Small Works

At the prestigious Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Awards, held on 4 March at London's Goldsmiths Hall, I won silver in Smallworkers design and bronze in Smallworkers and Modelmakers for my work of six scored silver miniature vessels (pictured above*).  These awards are hailed as the Oscar’s of the jewellery and silversmithing world and they are held annually to ‘promote the pursuit of excellence in craftsmanship and design amongst all those in the United Kingdom who work within silversmithing, goldsmithing, jewellery and allied crafts’.

My miniature vessels were scored with scoring tools I made myself and are made with Argentium silver. They are a series of vessels that are, from left to right: two vessels, a box with lid, a vessel, a box with moving components and a box with a friction fit lid, These vessels embody my commitment to hand making skills. These handmade pieces invite the viewer to handle them, feel their weight, touch their edges and explore their details.

In the Craft Council's "Making waves: our pick of this year's fresh craft graduates", curator Héloïse Parke wrote this about my mini vessels as part of her list of the top graduate makers of 2023:

A geometric visual language is at play in de Waard’s collection of stacking vessels. Crafted from a new alloy of recycled Argentium silver, the collection has a formal appearance but functions playfully. Child vessels hide within mothers, discreet hinges enable unexpected openings, and nods to tradition slowly reveal themselves.

*photo by Richard Valencia