THE CROWN IN THE JEWEL
John was born in Elgin in Scotland. His father was a professional golfer. He described his mother as, “Socially ambitious.”
As a young man, John showed great sporting promise. He was torn between becoming professional or following the academic route and going to university.
He put off the decision whilst completing National Service.
Still unable to decide, John compromised and went to Farnham Art College to study graphic design.
After that, John realised he wanted to go to London and he got a place in the metalwork department of the Royal College of Art. It was there that he discovered his passion for working with metal.
At the college, John ‘fell in’ with a group of very hard-working ex-servicemen. They put in long hours learning their trade – and then ‘enjoyed’ a hectic social life. John felt he learned a lot from these ‘men of the world’.
He took up digs in Chelsea with two other students, Robert Welch (who was to become famous for his silverwork and Gerald Benney (noted for his jewellery).
John was trained by top goldsmiths and silversmiths, including David Mellor.
John got a first-class degree, and then took a ‘gap year’, travelling to Italy to study ancient artwork – particularly brooches, which was the area he wanted to work in.
Returning to London, he spent hours in the Victoria and Albert Museum. He was fascinated by Victorian jewellery – “Intricate, thoughtful and honest in its decorative style.”
John said as well as Victoriana, he was influenced by Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
It took years for John to establish himself as a top-class jeweller. To make ends meet, he became a male model and an industrial designer. In the latter job, he designed luggage and also spectacles for the National Health Service. The proceeds from this work enabled him to buy his first ever studio. It was in Bayswater, and he lived above the studio-cum-shop.
Initially, the only gold he could afford was tiny rods used by bullion merchants. He would melt them down and create his own striking designs.
John’s big breakthrough came when he exhibited five pieces at Goldsmith’s Hall in the ‘International Exhibition of Modern Jewellery 1890-1961’.
His exhibits were described as, “Uninhibited as modern sculpture or fashion – individual, imaginative and smart.”
John’s reputation grew with both the public and critics. He seemed to catch the mood of the 1960s – abstract and adventurous and breaking free of traditional conventions in jewellery design.
Convention had it that jewellery was made with large centre stones. John was willing to change this, saying that the design was more important than the actual stones.
His business was helped when Princess Margaret became a patron, followed by her mother (The Queen Mother).
Subsequently, crowns became a regular feature in John’s work.
John’s speciality was making brooches. He was one of the first jewellers to use uncut crystals. He also believed that whilst designing items, you should take into consideration the person who would wear it.
“I am very aware that my pieces are to be worn, and when working on commissioned objects, always take into account, not only the appearance but the personality of the wearer.”
John got married in 1962 and had children. After a few years, the family had outgrown their flat.
He bought a new shop in Cheapside in the City of London. The move was frowned upon as it was seen as being too far from the West End, where the jewellery business was concentrated.
However, the local council was delighted. Cheapside had been the centre of London’s jewellery trade in the twelfth century. He was the first practitioner to return there in hundreds of years.
For 37 years, John remained the only jeweller in Cheapside.
The shop design and front window was beautifully presented. In the pre-Internet days, John believed making a striking impression was essential for business.
He set up on-site workshops and started taking on apprentices (eventually having as many as one hundred people being trained by him).
John’s international reputation grew and by 1969, he was travelling around the world – throughout Europe, the USA and Japan.
By the 1970s, John was working much more in the Middle East.
He put on a three-week exhibition in the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait in 1971. This brought him so much money that he was able to avoid the economic downturn in Britain at the start of the decade.
John found the Middle East a rich source of new ideas. He was inspired by Islamic designs, tiles and decorations. He also believed that the intense sunlight persuaded him to use bolder colours.
Back in Britain, he now owned three shops in London (adding Bond Street and Richmond), plus one in Geneva, Switzerland.
John also entered a one-year partnership with Tacia Pearls, which taught him a lot about gems he had never worked with – consequently vastly expanding his range of products.
John designed badges for the City Livery companies, mixing old designs with new. He always said the badges had to be robust, to survive heavy nights within the companies.
He created over 120 of these but was most proud of the badge for the Wardens of the Goldsmith’s Company – of which he was a member.
By now, he was working for many royal families and other private individuals as well as selling to the corporate market.
John was Princess Margaret’s goldsmith of choice. When she died in 2002, she had sixteen of his pieces – more than any other designer. Her particular favourite was a ruby, sapphire and diamond brooch that he had made for one of her birthdays.
Exhibitions of his work were at the V&A (of which he was extremely proud), the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and at the Jewellery Museum in Pforzheim, Germany. A reviewer called him, “An elegant revolutionary.”
In 2005, it was decided to redevelop the Cheapside area and John’s shop fell victim to this. He decided not to relocate but chose to go into semi-retirement. John continued to make specially commissioned pieces for selected clients.
In 2015, a book was published with pictures of his work. It was called ‘Precious Statements’.
John was once asked which moment in his life had made him decide to work with jewels. “There were no ‘eureka’ moments – just a gradual evolvement, development and innovation.”
RIP – Royalty Inspired Pieces
