: to advance and develop art, craft, design and artisan skills in particular, but not exclusively, for goldsmiths.

The new Centre will provide more than just a new home for Goldsmiths. It will establish a professional environment in which members of the trade can acquire new skills or improve existing ones through the newly established Goldsmiths' Institute, the educational element of the Charity. The Centre will offer the public an insight into the work of a goldsmith or jeweller and foster greater interest in the industry as a whole.

The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London.The Company, which originates from the twelfth century, received a Royal Charter in 1327 and ranks fifth in the order of precedence of City Livery.The Company was established as a medieval guild for the goldsmith trade, and over time became responsible for silversmiths and jewellers too. Only those clothed with the livery of the Company were licenced to trade such precious commodities within the bounds of the City. Whilst this arrangement maintained standards, it also became restrictive in an ever increasing global market.The word hallmarking derives from the fact that precious metals were officially inspected and marked at Goldsmiths' Hall, the Company's HQ. Today, the Company is one of the few Livery Companies still to play a formal role in its ancient trade. Until the late 20th-century, the Company retained paramount responsibility for hallmarking platinum, gold and silver. The Goldsmiths' Company oversees the London Assay Office, where objects made of precious metals are tested for purity, and then marked with an official symbol should they pass the necessary tests. They are also responsible for checking the validity of British coinage.

2012