Jewellery Inspired by Architecture
- Date
- 16 Feb 2026 · 6:00PM - 7:00PM
- Price
- Pay what you can: £7 or £10
- Venue
- Online (via Zoom), UK time
- Programme type
- Talks
Discover how the world of architecture has sparked bold innovation and creativity in jewellery design. From the tactile qualities of concrete and metal to the play of light across glass and gemstones, explore how designers through time have translated elements of architectural form and materiality into expressive, wearable objects.
Join art historian and author, Rachel Church, in this online talk examining the interconnected relationship between jewellery design and the built environment. Find out how Louis Cartier drew inspiration from 18th century ironworks and the buildings of Paris, and the influence of Brutalist post-war reconstruction on modernist jewellery designers from Andrew Grima to Gerda Flöckinger. You will hear how jewellers have taken ideas from buildings and the cityscape, and discover why architectural training has proven to be the perfect foundation for a surprising number of jewellery designers.
There will be the opportunity to ask questions and join in the conversation.
Image credit: Andrew Grima, Ring, 1968,18ct gold, platinum, topaz, diamonds. Courtesy of the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection.
FAQs:
We run our events in person at the Goldsmiths’ Centre and online, so that as many of our community as possible can exchange ideas, learn from industry experts, and form valuable connections across the UK. We do not record these events, or broadcast them, to encourage the open sharing of ideas and experiences and preserve confidentiality. Popular topics will be repeated over time.
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To discuss your requirements when booking tickets for our Goldsmiths’ Centre programmes, please contact us at boxoffice@goldsmiths-centre.org
Who is the speaker?
Rachel Church has written and lectured widely on jewellery history and design. She is the author of 'Rings' (V&A/ Thames and Hudson 2011 and 2017) and 'Brooches and Badges' (V&A/ Thames and Hudson 2019). She has worked as a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum and was part of the team which redeveloped the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery.