ABOUT GRANT MACDONALD LONDON

OUR HISTORY

Founder, Grant Macdonald, began learning the craft of silversmithing in 1961, aged 14. He jokes that whilst he wasn’t born with a silver spoon, he soon learned how to make his own. After attending art school in London, he perfected his silversmithing skills by restoring antique silver pieces and producing a range of silver pieces for retailers in the 1960s, establishing his first workshop in Palmers Green under the name Silverform. Notably, in 1966, Grant began taking commissions from City of London Livery Companies, who required the highest standards of design and workmanship for their ceremonial pieces.

 

 

“Silver and gold, unlike other luxury items, go on forever. To be a designer is incredibly powerful. It means your work will be admired or criticised in perpetuity. Everything has to be perfect, or it doesn’t leave the workshop. - Grant Macdonald

 

Grant Macdonald moved his workshops to Clerkenwell in 1971. Within a few years, Grant Macdonald’s reputation for outstanding workmanship and innovative designs meant the new workshops were constantly producing bespoke pieces for London famous Bond Street and Mayfair retailers. Grant Macdonald London became the default choice for the design and production of fine silverware for the West End’s luxury retailers, and especially for custom made masterpieces.

 

 

In the 1980s, while London’s silversmithing industry was struggling with changing tastes and the lasting effects of the economic downturn of the late 1970s, Grant Macdonald began working internationally in Europe, America, the Middle East and Far East. From Cartier ‘s boutique in New York, to the luxurious retailers of Hong Kong, Grant Macdonald London silverware found a new global market.

 

 

 

"You can’t simply sit in your workshop while the world is changing, you have to get out and see it." - Grant Macdonald

 

 

 

 

Throughout the 1990s, our international reputation grew, and in 1998 we were proud to remake the golden orb and cross for the Dresden Cathedral, with the Duke of Kent handing over our 6.4 metre high cross – to the City of Dresden as an act of reconciliation. More recently, in 2015, Grant Macdonald was awarded a Royal Warrant to HRH The Prince of Wales as goldsmiths and silversmiths, acknowledging both our work and our commitment to environmentally sustainable processes within the precious metal industry.

 

 

TODAY

In 2003 Grant Macdonald’s son George joined the business to lead the workshop’s pioneering design experiments with 3D printing. Inspired by the potential of this new technology, Grant and George saw the future of design and manufacturing in the silversmith’s craft. Having studied design, George has seen the trends for silver rise and fall, but today he sees a bright future for craftsmanship as the natural antidote to mass produced items.

 

“We work with, and listen to, our customers. People appreciate fine craftsmanship today more than ever before.” - Grant Macdonald

 

Today, with our founder Grant Macdonald in the position of creative director, and his son George as Managing Director, Grant Macdonald London continues to pursue the high aspirations of perfection in design, quality and service. Our philosophy is that of luxury and legacy, of creating fine workmanship steeped in heritage and designed by innovation. We believe fine precious metals should never be simply admired, but used and cherished by today’s owners, and generations to come.