VICKI AMBERY SMITH

Continuing our series on makers whose work is worthy of being passed down to future generations, we meet a silversmith with an eye for architectural detail in miniature

From celebrated London landmarks, such as St Paul’s Cathedral and the Globe Theatre, to famous structures around the world, including the Rialto Bridge and Sydney Opera House, there is no mistaking the buildings that Vicki Ambery-Smith recreates in her exquisite jewellery and small objects.

Considering many of these structures are no taller than a few centimetres – designed to be worn as a ring or a brooch – they are not only works of great skill and beauty, but also remarkably faithful recreations. It is no surprise that the V& A and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston have acquired pieces for their collections. Vicki has also won several Goldsmiths’ Cra ! and Design Council Awards – the Oscars of the industry – and is o!en asked to create works for public presentations on both sides of the Atlantic: illustrious recipients include the Lord Mayor of London and Prince Philip. And her creations are much in demand as special gi !s for private clients: Mary Beard, the classicist and TV presenter, commissioned a condiment set of two Roman ruins as a wedding present for her son.

Vicki is currently busy working on pieces for the annual Goldsmiths’ Fair, which is the highlight of the silversmithing and jewellery calendar. Her prime focus is what she calls her ‘ Bake O showstopper’ – a ring inspired by the distinctive step-gabled canalside houses of Amsterdam. It will be a continuation of her series of ‘city rings’, which includes Oxford, London, Cambridge, Birmingham and Venice.

Vicki began making her striking architectural rings and brooches while studying jewellery design at Hornsey College of Art in the 1970s and is amazed to "nd that she’s still making them over four decades later. ‘ It was a bit more abstracted then, I was just making vague architectural shapes, but along the way it has evolved into more speci "c places and speci "c buildings,’ she says. Since then, her work has grown in ambition and size: small boxes and presentation pieces were added to her catalogue around 15 years ago.

Vicki traces her fascination with architecture back to growing up in central Oxford, surrounded by its wealth of medieval and Baroque buildings. She had considered training in architecture or theatre design before se#ling on jewellery when she discovered how much she liked to focus on small details during her art foundation year. A holiday in Austria was the catalyst for bringing architecture and jewellery together. ‘I went to Salzburg and just started drawing,’ she says. ‘Something about the city just struck a chord, maybe the parallels with Oxford in the Baroque architecture. I did lots of sketching, then when I got back to the course in England I started extracting ideas from what I’d seen.’

Experience, as well as intuition, has taught her which cities will work. She has avoided Paris, for example, because of the fragility and potential danger of a mini Ei $el Tower on a ring. Whereas Amsterdam, like Venice, which

‘ has lots of lovely shapes clustered together’ is the perfect subject. Just as not every city will work, buildings have to be carefully considered too. ‘A lot of buildings are wonderful in their context, but wouldn’t stand alone outside it,’ she explains. ‘Some modern buildings when reduced to my scale just look like abstract shapes.’ A ring based on the Barbican only works because it also features St Giles’ Cripplegate Church. ‘ It’s the church that gives the context and that makes it recognisable,’ she says.

But she would just as soon explore buildings that are special to other people. Many of the pieces Vicki makes are commissions, and she says that one of the greatest rewards of doing what she does is seeing the delight that they bring. ‘ I’ll o!en be making something for a very personal reason, a big birthday or a big wedding anniversary. The building and the version I’ve created of it have a special meaning for that person and it’s o!en very emotional. It’s really wonderful when they see it for the "rst time. It’s a huge privilege to be able to make something that means so much to someone.’

FEATURE DOMINIQUE CORLETT Vicki’s pieces are made from silver or gold sheet with anodising used to create colour detail. This box stands at about 10cm tall and depicts The Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.

Vicki at work in her studio, with a tankard made for a commission, which has won a 2021 Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council Award.

THIS ROW Silver spice boxes in the form of dovecotes; the bell tower of Siena Cathedral with oxidised stripes. This three-part box, a favourite of Vicki’s, was bought by the V&A. THIS ROW This city ring depicts Oxford, where Vicki grew up. A brooch portraying the Radcliffe Camera building, Oxford. THIS ROW The Ca’ d’Oro in Venice; the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao; a box depicting a building in Lincoln’s Inn, London.