Techniques in Focus: Working with Wire

The talk will introduce the historical context, principle technical processes and tools employed by a maker working with wire and the range of applications. It will also explore a detailed case study following the process of making Jean's Etruscan Necklace, and a range of extraordinary award winning GC&DC work made using wire creatively.

Come and be inspired by the potential of wire. There will be the opportunity to ask questions and join in the conversation.

After training in typography at the London College of Printing in the early 1970s Jean Scott-Moncrieff worked as a graphic designer in book publishing. Whilst employed at Jonathan Cape in 1975 she enrolled on a jewellery evening class and was thrilled to make a ring in brass. From there she set up a small workbench at home and over the next few years, attended various masterclasses with established makers. Jean spent over 25 years making jewellery and small silver pieces while working as a freelance graphic designer, but in the early 2000s decided to make this her fulltime role, exhibiting regularly at Goldsmiths’ Fair since 2003.

Jean’s jewellery made using wire is characterised by a simplicity of form and purity of line and influenced by artefacts from ancient Mediterranean cultures – particularly evident in the collections held at the Villa Giulia, Rome and the Heraklion Museum, Crete. The work employs traditional hand tools and techniques; piercing, drilling, planishing and forging high carat gold and silver, embellished with old cut gemstones, cabochons and beads. Every piece is made by hand in Jean’s Sussex studio - finished using very fine emery papers resulting in a lustrous matt surface, with burnished edges.

Jean was asked by Ken Blundell (who had retired from his family firm) in 2010, to help him find new ways to connect his Livery Company - the Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers (GSWD) – to the trade. This collaboration has included working with Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council (GC&DC) to offer a prize for innovative uses of precious metal wire since 2013. The category has been a great success, and winners are invited to apply to become Freemen of the GSWD; there are now over 50 Freemen working in the trade - jewellers, silversmiths and embroiderers.

Since 1908, the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council (GC&DC) has championed excellence in the UK’s jewellery, silversmithing, smallwork and the allied craft industries. Often referred to as the “Jewellery Oscars”, its annual awards recognise and celebrate outstanding skill, creativity, and technical expertise.

“Tonight is about the brightest stars, the most promising new talents, the most innovative designs that challenge us all to improve and evolve. This is what the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council Awards is all about.

GC&DC Chair, John Ball

Supported by a distinguished and loyal group of Patrons and Sponsors, the GC&DC 2025/26 competition received over 800 entries of two- and three-dimensional works from across the UK. Each award-winning piece was rigorously judged by experts, assessing its quality, innovation, and craftsmanship.

If you would like to enter your work into the 2027 competition or find out more about GC&DC and the competition, visit

Founded in 1623, the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers maintains the traditions and customs of the City of London and supports the Lord Mayor and Corporation in promoting the status and the image of the City. It also provides a link to the modern usage of gold and silver wire and thread.